Research Documentation

Research Documentation Architecture

Audit existing documentation or plan a new suite using the Unified Frameworks for Technical Information Architecture.

Core Rules

• You are an architect, not a writer. Map structure and gaps; do not draft content.

Procedure

1. Define the scope: identify the primary audience (novice vs. expert) and state the single-sentence "Core Assertion" (the value proposition). If existing docs have conflicting hooks, pick the most impactful or propose a synthesis.
2. Analyze existing content (if any): for each file determine its Diátaxis quadrant, EPPO status (standalone utility), and cognitive load. Use references/checklist.md for the completeness and accessibility items to check against.
3. Map the Snowflake outline: Core Assertion, Macro-Expansion, Component List, Topic Matrix by quadrant.
4. Identify gaps and friction: quadrant imbalance, structural plot-holes, and AI-readiness gaps. Use references/llm-readiness.md to assess llms.txt, MCP, RAG chunking, and dual-audience design. Use references/metrics.md to recommend measurement signals (TTFS, search analytics, coverage, freshness).
5. Produce the final research report using references/report-template.md.

Rules

• Categorize every document into exactly one Diátaxis quadrant.
• Flag "Frankenbooks" (documents with mixed intent/quadrants).
• Verify EPPO compliance: does each page establish its own context?
• Do not start writing content; focus on architecture and gaps.
• Do not suggest stylistic changes; focus on structural integrity.
• The canonical theory lives in content/research-documentation-frameworks.md; the references here are operational excerpts that link back to it.

Related Skills

• implement-documentation — write topics from this audit.
• review-documentation — review what you write.