marcelsantilli/research-to-study-guide

Research to Study Guide

Deep research on any topic, with the option for raw research only or a full study guide. Always load agent-docs/research-agent.md before starting.

Inputs / Outputs

| | What | Path | |---|---|---| | Input | Topic, depth choice, and learner profile from user | Conversational | | Raw research | Research findings (always produced) | pipeline/research/[topic]-research-v1.md | | Working draft | Synthesis scratchpad (full mode only) | pipeline/scratchpad/[topic]-research-scratchpad.md | | Final output | Finished study guide (full mode only) | knowledge/[subdirectory]/[topic]-study-guide-v1.md | | Prompts | Full prompt templates for this workflow | prompts/ subdirectory in this skill |

Phase 0: Clarify Scope

Before doing any research, ask the user:

1. What's the topic and goal? What do they want to learn, and why?
2. What depth?
   • Raw research only — gather findings, save to pipeline/research/, stop there
   • Full study guide — raw research → scratchpad synthesis → finished study guide in knowledge/
3. Who's the audience? Role, experience level, what they'll use it for
4. Any constraints? Sources to include/exclude, time sensitivity, specific angles

Audience Analysis (Do This First)

Before ANY research, answer:

| Question | Answer | |----------|--------| | WHO is learning this? | | | WHAT do they care about vs noise? | | | WHY do they need this? | | | WHAT sources would they trust? | | | WHAT should be excluded? | |

Phase 1: Research Plan (Get Approval)

Create 3-5 questions per category:

Required Categories

1. Foundations (Critical)

   • What is [topic] and why does it matter?
   • Core concepts and vocabulary
   • Mental models experts use
   • Common misconceptions

2. Frameworks & Models (Critical)

   • Established frameworks
   • Processes practitioners follow
   • Templates and tools

3. Key Practitioners (High)

   • Recognized experts
   • Their key contributions
   • Where experts agree/disagree

4. Source Discovery (High)

   • Essential books
   • Blogs/newsletters
   • Podcasts and videos
   • Courses

5. Real Examples (High)

   • Best documented examples
   • Instructive failures
   • Before/after transformations

6. Skills & Practice (Medium)

   • Skills that distinguish great practitioners
   • What to practice
   • Learning sequence

Present Plan and Get Approval

Show the user:

• The research questions organized by category
• Where output files will be saved
• Estimated scope

Wait for explicit user approval before proceeding.

Phase 2: Execute Research

Use web search to answer each question. For each:

## Q[N]: [Question]

### Findings
[What you discovered]

### Sources
| Source | Type | Quality (1-5) | Notes |
|--------|------|---------------|-------|

### Gaps
[What's missing]

Source Quality Rubric

| Score | Criteria | |-------|----------| | 5 | Authoritative expert, unique insights, practical | | 4 | Respected source, solid content, actionable | | 3 | Decent coverage, some value | | 2 | Surface-level, generic, or dated | | 1 | Low quality, unsupported claims |

Save all raw research to pipeline/research/[topic]-research-v1.md.

If user chose raw research only: stop here. Tell the user where to find the file and summarize key findings.

Phase 3: Synthesize (Full Study Guide Only)

Take raw research from pipeline/research/ and synthesize into a working draft at pipeline/scratchpad/[topic]-research-scratchpad.md.

Phase 4: Quality Checkpoint (Full Study Guide Only)

Before producing the final study guide, evaluate:

| Metric | Target | |--------|--------| | Foundations covered | Yes | | Frameworks found | 3+ | | Experts identified | 5+ | | Sources discovered | 30+ | | Examples documented | 5+ |

Quality Bands:

• Bad (0-0.4): Must iterate — critical gaps
• Acceptable (0.4-0.7): Can proceed with limitations
• Great (0.7-1.0): Proceed to final output

If gaps exist, generate follow-up questions and iterate (max 3 times).

Phase 5: Produce Study Guide (Full Study Guide Only)

Create study guide at knowledge/[subdirectory]/[topic]-study-guide-v1.md:

# [Topic] Study Guide

> **For:** [Learner profile]
> **Goal:** [What they'll achieve]
> **Time Investment:** [Estimated hours]
> **Last Updated:** [Date]

## How to Use This Guide
[Brief instructions]

## Part 1: Foundations
[Core concepts, mental models, misconceptions]

## Part 2: Frameworks & Process
[Key frameworks with attribution and examples]

## Part 3-4: [Topic-Specific Sections]
[Adapt based on topic]

## Part 5: Skills & Practice
[How to get good]

## Appendix A: Curated Source Library
[Best sources organized by type]

## Appendix B: Templates & Tools
[Ready-to-use resources]

## Appendix C: Learning Path
[Recommended sequence]

Subdirectory Routing

| Subdirectory | When to use | Examples | |-------------|-------------|---------| | content/ | Writing, style, content creation | writing craft, hooks, engagement | | building/ | Company ops, leadership, scaling | handbooks, operator frameworks | | product/ | Product strategy, engineering, technical topics | product leadership, architecture | | domain/ | Industry-specific or specialized knowledge | market research, competitive analysis |

If the topic doesn't clearly fit one subdirectory, ask the user which one to use.

Anti-Hallucination Rules

1. NEVER guess URLs — Only cite verified sources
2. NEVER invent sources — No fabricated books, authors, or frameworks
3. NEVER fake statistics — Say "not found" if you don't have data
4. Trust web research — Don't flag recent info as dubious
5. Cite everything — Every claim needs a source

Example Usage

User: "Research company handbooks for me"

1. Clarify: Raw research or full study guide? Audience?
2. Present research plan with questions → get approval
3. Execute research → save to /pipeline/research/company-handbooks-research-v1.md
4. (If full mode) Synthesize → /pipeline/scratchpad/company-handbooks-research-scratchpad.md
5. (If full mode) Quality check → produce study guide at /knowledge/building/company-handbook-study-guide-v1.md

Deep Reference

Full prompt template: research-supervisor-workflow-prompt-v1.md