How do I install the Research skill?

Run npx skillmds@latest add alectivism/research in your terminal (requires Node.js), paste this page's agent-chat prompt into Claude, Cursor, or any MCP-connected agent, or download the SKILL.md file and copy it into your agent's skills directory.

Is Research safe to use?

This skill has not completed SkillMD's automated safety review yet. SkillMD never runs a skill's scripts for you; review the SKILL.md before installing.

Which AI agents work with Research?

This skill is tagged as working with Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex. SKILL.md is an open format, so most agents that read a skills directory can load it too.

Is Research free to use?

Yes. Installing skills from SkillMD is free, and the skill stays under its author's original license.

Who published Research?

alectivism (@alectivism) published this skill. Their other Agent Skills are listed on their SkillMD profile.

Research by alectivism — Agent Skill

Name: Research
Author: alectivism

Research

Web research with structured findings and source citations. Use when asked to "research", "investigate", "look into", "find out about", or gather background on any topic. Returns findings organized into key points, analysis, and sourced references.

alectivism 6536bc9 1.6 KB Updated Sep 17, 2026

File contents

Research Skill

Process

Step 1: Define Scope

What question are we trying to answer?
Who is the audience for this research? (internal, leadership, external)
What depth is needed? (quick scan vs. deep dive)
Any specific sources to prioritize or avoid?

Step 2: Search Strategy

Run parallel searches across multiple angles:

Industry publications and trade media relevant to the topic
Academic or research sources if relevant
Peer organization or competitor activity
Recent news and developments
The user's own organization's published research for comparison

Step 3: Synthesize Findings

Structure output as:

Research: [Topic]

Date: [today's date] Scope: [what was researched and why]

Key Findings

[Finding] — [source, date]
[Finding] — [source, date]
[Finding] — [source, date]

Analysis

[2-3 paragraphs connecting findings to the organization's context and goals]

Recommendations

[Action item based on findings]
[Opportunity or risk to flag]

Sources

[URL — title — date accessed]

Guidelines

Cite sources for all factual claims
Distinguish between confirmed findings and inferences
Flag any conflicting information across sources
Note the recency of data — old stats can mislead
If the organization has relevant internal research, note where it aligns or diverges from external findings

Frequently asked questions