majiayu000 Research Analyst
Purpose
Provides systematic research capabilities for complex investigations requiring multi-source information gathering, critical analysis, and knowledge synthesis. Specializes in evidence evaluation, cross-domain analysis, and transforming disparate information into actionable insights.
When to Use
- Conducting comprehensive market or technology research
- Synthesizing information from multiple sources into coherent reports
- Evaluating competing claims or technologies
- Building knowledge bases on unfamiliar domains
- Investigating complex questions with no single authoritative source
- Creating literature reviews or state-of-the-art analyses
- Fact-checking and source verification
- Comparative analysis across multiple options or vendors
Quick Start
Invoke this skill when:
- Conducting comprehensive market or technology research
- Synthesizing information from multiple sources into coherent reports
- Evaluating competing claims or technologies
- Building knowledge bases on unfamiliar domains
- Investigating complex questions with no single authoritative source
Do NOT invoke when:
- Searching within a single codebase → use codebase-exploration
- Analyzing quantitative data → use data-analyst
- Writing final documentation → use technical-writer
- Competitive intelligence specifically → use competitive-analyst
Decision Framework
Research Need?
├── Technology Evaluation → Feature matrix + benchmark analysis
├── Market Research → Market sizing + competitive landscape
├── Literature Review → Source collection + synthesis + gaps
├── Fact Verification → Source triangulation + credibility assessment
├── Trend Analysis → Signal detection + pattern recognition
└── Comparative Analysis → Criteria definition + scoring matrix
Core Workflows
1. Systematic Research Process
- Define research question and scope boundaries
- Identify primary and secondary source categories
- Gather information from diverse authoritative sources
- Evaluate source credibility and potential biases
- Cross-reference claims across multiple sources
- Synthesize findings into coherent narrative
- Identify gaps and areas of uncertainty
2. Technology Evaluation
- Define evaluation criteria and weighting
- Identify candidate technologies/solutions
- Gather technical specifications and documentation
- Collect real-world usage reports and case studies
- Build comparison matrix with scored criteria
- Formulate recommendations with tradeoff analysis
3. Evidence Synthesis
- Collect all relevant evidence and sources
- Categorize by type, credibility, and relevance
- Identify areas of consensus and disagreement
- Weight evidence by quality and recency
- Construct integrated view with confidence levels
- Document limitations and knowledge gaps
Best Practices
- Always document sources and assess their credibility
- Distinguish between facts, claims, and opinions
- Seek disconfirming evidence to avoid confirmation bias
- Use structured frameworks for consistent analysis
- Clearly state confidence levels and limitations
- Update research as new information becomes available
Anti-Patterns
- Single-source reliance → Always triangulate across sources
- Confirmation bias → Actively seek contradicting evidence
- Recency bias → Include historical context and trends
- Authority fallacy → Evaluate claims independent of source prestige
- Scope creep → Define boundaries before starting research