| name | web-researcher |
| description | Use this skill when you need to research a topic online, gather information from multiple sources, or evaluate source credibility. Trigger phrases: 'research', 'find information about', 'look up', 'investigate'. Not for academic systematic reviews (use literature-reviewer) or fact-checking specific claims (use fact-checker). |
| version | 1.0.0 |
| author | community |
| tags | ["research","web","search","information-gathering"] |
| license | MIT |
Web Researcher
Overview
The Web Researcher skill provides a structured methodology for conducting effective online research. It covers advanced search strategies, source credibility evaluation using the CRAAP test, synthesis of findings across multiple sources, and organized note-taking. Whether exploring a new market, investigating a technical topic, or gathering competitive intelligence, this skill ensures thorough and reliable results.
When to Use
- Researching a market landscape or competitive environment
- Finding technical documentation or tutorials on a specific topic
- Gathering background information before writing or presenting
- Investigating current events or recent developments
- Compiling information from multiple web sources into a coherent summary
When NOT to Use
- When you need a systematic academic literature review (use literature-reviewer)
- When verifying a specific factual claim (use fact-checker)
- When searching only within a single database or proprietary system
- When real-time or live data is required (stock prices, live scores)
Quick Reference
| Task | Approach |
|---|
| Broad topic overview | Start with Wikipedia, then follow cited sources |
| Find recent news | Use site:reuters.com or after:2024-01-01 filter |
| Academic sources | Google Scholar, PubMed, SSRN |
| Government data | site:.gov or site:.edu operators |
| Exclude noise | Use - operator: python tutorial -w3schools |
| Exact phrase | Wrap in quotes: "machine learning fairness" |
| Evaluate credibility | Apply CRAAP test (Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy, Purpose) |
Instructions
-
Define your research question clearly
- Write a 1-2 sentence research question before searching
- Identify key concepts and synonyms for each concept
- Example: "What are the current market leaders in B2B SaaS CRM software and their pricing models?"
-
Construct effective search queries using Boolean operators
- AND: narrows results —
CRM software AND pricing AND B2B
- OR: broadens results —
CRM OR "customer relationship management"
- NOT/minus: excludes terms —
CRM pricing -Salesforce
- Quotes for exact phrases:
"market share" "CRM software"
- Wildcard (*):
"best * for small business"
-
Use site-specific and advanced search filters
site:domain.com — search within a specific sitefiletype:pdf — find PDFs (reports, whitepapers)intitle:keyword — keyword must appear in page titleafter:YYYY-MM-DD / before:YYYY-MM-DD — date range filtering- Example:
CRM market share filetype:pdf after:2023-01-01
-
Evaluate sources using the CRAAP test
- Currency: When was it published? Is it recent enough for your topic?
- Relevance: Does it directly address your research question?
- Authority: Who wrote it? What are their credentials? Is the domain reputable (.gov, .edu, peer-reviewed)?
- Accuracy: Is it supported by evidence? Are claims cited? Can you verify facts elsewhere?
- Purpose: Why was it written? Is there bias (commercial, political, ideological)?
-
Diversify your sources
- Aim for at least 5–7 independent sources
- Include: primary sources (original research, official data), secondary sources (analysis, journalism), and expert commentary
- Cross-reference key claims across multiple sources
-
Take structured notes
Use this template for each source:
Source: [Title, Author, URL, Date]
Credibility: [CRAAP score: High/Medium/Low]
Key Finding 1: [quote or paraphrase]
Key Finding 2: [quote or paraphrase]
Relevance to question: [1-2 sentences]
Examples
Example 1: Research a Market Landscape
Input: "Research the current landscape of AI-powered writing tools — key players, pricing, and differentiators."
Output:
Research Question: Who are the leading AI writing tools, what do they cost, and how do they differentiate?
Search queries used:
- "AI writing tools" market share 2024
- site:g2.com "AI writing" comparison
- "Jasper" OR "Copy.ai" OR "Writesonic" pricing filetype:pdf
Key Findings (synthesized by theme):
MARKET LEADERS:
- Jasper AI: Enterprise focus, starts at $49/mo, strong brand voice features (Source: Jasper.ai, G2 Reviews 2024)
- Copy.ai: Freemium model, $36/mo pro, workflow automation focus (Source: Copy.ai website)
- Writesonic: $16/mo starter, SEO integration via SurferSEO (Source: Writesonic.com)
DIFFERENTIATORS:
- Jasper: Brand voice training, team collaboration
- Copy.ai: Go-to-market workflows, CRM integrations
- Writesonic: Cost efficiency, built-in SEO tools
PRICING TREND: Most tools moving to seat-based + usage-credit hybrid model (multiple sources, 2024)
GAPS: Limited independent data on enterprise contract pricing; most pricing pages hide volume discounts.
Sources rated: 6/7 High credibility (1 Medium — blog post with no cited data)
Example 2: Find Information on a Technical Topic
Input: "Find information on WebAssembly performance compared to JavaScript for compute-intensive tasks."
Output:
Research Question: How does WebAssembly performance compare to JavaScript for compute-intensive workloads?
Search queries used:
- "WebAssembly" vs JavaScript performance benchmark
- site:v8.dev WebAssembly
- "WASM" performance "compute intensive" filetype:pdf after:2022-01-01
Key Findings:
PERFORMANCE BENCHMARKS:
- WASM is typically 10–40% faster than JS for CPU-bound tasks (Mozilla Hacks, 2023)
- For memory-intensive tasks, WASM's linear memory model offers predictability (V8 Blog, 2023)
- JS remains faster for DOM manipulation due to JIT optimization (Surma, web.dev, 2022)
USE CASES WHERE WASM WINS:
- Image/video processing, cryptography, physics simulations, codecs
- Example: Figma uses WASM for its rendering engine (Figma Engineering Blog)
USE CASES WHERE JS IS SUFFICIENT:
- Business logic, UI interactions, API calls, form handling
CREDIBILITY NOTES:
- v8.dev and mozilla.org = High authority (engine developers)
- Personal blogs cross-checked against official benchmarks
Best Practices
- Always start with a written research question — don't just start Googling
- Use at least 3 different search engines or databases for comprehensive coverage
- Screenshot or archive pages in case content changes (use web.archive.org)
- Date-stamp your research sessions — web content changes frequently
- For controversial topics, seek sources from multiple ideological or institutional perspectives
- Build a personal library of trusted source domains by topic area
Common Mistakes
- Using only the first page of Google results (try different queries and go deeper)
- Accepting information without checking the original primary source
- Trusting a source based on professional appearance alone (design ≠ credibility)
- Failing to note the date of information (outdated data can mislead)
- Confusing correlation with causation in statistics found online
- Not recording URLs at time of research (links go dead)
Tips & Tricks
- Use Google's "Tools" filter to set a custom date range for recent content
- Append
site:reddit.com to find candid user opinions and practitioner discussions
cache:url in Google shows the cached version of a page if it's down- Use
related:domain.com to find websites similar to a trusted source
- For news, use AllSides.com to see coverage across left/center/right perspectives
- Browser extensions like Web of Science Unpaywall unlock paywalled academic PDFs
Related Skills
