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Research Skills

Research skills enable agents to conduct thorough investigations, verify claims, and synthesize information from multiple sources with proper citations.

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Available Research Skills

Deep Research

Comprehensive research with multi-source synthesis and citations

Fact Checker

Systematic fact verification and misinformation identification

Academic Researcher

Literature review and academic writing expertise

Data Analyst

SQL, pandas, and statistical analysis capabilities

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Deep Research

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Overview

Triggers: Conducting research, gathering sources, writing research summaries, analyzing topics from multiple perspectives, investigation, synthesized analysis with citations

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When to Use

  • Conducting in-depth research on a topic
  • Synthesizing information from multiple sources
  • Creating research summaries with proper citations
  • Analyzing different viewpoints and perspectives
  • Identifying key findings and trends
  • Evaluating the quality and credibility of sources

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Research Process

1

Clarify the Research Question

  • What exactly needs to be researched?
  • What level of detail is required?
  • Are there specific angles to prioritize?
  • What is the purpose of the research?
2

Identify Key Aspects

  • Break the topic into subtopics or dimensions
  • List main questions to answer
  • Note important context or background needed
3

Gather Information

  • Consider multiple perspectives
  • Look for primary and secondary sources
  • Check publication dates and currency
  • Evaluate source credibility
4

Synthesize Findings

  • Identify patterns and themes
  • Note areas of consensus and disagreement
  • Highlight key insights
  • Connect related information
5

Document Sources

  • Use numbered citations [1], [2], etc.
  • List full sources at the end
  • Note if information is uncertain or contested
  • Indicate confidence levels where appropriate

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Output Format

## Executive Summary
[2-3 sentence overview of key findings]

## Key Findings
- **[Finding 1]**: [Brief explanation] [1]
- **[Finding 2]**: [Brief explanation] [2]
- **[Finding 3]**: [Brief explanation] [3]

## Detailed Analysis

### [Subtopic 1]
[In-depth analysis with citations]

### [Subtopic 2]
[In-depth analysis with citations]

## Areas of Consensus
[What sources agree on]

## Areas of Debate
[Where sources disagree or uncertainty exists]

## Sources
[1] [Full citation with credibility note]
[2] [Full citation with credibility note]

## Gaps and Further Research
[What's still unknown or needs investigation]

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Source Evaluation Criteria

Credibility: Highest
  • Undergone rigorous peer review
  • Published in reputable journals
  • Methodology transparent
  • Data and analysis verifiable

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Example Research Output

Research Question: “What are the benefits and risks of intermittent fasting?” Executive Summary: Intermittent fasting (IF) shows promising benefits for weight loss and metabolic health based on current research, though long-term effects remain under study. Evidence supports its safety for most healthy adults, with certain populations requiring medical supervision [1][2]. Key Findings:
  • Weight Loss: IF produces similar weight loss to calorie restriction (5-8% body weight over 12 weeks), with potentially better adherence [1]
  • Metabolic Health: May improve insulin sensitivity by 20-31% and reduce inflammation markers [2]
  • Safety: Not recommended for pregnant women, diabetics without supervision, or those with eating disorder history [4]

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Fact Checker

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Overview

Triggers: Verifying claims, checking facts, identifying misinformation, “fact check”, “verify”, “is this true”, evaluating source credibility

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When to Use

  • Verifying specific claims or statements
  • Identifying potential misinformation or disinformation
  • Checking statistics and data accuracy
  • Evaluating source credibility
  • Separating fact from opinion or interpretation
  • Analyzing viral claims or rumors

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Verification Process

1

Identify the Claim

  • Extract the specific factual assertion
  • Distinguish fact from opinion
  • Note any implicit claims
  • Identify measurable aspects
2

Determine Required Evidence

  • What would prove this claim?
  • What would disprove it?
  • What sources would be authoritative?
  • Can this be verified or is it opinion?
3

Evaluate Available Evidence

  • Check authoritative sources
  • Look for primary data
  • Consider source credibility
  • Note publication dates
  • Check for context
4

Rate the Claim

  • Assess accuracy based on evidence
  • Note confidence level
  • Explain reasoning clearly
  • Highlight missing context if relevant
5

Provide Context

  • Why does this matter?
  • Common misconceptions
  • Related facts
  • Proper interpretation

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Rating Scale

✅ TRUE

Claim is accurate and supported by reliable evidence

⚠️ MOSTLY TRUE

Claim is accurate but missing important context or minor details wrong

🔶 MIXED

Claim contains both true and false elements

❌ MOSTLY FALSE

Claim is misleading or largely inaccurate

🚫 FALSE

Claim is demonstrably wrong

❓ UNVERIFIABLE

Cannot be confirmed or denied with available evidence

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Common Misinformation Patterns

  • Cherry-picking data
  • Misleading graphs or scales
  • Correlation vs causation confusion
  • Inappropriate comparisons
  • Selective timeframes
  • Quote mining (taking statements out of context)
  • Omitting important qualifiers
  • Ignoring timeframes or conditions
  • Removing statistical caveats
  • Partial truths presented as whole story
  • Comparing incomparable things
  • Treating all sources as equally valid
  • Both-sidesing settled science
  • Anecdotes vs statistical evidence
  • Ad hominem attacks
  • Appeal to authority (improper)
  • False dichotomies
  • Slippery slope arguments
  • Straw man arguments

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Example Fact Check

Claim: “Humans only use 10% of their brain” Verdict: 🚫 FALSE Analysis: This is a persistent myth with no scientific basis. Neurological research consistently shows that humans use virtually all parts of their brain, though not all at the same time. Evidence:
  • Brain imaging (fMRI, PET scans) shows activity throughout the brain during even simple tasks [1]
  • Brain damage to any area causes functional impairment, indicating all regions serve purposes [2]
  • Metabolic studies show the brain uses ~20% of body’s energy despite being ~2% of body weight [3]
Correct Information: Humans use virtually all of their brain. Different regions activate for different tasks, and brain imaging shows activity distributed throughout the brain during both active tasks and rest.

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Academic Researcher

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Overview

Triggers: Literature review, academic writing, research papers, scholarly sources, peer review, academic citations, thesis, dissertation

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When to Use

  • Conducting literature reviews
  • Writing academic papers
  • Finding and evaluating scholarly sources
  • Synthesizing academic research
  • Following academic citation styles (APA, MLA, Chicago)
  • Critiquing research methodology

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Academic Research Process

  1. Define Research Question: Clear, focused, answerable
  2. Literature Search: Use academic databases (Google Scholar, PubMed, JSTOR)
  3. Source Evaluation: Assess peer-review status, methodology, citations
  4. Synthesis: Identify themes, gaps, contradictions
  5. Citation: Proper academic citation format
  6. Critical Analysis: Evaluate strengths and limitations

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Academic Writing Principles

  • Objective Tone: Avoid emotional language
  • Evidence-Based: Every claim supported by citations
  • Clear Structure: Introduction, literature review, methodology, results, discussion
  • Proper Citations: Follow style guide exactly
  • Critical Thinking: Analyze, don’t just summarize
  • Acknowledge Limitations: Be transparent about constraints

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Data Analyst

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Overview

Triggers: Data analysis, SQL queries, pandas, statistical analysis, data visualization, analyzing datasets, data insights

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When to Use

  • Analyzing datasets with pandas
  • Writing SQL queries
  • Performing statistical analysis
  • Creating data visualizations
  • Finding patterns and insights in data
  • Cleaning and preprocessing data
  • Generating reports from data

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Key Capabilities

SQL:
  • Complex queries with JOINs
  • Aggregations and window functions
  • Query optimization
  • Database design
Python (pandas):
  • Data cleaning and preprocessing
  • Exploratory data analysis
  • Statistical calculations
  • Data transformation
Visualization:
  • Choosing appropriate chart types
  • Creating clear, informative plots
  • Dashboard design
  • Storytelling with data
Statistics:
  • Descriptive statistics
  • Hypothesis testing
  • Correlation and regression
  • Probability distributions

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Installation

Add all research skills: 
npx skills add shubhamsaboo/awesome-agent-skills
Or install individual skills manually.

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Next Steps

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