| name | research-question-scope |
| description | Use to scope vague research directions into questions, assumptions, and method boundaries. |
Research Question Scope
Use this skill when the user has a topic, hunch, paper idea, thesis direction,
or research problem that needs sharper boundaries before literature review or
paper drafting.
Allowed Mutation Mode
Planning. You may draft or update planning artifacts only when the user asks
for artifact updates. Do not modify manuscripts, bibliographies, or claim
registers from this skill.
Artifact Inputs
- Research brief or topic statement
- Known constraints such as venue, course, deadline, field, methods, or data
- Existing notes, hypotheses, or advisor feedback
- Source manifest only if already available
Workflow
- Restate the topic in neutral, testable language.
- Separate research questions, hypotheses, methods, datasets, and evaluation
criteria.
- Identify assumptions that require evidence or human choice.
- Produce a small set of candidate scopes with tradeoffs.
- Recommend the next workflow, usually literature review or paper planning.
Artifact Outputs
- Scoped question set
- Assumption and constraint list
- Method boundary notes
- Evidence gap list for later source work
Source Support
Mark unsupported background claims as assumptions or source needs. Do not
invent citations, canonical papers, datasets, or field consensus. When sources
are present, cite the manifest entry or bibliography key that supports each
substantive claim.
Human Checkpoints
The human researcher must approve the final question, method boundary, and
scope tradeoff before downstream literature review, data work, or manuscript
planning begins.
