# Academic Research Skill

> Patterns for thesis writing, dissertations, research papers, literature reviews, and scholarly work.

- Skill: `majiayu000/academic-research-skill` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 2 files)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds add majiayu000/academic-research-skill`
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- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Research & Search
- Author: majiayu000 (https://skillmd.com/u/majiayu000)
- Updated: 2026-09-09
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/majiayu000/academic-research-skill

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# Academic Research Skill

> Patterns for thesis writing, dissertations, research papers, literature reviews, and scholarly work.

## Research Project Types

| Type | Duration | Output | Review Process |
| ---- | -------- | ------ | -------------- |
| Master's Thesis | 1-2 years | 80-150 pages | Committee defense |
| PhD Dissertation | 3-7 years | 150-300+ pages | Committee + external |
| Journal Article | 3-12 months | 5,000-10,000 words | Peer review (2-12 mo) |
| Conference Paper | 2-6 months | 4,000-8,000 words | Peer review (2-4 mo) |
| Literature Review | 1-6 months | 5,000-15,000 words | Varies |
| Grant Proposal | 1-3 months | 5-50 pages | Panel review |

## Thesis/Dissertation Structure

### Standard Chapter Flow

1. **Introduction** — Problem, significance, research questions, scope
2. **Literature Review** — Theoretical framework, prior work, gaps
3. **Methodology** — Research design, data collection, analysis methods
4. **Results/Findings** — Present data without interpretation
5. **Discussion** — Interpret results, connect to literature
6. **Conclusion** — Summary, contributions, limitations, future work

### Variations by Discipline

| Discipline | Structure Variation |
| ---------- | ------------------- |
| Sciences | Methods-heavy, often includes "Materials and Methods" |
| Humanities | May have multiple analysis chapters by theme |
| Social Sciences | Often has separate "Theoretical Framework" chapter |
| Engineering | May include "Implementation" and "Evaluation" chapters |

## Literature Review Strategies

### Systematic Review Steps

1. Define research questions
2. Establish inclusion/exclusion criteria
3. Search multiple databases
4. Screen titles/abstracts
5. Full-text review
6. Data extraction
7. Quality assessment
8. Synthesis

### Synthesis Approaches

| Approach | When to Use |
| -------- | ----------- |
| **Thematic** | Organize by concepts/themes across sources |
| **Chronological** | Show evolution of field over time |
| **Methodological** | Compare research approaches |
| **Theoretical** | Organize by competing frameworks |
| **Concept Matrix** | Map concepts to sources in a table |

### Literature Gap Types

- **Empirical gap** — No studies in specific context
- **Theoretical gap** — Theory not applied to this domain
- **Methodological gap** — New methods could reveal new insights
- **Population gap** — Understudied demographic
- **Practical gap** — Theory exists but not applied

## Research Question Development

### PICO Framework (Empirical)

- **P**opulation — Who is being studied?
- **I**ntervention — What is being tested?
- **C**omparison — Against what?
- **O**utcome — What is measured?

### FINER Criteria

| Criterion | Question |
| --------- | -------- |
| **F**easible | Can it be done with available resources? |
| **I**nteresting | Does anyone care? |
| **N**ovel | Does it add new knowledge? |
| **E**thical | Can it be done ethically? |
| **R**elevant | Does it matter to the field? |

## Methodology Design

### Qualitative Methods

| Method | Best For | Sample Size |
| ------ | -------- | ----------- |
| Interviews | Deep understanding | 10-30 |
| Focus Groups | Group dynamics | 4-8 per group |
| Ethnography | Cultural context | 1+ settings |
| Case Study | Detailed exploration | 1-10 cases |
| Grounded Theory | Theory generation | Until saturation |

### Quantitative Methods

| Method | Best For | Sample Size |
| ------ | -------- | ----------- |
| Survey | Breadth, generalization | 100-1000+ |
| Experiment | Causation | Power analysis |
| Quasi-experiment | When randomization impossible | Varies |
| Secondary Analysis | Large datasets | Varies |

### Mixed Methods Designs

- **Convergent** — Qual + quant simultaneously, merge results
- **Explanatory Sequential** — Quant → Qual to explain findings
- **Exploratory Sequential** — Qual → Quant to test findings

## Citation Management

### Citation Styles by Discipline

| Style | Discipline |
| ----- | ---------- |
| APA 7 | Psychology, social sciences, education |
| MLA 9 | Humanities, literature |
| Chicago | History, some humanities |
| IEEE | Engineering, computer science |
| Vancouver | Medicine, biomedical |
| Harvard | Business, some social sciences |

### Citation Principles

- Cite primary sources when possible
- Acknowledge all borrowed ideas
- Cite recent and foundational works
- Balance seminal vs. contemporary
- Avoid over-relying on single sources

## Committee Navigation

### Advisor Relationship

- Meet regularly (weekly/biweekly)
- Come prepared with specific questions
- Document agreements in writing
- Manage expectations early
- Give drafts with enough lead time

### Defense Preparation

1. Anticipate likely questions
2. Prepare 20-30 minute presentation
3. Know your limitations
4. Have backup slides for deep dives
5. Practice with friendly audience
6. Prepare for "So what?" questions

### Common Committee Concerns

| Concern | How to Address |
| ------- | -------------- |
| "Why this topic?" | Strong motivation section |
| "What's your contribution?" | Explicit contributions list |
| "How is this valid?" | Robust methodology |
| "What about X?" | Acknowledge scope, future work |
| "How does this connect?" | Clear theoretical framework |

## Academic Writing Quality

### Hedging Language

| Strong Claim | Hedged Version |
| ------------ | -------------- |
| "This proves..." | "This suggests..." |
| "Always causes" | "May contribute to" |
| "Definitely shows" | "The evidence indicates" |

### Signal Phrases by Purpose

| Purpose | Phrases |
| ------- | ------- |
| Agreement | "Consistent with...", "Similarly..." |
| Contrast | "In contrast...", "However..." |
| Extension | "Building on...", "Extending..." |
| Gap | "Yet to be explored...", "Remains unclear..." |

## Common Pitfalls

| Problem | Solution |
| ------- | -------- |
| Scope creep | Define boundaries early, revisit often |
| Literature overwhelm | Set search limits, use concept matrix |
| Perfectionism | "Good enough" for drafts, perfect for final |
| Isolation | Join writing groups, find accountability |
| Imposter syndrome | Remember: you're learning, not failing |

## Synapses

### High-Strength Connections

- [writing-publication] (High, Complements, Bidirectional) — "Academic writing standards"
- [bootstrap-learning] (High, Uses, Forward) — "Knowledge acquisition methodology"

### Medium-Strength Connections

- [knowledge-synthesis] (Medium, Uses, Forward) — "Literature synthesis patterns"
- [root-cause-analysis] (Medium, Applies, Forward) — "Research problem analysis"

### Supporting Connections

- [cognitive-load] (Low, Considers, Forward) — "Information chunking in writing"
- [meditation] (Low, Supports, Forward) — "Knowledge consolidation after research sessions"