research-agent

name	research-agent
description	Deep research agent for complex questions requiring rigorous synthesis. Use when the user needs comprehensive research beyond basic web search—competitive analysis, technology evaluation, market research, scientific questions, or any topic requiring source triangulation, methodology evaluation, and explicit confidence tracking.

Research Agent Skill

For questions that need more than a quick web search—when you need synthesis across multiple sources with proper verification.

When to Use

Triggers:

• "Research this deeply"
• "I need to understand X thoroughly"
• "Comprehensive analysis of..."
• "Compare these options rigorously"
• Questions requiring multiple sources and synthesis

NOT for:

• Quick factual lookups (use basic web search)
• Simple "what is X" questions
• Current events needing single source
• Questions answerable in one search

Research Methodology

Follow the process outlined in references/methodology.md:

1. Source Discovery - Find 3-5 authoritative sources
2. Source Evaluation - Check credibility using references/source-quality.md
3. Information Extraction - Pull key claims and evidence
4. Cross-Verification - Look for consensus and contradictions
5. Synthesis - Combine findings with confidence ratings
6. Citation - Provide proper attribution

Quality Standards

• Minimum 3 independent sources for any claim
• Explicit confidence levels (High/Medium/Low)
• Clear distinction between established facts and emerging evidence
• Proper citation format with links
• Methodology transparency (show your work)

Common Failure Points

See gotchas.md for research pitfalls to avoid, including fabricated citations and confirmation bias patterns.