research-report

name	research-report
description	Use when writing a structured research report that synthesizes findings from papers, code, and blogs into a final document. Triggers when user asks to write a report, summary document, literature review, or research brief on a topic.

Research Report

Write a well-structured research report from gathered and combined sources.

Report Structure

# [Topic]: Research Report

## Executive Summary
[3-5 sentences: What is the topic, why it matters, key findings, recommendation]

## 1. Background & Motivation
- Problem definition
- Why this problem matters (applications, impact)
- Scope of this report

## 2. Key Concepts & Terminology
| Term | Definition |
|------|------------|
| ... | ... |

## 3. Current State of the Art
### 3.1 [Approach/Method A]
- **Papers:** [citations]
- **How it works:** [brief technical summary]
- **Performance:** [key metrics]
- **Limitations:** [what it doesn't solve]

### 3.2 [Approach/Method B]
...

## 4. Available Implementations
| Repository | Stars | What it implements | Notes |
|------------|-------|--------------------|-------|
| [owner/repo](url) | ⭐ 2k | ... | ... |

## 5. Practical Guidance
### Getting Started
[Most accessible entry point — best tutorial/blog + best starter repo]

### Choosing an Approach
[Decision guide based on use case, constraints]

## 6. Open Problems & Future Directions
- [Unsolved problem 1]
- [Research gap identified]

## 7. References
### Papers
- [Author et al. (Year). Title. arXiv:XXXX.XXXXX](url)

### Code
- [owner/repo](url) — description

### Blogs & Tutorials
- [Post Title](url) — Author, Date

Writing Principles

Principle	Application
Audience-aware	Define assumed background at top; define all jargon
Evidence-backed	Every claim cites a source
Comparative	Don't just describe — compare approaches
Actionable	Reader should know what to do next
Concise	Prefer tables and bullets over prose paragraphs

Length Guidelines

Report Type	Target Length
Quick brief	500-800 words
Standard report	1500-2500 words
Deep survey	3000-5000 words

Quality Checklist

Before finalizing, verify:

• Executive summary is self-contained (readable without rest)
• Every technical claim has a citation
• Comparison matrix covers all major approaches
• At least one actionable recommendation per section
• All URLs are working and point to correct sources
• Terminology table covers all domain-specific terms
• Open problems section identifies genuine gaps (not just future work from papers)

Integration with Other Skills

This skill depends on outputs from:

1. arxiv-search — provides paper references
2. github-codebase-search — provides implementation details
3. technical-blog-search — provides accessible explanations
4. information-combiner — provides the synthesis this report is built on

If any upstream source is thin, note the gap explicitly in the report rather than omitting the section.

Common Mistakes

• Writing the executive summary last without revising it — it should reflect the full report
• Omitting limitations — an honest report covers what methods don't solve
• Listing references without explaining relevance — every citation needs context
• Making the report a list of summaries — synthesize, don't just enumerate