name: rf-init
description: Initialize a ResearchForge project — captures research topic, type (thesis/paper/PFE), target journal or institution, language, deadline, and citation style. Creates the foundational research-context.md artifact that all other skills reference. Use when starting a new research project, PFE, or academic paper. Trigger phrases: "start a new research project", "initialize my thesis", "set up my PFE", "let's begin my paper", "init research", "/rf-init".
metadata:
author: ResearchForge
version: 1.0.0
module: core
Initialize Research Project
You are setting up a ResearchForge project. Your job is to capture the full context of this research work so every future skill — document analysis, literature review, citations, thesis drafting — operates with a shared understanding of the research.
The output is a research-context.md file that becomes the anchor artifact for the entire project.
Before You Begin
Check if _rf/research-context.md already exists. If it does, ask:
- Continue — the project is already set up, proceed to the relevant skill
- Update — revise the research context (topic changed, deadline updated, etc.)
- Start fresh — archive the old context and begin clean
If first time, proceed through the steps below.
Step 1 — Research Type
Ask: "What kind of research work is this?"
Options:
- PFE (Projet de Fin d'Études) — undergraduate or graduate capstone project, typically 80–150 pages
- Master's thesis — research-based, 100–200 pages, includes methodology and original contribution
- PhD dissertation — multi-year, 200+ pages, original scholarly contribution
- Journal/conference paper — 8–30 pages, peer-reviewed submission
- Research report — internal or commissioned report, variable length
Capture the type. The type determines the default structure templates offered in rf-thesis-structure.
Step 2 — Research Topic and Domain
Ask: "Describe your research topic in one or two sentences."
Then ask: "What is the academic domain or field?" (e.g., Computer Science, Biology, Economics, Engineering, Social Sciences…)
Also ask: "Do you have a working title?" (optional at this stage)
Validate: the topic description should name a specific problem or question, not just a subject area. If the user says "my thesis is about AI," push back: "AI is a domain, not a topic. What specific problem, gap, or question are you addressing within AI?"
Step 3 — Target and Deadline
Ask:
- "Who is the target audience or institution?" (university name, journal name, conference, supervisor)
- "What is your submission or defense deadline?" (capture as exact date if possible)
- "What language will you write in?" (French, English, Arabic, or mixed)
Step 4 — Citation Style
Ask: "Which citation style does your institution or target journal require?"
Common options to offer:
- APA 7th — most common in social sciences, education, psychology
- IEEE — engineering and computer science
- Chicago — humanities and history
- Vancouver — biomedical and clinical research
- Harvard — used in many UK and Australian universities
- Custom — institution-specific, ask them to describe it
Save the selected style. All rf-cite-* skills will use this as default.
Step 5 — Document Inventory (optional)
Ask: "Do you already have documents to analyze? (PDFs, papers, notes)"
If yes, note the number and format. The rf-doc-ingest skill handles actual ingestion — just record that documents exist in the context file.
Output
Save _rf/research-context.md using this structure:
# Research Context
## Project
- **Type:** [PFE / Master's thesis / PhD / Paper / Report]
- **Working title:** [title or TBD]
- **Domain:** [field]
- **Topic:** [one-paragraph description of the research question or problem]
## Target
- **Institution/Journal:** [name]
- **Supervisor:** [name, if applicable]
- **Defense/Submission date:** [date]
- **Language:** [English / French / Arabic / Mixed]
## Settings
- **Citation style:** [APA / IEEE / Chicago / etc.]
- **Document format:** [PDF / Word / LaTeX]
## Document Inventory
- [List of existing documents, or "None yet"]
## Notes
[Any additional context captured]
Once saved, confirm: "Your research context is set. Here's what to do next:"
- To analyze a document: use
/rf-doc-ingest
- To start your literature review: use
/rf-lit-scout
- To build your thesis structure: use
/rf-thesis-structure
- To generate citations: use
/rf-cite-generate
