Research Summarizer

Read less. Understand more. Cite correctly.

Slash Commands

/research:summarize

/research:compare

/research:cite

When This Skill Activates

• "Summarize this paper / article / report"
• "What are the key findings in this document?"
• "Compare these sources"
• "Extract citations from this PDF"
• "Give me a research brief on [topic]"
• "Break down this whitepaper"
• Any request involving: summarize, research brief, literature review, citation, source comparison

Workflow

/research:summarize

— Single Source Summary

1. Identify source type
   • Academic paper → use IMRAD structure (Introduction, Methods, Results, Analysis, Discussion)
   • Web article → use claim-evidence-implication structure
   • Technical report → use executive summary structure
   • Documentation → use reference summary structure
2. Extract structured brief

   Title: [exact title]
   Author(s): [names]
   Date: [publication date]
   Source Type: [paper | article | report | documentation]
   
   ## Key Thesis
   [1-2 sentences: the central argument or finding]
   
   ## Key Findings
   1. [Finding with supporting evidence]
   2. [Finding with supporting evidence]
   3. [Finding with supporting evidence]
   
   ## Methodology
   [How they arrived at these findings — data sources, sample size, approach]
   
   ## Limitations
   - [What the source doesn't cover or gets wrong]
   
   ## Actionable Takeaways
   - [What to do with this information]
   
   ## Notable Quotes
   > "[Direct quote]" (p. X)

3. Assess quality
   • Source credibility (peer-reviewed, reputable outlet, primary vs secondary)
   • Evidence strength (data-backed, anecdotal, theoretical)
   • Recency (when published, still relevant?)
   • Bias indicators (funding source, author affiliation, methodology gaps)

/research:compare

— Multi-Source Comparison

1. Collect sources (2-5 documents)
2. Summarize each using the single-source workflow above
3. Build comparison matrix

   | Dimension        | Source A        | Source B        | Source C        |
   |------------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
   | Central Thesis   | ...             | ...             | ...             |
   | Methodology      | ...             | ...             | ...             |
   | Key Finding      | ...             | ...             | ...             |
   | Sample/Scope     | ...             | ...             | ...             |
   | Credibility      | High/Med/Low    | High/Med/Low    | High/Med/Low    |

4. Synthesize
   • Where do sources agree? (convergent findings = stronger signal)
   • Where do they disagree? (divergent findings = needs investigation)
   • What gaps exist across all sources?
   • What's the weight of evidence for each position?
5. Produce synthesis brief

   ## Consensus Findings
   [What most sources agree on]
   
   ## Contested Points
   [Where sources disagree, with strongest evidence for each side]
   
   ## Gaps
   [What none of the sources address]
   
   ## Recommendation
   [Based on weight of evidence, what should the reader believe/do?]

/research:cite

— Citation Extraction

1. Scan document for all references, footnotes, in-text citations
2. Extract and format using the requested style (APA 7 default)
3. Classify citations by type:
   • Primary sources (original research, data)
   • Secondary sources (reviews, meta-analyses, commentary)
   • Tertiary sources (textbooks, encyclopedias)
4. Output sorted bibliography with classification tags

• APA 7 (default) — social sciences, business
• IEEE — engineering, computer science
• Chicago — humanities, history
• Harvard — general academic
• MLA 9 — arts, humanities

Tooling

scripts/extract_citations.py

• Regex-based citation detection (DOI, URL, author-year, numbered references)
• Multiple output formats (APA, IEEE, Chicago, Harvard, MLA)
• JSON export for integration with reference managers
• Deduplication of repeated citations

# Extract citations from a file (APA format, default)
python3 scripts/extract_citations.py document.txt

# Specify format
python3 scripts/extract_citations.py document.txt --format ieee

# JSON output
python3 scripts/extract_citations.py document.txt --format apa --output json

# From stdin
cat paper.txt | python3 scripts/extract_citations.py --stdin

scripts/format_summary.py

• Multiple summary templates (academic, article, report, executive)
• Configurable output length (brief, standard, detailed)
• Markdown and plain text output
• Key findings extraction with evidence tagging

# Generate structured summary template
python3 scripts/format_summary.py --template academic

# Brief executive summary format
python3 scripts/format_summary.py --template executive --length brief

# All templates listed
python3 scripts/format_summary.py --list-templates

# JSON output
python3 scripts/format_summary.py --template article --output json

Quality Assessment Framework

• 4 Highs = Strong source — cite with confidence
• 2+ Mediums = Adequate source — cite with caveats
• 2+ Lows = Weak source — verify independently before citing

Summary Templates

references/summary-templates.md

• Academic paper summary template (IMRAD)
• Web article summary template (claim-evidence-implication)
• Technical report template (executive summary)
• Comparative analysis template (matrix + synthesis)
• Literature review template (thematic organization)

references/citation-formats.md

• APA 7 formatting rules and examples
• IEEE formatting rules and examples
• Chicago, Harvard, MLA quick reference

Proactive Triggers

• Source has no date → Note it. Undated sources lose credibility points.
• Source contradicts other sources → Highlight the contradiction explicitly. Don't paper over disagreements.
• Source is behind a paywall → Note limited access. Suggest alternatives if known.
• User provides only one source for a compare → Ask for at least one more. Comparison needs 2+.
• Citations are incomplete → Flag missing fields (year, author, title). Don't invent metadata.
• Source is 5+ years old in a fast-moving field → Warn about potential obsolescence.

Installation

One-liner (any tool)

git clone https://github.com/alirezarezvani/claude-skills.git
cp -r claude-skills/product-team/research-summarizer ~/.claude/skills/

Multi-tool install

./scripts/convert.sh --skill research-summarizer --tool codex|gemini|cursor|windsurf|openclaw

OpenClaw

clawhub install cs-research-summarizer

Related Skills

• product-analytics — Quantitative analysis. Complementary — use research-summarizer for qualitative sources, product-analytics for metrics.
• competitive-teardown — Competitive research. Complementary — use research-summarizer for individual source analysis, competitive-teardown for market landscape.
• content-production — Content writing. Research-summarizer feeds content-production — summarize sources first, then write.
• product-discovery — Discovery frameworks. Complementary — research-summarizer for desk research, product-discovery for user research.