research-interview-synthesis

name	research-interview-synthesis
description	Use when planning interviews, gathering reporting material, organizing research, or synthesizing conversations into strong nonfiction. Focuses on contradiction, significance, listening, and turning raw material into meaning.
license	MIT

Research Interview Synthesis

Use this skill for reporting-driven writing.

Source Protocol

• Read references/source-notes.md when the user asks for the reporting model or wants the source grounding for this workflow.
• Use the source material as a reporting-and-synthesis discipline, not as a memoir or confessional voice target.
• Do not force a thesis before the reporting earns one.

Use When

• The user is preparing interviews for an article, book, profile, or essay.
• There is too much research material and no synthesis.
• A nonfiction piece needs stronger reported depth.

Do Not Use When

• The task is pure imaginative fiction.
• The user wants line editing only.
• The source material is too thin for meaningful synthesis.

Attention Targets

• Core problem
• Why the story matters
• Contradictions
• Interview questions
• Listening opportunities
• Human detail
• Organizing maps of reality

Operating Rules

• Clarify the reporting question before gathering more material.
• Ask what tension or contradiction the reporting is meant to reveal.
• Favor open questions that invite scenes, choices, and tradeoffs.
• Talk less, listen more.
• Track statements that complicate the easy narrative.
• Synthesize toward meaning, not just summary.

Failure Modes

• Collecting quotes without a frame
• Forcing a thesis too early
• Interviews that produce opinions but no lived detail
• Research dumps with no organizing logic

Output Shape

Reporting goal:
Core tension:
Interview plan:
Research gaps:
Synthesis map:
Possible narrative frames:
Risks and biases: