Academic Research Skill

Conduct comprehensive academic research mimicking Claude.ai's Research feature, specialized for philosophy, neuroscience, cognitive science, and theoretical CS.

Research Workflow

1. Scope the Query

Before searching, clarify:

•Domain: Philosophy / Neuroscience / Cognitive Science / Theoretical CS
•Depth: Quick (3-5 sources) | Standard (10-15) | Deep (20+)
•Focus: Empirical findings / Theoretical frameworks / Historical development / Current debates

If unclear, ask one clarifying question before proceeding.

2. Search Strategy

Use web search with academic-focused queries. Search in waves:

Wave 1 - Core sources:

•"[topic]" site:semanticscholar.org
•"[topic]" site:arxiv.org
•"[topic]" site:philpapers.org (for philosophy)
•"[topic]" site:ncbi.nlm.nih.gov (for neuroscience)

Wave 2 - Expand with:

•"[topic]" review paper OR survey
•"[topic]" [key author name]
•"[topic]" [specific journal from references/domains.md]

Wave 3 - Follow citations:

•Search for highly-cited papers found in Wave 1-2
•Look for "cited by" to find recent work building on seminal papers

3. Source Evaluation

For each source, extract and assess:

•Relevance (0-10): How directly does it address the query?
•Authority: Peer-reviewed? Citation count? Author credentials?
•Recency: Prioritize last 5 years unless historical context needed
•Type: Empirical study / Review / Theoretical / Commentary

Flag preprints (arXiv, bioRxiv) as non-peer-reviewed.

4. Triangulation

Cross-reference findings to identify:

•Consensus: Claims supported by multiple independent sources
•Debates: Conflicting findings or interpretations
•Gaps: Underexplored questions
•Key figures: Most-cited authors and seminal works

5. Synthesis Output

Structure the report as:

markdown

# Research Report: [Topic]

## Summary
[2-3 paragraph executive summary]

## Key Findings
1. [Finding with citation]
2. [Finding with citation]
...

## Theoretical Landscape
[Major positions, schools of thought, competing frameworks]

## Open Questions
[Active debates, unresolved issues, research gaps]

## Recommended Reading
- [Paper 1] - [1-sentence annotation]
- [Paper 2] - [1-sentence annotation]
...

## References
[Full citations, preferably with DOIs/URLs]

Domain-Specific Guidance

See references/domains.md for:

•Key journals and venues per domain
•Important authors and research groups
•Domain-specific terminology
•Relevant arXiv categories

Citation Format

Default: APA 7th edition. Include:

•DOI when available (as URL: https://doi.org/...)
•arXiv ID for preprints: arXiv:XXXX.XXXXX
•Direct URL to paper when no DOI

Quality Standards

•Never cite a paper without verifying it exists via search
•Distinguish peer-reviewed from preprints
•Note when findings are contested or preliminary
•Include publication year for temporal context
•Prefer primary sources over secondary summaries

Subagent Mode

When invoked programmatically, return structured data:

json

{
  "query": "original research question",
  "domain": "identified domain",
  "sources_found": 15,
  "key_findings": ["finding 1", "finding 2"],
  "consensus_level": "high|moderate|low|contested",
  "top_papers": [
    {"title": "...", "authors": "...", "year": 2023, "url": "..."}
  ],
  "research_gaps": ["gap 1", "gap 2"]
}