meshcode-ai Research Brief
The brief's job
Fix "what decision, and what answer lets me make it", not "what to investigate". If the investigation itself is the goal, that's execution, not a brief (→ res-deep-research).
Components (6 sections)
- Context & purpose: why now, and the single decision this output will inform — in one sentence.
- 3–5 core questions: each with a one-liner "if we get this answer, what do we do". Each question must be independently searchable.
- Scope & exclusions: included regions, periods, languages + what is explicitly excluded. A brief without exclusions has failed scoping.
- Success criteria: pre-agree what level of evidence (number of primary sources, sample size, etc.) counts as "research complete".
- Constraints: deadline, confidentiality, accessible data, excluded channels.
- Output contract: audience (decision-maker), length, lead-in format.
Quality check
- Is every question observable — rewrite any "what do you think"-style opinion question.
- Plan for missing data: define "if no primary sources, the second-tier fallback evidence" alongside.
- Is it a scope achievable in 2 weeks of research — if not, split into 3 questions and write a separate brief.
Output
# Research Brief — {topic}
## Decision sentence (the one decision this research informs)
## Core questions (question | if answered → action | success criteria)
## Scope · exclusions · constraints table
## Research plan (approach per source tier + output format)