Research Report Creation

Create comprehensive research reports that investigate AI safety topics and identify causal factors for diagram creation.

When to Use This Skill

•User asks to "research [topic]" or "investigate [topic]"
•User wants a deep dive into a knowledge-base topic
•Preparing groundwork for a cause-effect diagram
•Filling in gaps in existing documentation

Report File Location

Save reports to: src/content/docs/internal/research-reports/{topic-id}.mdx

Frontmatter Schema

yaml

---
title: "[Topic]: Research Report"
description: "One-sentence summary of key findings with specifics."
topic: "[entity-id]"           # Links to knowledge-base or transition-model item
createdAt: YYYY-MM-DD          # Date without quotes (YAML date type)
lastUpdated: YYYY-MM-DD        # Date without quotes (YAML date type)
researchDepth: "standard"      # quick | standard | comprehensive
sources: ["web", "codebase"]   # What sources were consulted
quality: 3                     # 1-5 quality rating
sidebar:
  order: 10
---

Formatting Guidelines

Follow the Knowledge Base Style Guide for general formatting principles:

Use Tables Over Bullet Lists

Bad (low density):

markdown

**Factor Name**
- Direction: Increases → topic
- Type: leaf
- Evidence: Some evidence
- Confidence: high

Good (table format):

markdown

| Factor | Direction | Type | Evidence | Confidence |
|--------|-----------|------|----------|------------|
| **Factor Name** | ↑ Topic | leaf | Some evidence | High |

Use Callouts/Asides Liberally

Add <Aside> components to highlight key insights, caveats, and implications:

mdx

import { Aside } from '@astrojs/starlight/components';

<Aside type="tip" title="Why This Matters">
Key insight about safety implications.
</Aside>

<Aside type="caution" title="Limitation">
Important caveat about the data.
</Aside>

<Aside type="note" title="Data Source">
Methodological note about how data was collected.
</Aside>

Escape Dollar Signs

Currency values MUST be escaped to avoid LaTeX rendering:

Wrong: $100,000 (renders as LaTeX) Right: \$100,000 (renders as text)

Also escape in frontmatter description:

yaml

description: "H-1B fees increased to \\$100K"

Use Horizontal Rules

Separate major sections with --- for visual clarity.

Required Sections

1. Executive Summary (TABLE FORMAT)

Use a table, not bullets:

markdown

| Finding | Key Data | Implication |
|---------|----------|-------------|
| **US dominance** | 57% of top researchers | US remains primary hub |
| **Policy risk** | \$100K H-1B fee | May accelerate brain drain |

2. Background

Why this topic matters, context, and relationship to AI safety. Include an Aside about safety implications.

3. Key Findings

Main research results organized by theme. Each finding should:

•Have a clear heading
•Include specific claims with citations
•Use tables for structured comparisons
•Include Asides for important caveats

4. Causal Factors (TABLE FORMAT - Critical for Diagrams)

Use tables to present factors clearly:

markdown

## Causal Factors

### Primary Factors (Strong Influence)

| Factor | Direction | Type | Evidence | Confidence |
|--------|-----------|------|----------|------------|
| **Immigration Policy** | ↑↓ Concentration | leaf | 80% retention depends on visas | High |
| **Research Ecosystem** | ↑ Concentration | cause | 60% of top institutions in US | High |

### Secondary Factors (Medium Influence)

| Factor | Direction | Type | Evidence | Confidence |
|--------|-----------|------|----------|------------|
| **Graduate Programs** | ↑ Concentration | cause | 80% of students stay | Medium |

### Minor Factors (Weak Influence)

| Factor | Direction | Type | Evidence | Confidence |
|--------|-----------|------|----------|------------|
| **Nationalist Sentiment** | ↓ Mobility | leaf | Limited evidence | Low |

5. Open Questions (TABLE FORMAT)

markdown

| Question | Why It Matters | Current State |
|----------|----------------|---------------|
| **Will fees persist?** | Changes startup economics | May face legal challenge |

6. Sources

Organized by type: Academic, Government, Industry, Journalism.

Validation Checklist

Before saving the report, verify:

• Dollar signs escaped: All $ replaced with \$
• Dates unquoted: createdAt: 2025-01-07 not "2025-01-07"
• Tables used: Causal factors and open questions in table format
• Asides included: At least 3-4 callouts highlighting key insights
• Sources organized: By type with brief annotations
• Links valid: All URLs work

Run validation after saving:

bash

npm run validate:mdx
npm run validate:dollars

Research Process

Step 1: Load Context

Before web research, read existing codebase content:

•Read the target entity page (if exists)
•Read related pages (check backlinks)
•For transition-model topics, read the model overview
•Note gaps in existing coverage

Step 2: AI Transition Model Context

For transition-model topics, understand how the topic connects to:

•Factors: AI Capabilities, AI Ownership, AI Uses, Misalignment/Misuse Potential, Civilizational Competence, Transition Turbulence
•Scenarios: AI Takeover, Human Catastrophe, Long-term Lock-in
•Outcomes: Human Extinction, Civilizational Collapse, Recovery, Flourishing

Step 3: Web Research

Search strategy:

•Academic sources: "[topic]" site:arxiv.org OR site:nature.com
•Policy sources: "[topic]" site:rand.org OR site:brookings.edu
•Recent news: "[topic]" AI safety 2024 OR 2025

Source trust hierarchy:

•Peer-reviewed research (Nature, Science, arXiv)
•Expert organizations (RAND, FHI, CAIS, MIRI)
•Government reports (GAO, UK AISI, NIST)
•Quality journalism (Reuters, AP)
•Industry analysis (McKinsey, OECD)
•Blog posts (LessWrong, EA Forum - verify claims)

Step 4: Synthesis

Organize findings by theme, not by source. Focus on:

•Areas of consensus
•Points of disagreement
•Quantitative data where available
•Causal relationships (for diagram creation)

Quality Levels

Level	Criteria
1	Basic outline, <10 sources, major gaps
2	Main points covered, 10-15 sources, some gaps
3	Solid coverage, 15-25 sources, minor gaps
4	Comprehensive, 25-35 sources, well-structured
5	Authoritative, 35+ sources, original synthesis

Template

mdx

---
title: "[Topic]: Research Report"
description: "[Key finding with specific number - escape \\$ signs]"
topic: "[entity-id]"
createdAt: YYYY-MM-DD
lastUpdated: YYYY-MM-DD
researchDepth: "standard"
sources: ["web", "codebase"]
quality: 3
sidebar:
  order: 10
---
import { Aside } from '@astrojs/starlight/components';

## Executive Summary

| Finding | Key Data | Implication |
|---------|----------|-------------|
| **Finding 1** | Specific number | What it means |
| **Finding 2** | Specific data | What it means |
| **Key uncertainty** | Current state | Why it matters |

---

## Background

[2-3 paragraphs explaining the topic and its importance]

<Aside type="tip" title="Why This Matters for AI Safety">
Key insight about safety implications.
</Aside>

---

## Key Findings

### [Theme 1]

[Paragraphs with citations and tables]

<Aside type="note" title="Data Source">
Methodological note or caveat.
</Aside>

### [Theme 2]

[Paragraphs with citations and tables]

---

## Causal Factors

### Primary Factors (Strong Influence)

| Factor | Direction | Type | Evidence | Confidence |
|--------|-----------|------|----------|------------|
| **[Factor]** | ↑ Topic | leaf | Evidence summary | High |

### Secondary Factors (Medium Influence)

| Factor | Direction | Type | Evidence | Confidence |
|--------|-----------|------|----------|------------|
| **[Factor]** | ↓ Topic | cause | Evidence summary | Medium |

### Minor Factors (Weak Influence)

| Factor | Direction | Type | Evidence | Confidence |
|--------|-----------|------|----------|------------|
| **[Factor]** | Mixed | intermediate | Limited evidence | Low |

---

## Open Questions

<Aside type="note" title="Key Uncertainties">
These questions represent the highest-value areas for follow-up research.
</Aside>

| Question | Why It Matters | Current State |
|----------|----------------|---------------|
| **[Question]** | Impact on assessment | Current understanding |

---

## Sources

### Research Organizations
- [Source](url) - Brief annotation

### Policy Analysis
- [Source](url) - Brief annotation

### News Coverage
- [Source](url) - Brief annotation

---

## AI Transition Model Context

<Aside type="tip" title="Model Integration">
How this research connects to the AI Transition Model factors and scenarios.
</Aside>

[Brief explanation of connections]

Integration with Diagrams

After completing a report, the Causal Factors table can be directly converted to a causeEffectGraph:

Report Column	Maps to Diagram
Factor	Node label
Type	Node type (leaf/cause/intermediate)
Direction (↑/↓)	Edge effect (increases/decreases)
Confidence	Edge confidence

Use the cause-effect-diagram skill for diagram creation after the report is complete.