research-to-study-guide

name: research-to-study-guide description: Deep research on any topic, with option for raw research only or full study guide. Use when the user asks to research a topic, create a study guide, learn about something, or needs to become an expert in an area. Triggers on keywords like "research", "study guide", "learn about", "deep dive", "become expert", "master", "understand".

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

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:

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

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:

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

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