Research and synthesis

Decision-ready synthesis:

• Briefs that separate claims, evidence, and open questions.
• Reports with a fixed outline (exec summary, findings, risks, next steps).
• Traceable references so you or a reviewer can verify sources—not a confident blur of ungrounded text.

• Tool-using agents can fetch, extract, and compare information when configured responsibly.
• Structured skills encourage repeatable formats (same sections every time).
• Human-in-the-loop fits research: agents propose, humans approve publication or external sends.
• Local-first reduces accidental leakage of sensitive queries to the wrong cloud defaults—still pair with your org’s policies.

1. Collect sources in one place (files, URLs, pasted excerpts).
2. Define the audience (exec vs engineer vs legal) and length.
3. Ask for an outline first, then section-by-section drafting with citations.
4. Spot-check every non-trivial claim against the source bundle.
5. Version the brief when assumptions change.

• Source hygiene: dates, authors, and URLs where applicable.
• Citation rules your org accepts (or say “informal memo” if that is the bar).
• Awareness of model limits: agents can hallucinate; verification is your job.

1. Scope the question; exclude tempting tangents.
2. Ingest sources; deduplicate and mark conflicts.
3. Outline with explicit gaps.
4. Draft per section with inline references.
5. Reconcile disagreements between sources explicitly.
6. Edit for clarity; fact-check claims that matter.

• “Produce a one-page brief with sections: Question, Answer, Evidence, Risks, Unknowns.”
• “Flag low-confidence claims and what would increase confidence.”
• “Summarize disagreement between Source A and Source B without picking a winner.”

Avoid “write everything about X” unless you also cap length and sources.

• A reviewer can trace major claims to inputs you provided.
• Limitations and unknowns are explicit.
• The doc matches the requested format and audience.

• Citation theater—pretty links that do not support the claim.
• Single-source optimism on contentious topics.
• Over-long first drafts—outline first.
• Skipping conflict between sources—surface tension instead of smoothing it away.