Research Briefing (Question → Evidence → Conclusion/Gap)

When to use this skill

• Need to organize scattered materials or search results into a decision-ready briefing.
• Need to clarify "known facts, assumptions, uncertainties, and next-step verification plans."

Required Inputs

• Objectives and decision scenarios: What problem are we solving/what decision are we making?
• Specific question list: Priorities, success criteria, time constraints.
• Existing materials: Links, data, key points from expert interviews; credibility or biases.
• Output audience: Executives/technical teams/operations? Expected length and language.

Workflow

1. Focus on Questions: Rewrite 1–3 problem statements + success criteria; list priorities.
2. Organize Evidence: Archive sources (data/documents/interviews) by question, record origin and time; mark credibility or potential biases.
3. Analysis and Judgment:
   • Distill key findings (facts + explanations + impacts).
   • Distinguish between "facts vs. assumptions vs. unconfirmed risks."
   • When contradictions or gaps are found, write down the additional data/experiments needed.
4. Output Structure:
   • TL;DR (3–5 conclusions or insights, including impacts and suggestions)
   • Key findings (grouped by question, with evidence citations)
   • Uncertainties and risks (missing data, sample bias, time-sensitive information)
   • Next-step plan (what to verify, how to do it, who is responsible, deadline)
   • Appendix: Source list, citations, data caliber explanations.
5. Quality Check: Citations are traceable; figures are marked with caliber/time; clearly state parts that "I don't know" or "still need verification."

Output Format Example

(Source/Time)

[Assumption]

Final Checklist

• Each conclusion can be linked to specific evidence or marked as an assumption.
• Gaps and next-step verification methods have been marked.
• Readers can understand the background, conclusions, and recommended actions without additional context.