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:

# 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:

{
  "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"]
}