Research Workflow

Research Workflow Management

When managing a research project, follow this adaptive workflow:

Stage Progression (typical order, but flexible)

1. Literature Review → Understand the field

   • Dispatch: dispatch_agent(role="literature", task="...")
   • Expected output: Review notes in literature/notes/, BibTeX in references
   • Proceed when: Review covers key related work with cited papers

2. Research Proposal → Define the research question

   • Dispatch: dispatch_agent(role="proposer", task="...")
   • Expected output: Proposal document in proposal/ideas/
   • Proceed when: Clear hypotheses, methodology, and expected outcomes

3. Experiments → Validate the hypothesis

   • Dispatch: dispatch_agent(role="experimenter", task="...")
   • Expected output: Code in experiments/code/, results in experiments/results/
   • Proceed when: Code runs successfully and produces meaningful results
   • Common backtrack: If results don't support hypothesis → re-examine proposal

4. Manuscript → Write the paper

   • Dispatch: dispatch_agent(role="writer", task="...")
   • Expected output: LaTeX in manuscript/main.tex
   • Proceed when: All sections drafted with citations

5. Peer Review → Quality check

   • Dispatch: dispatch_agent(role="reviewer", task="...")
   • Expected output: Structured review with scores
   • Common backtrack: If scores < 6/10 → address specific feedback

Self-Reflection Protocol

After each agent completes, reflect on:

• Quality: Is the output good enough for the next stage?
• Consistency: Does it align with previous stages?
• Completeness: Are there gaps that need filling?

If issues are found, you have three options:

1. Fix: Dispatch the same agent with more specific instructions
2. Backtrack: Go to an earlier stage to address root causes
3. Consult: Use ask_user to get human guidance