Perform Web Research

Perform Web Research

Purpose

Produce high-signal research outputs that are actionable and evidence-backed, without over-relying on low-quality sources.

When to use

Use this skill when:

• You need up-to-date information (APIs, specs, releases, regulations)
• You must compare options (libraries, services, standards)
• You need citations for a technical or product decision
• You suspect prior knowledge may be outdated

Inputs

• Research question(s) and decision context
• Constraints (time, allowed sources, required recency)
• Definitions of success (what the output must enable)

Outputs

• A cited summary answering the question
• An evidence table mapping key claims to sources
• A short list of recommended actions or options (if applicable)
• A log of key sources and why they were trusted

Source selection rules

• Prefer primary sources:
  • official documentation
  • standards bodies
  • release notes / changelogs
  • peer-reviewed papers (when applicable)
• Use reputable secondary sources only when needed to interpret or compare primary sources.
• Treat low-quality sources as last resort and label them clearly.
• Prefer sources that are current enough for the decision and specific to the claim.

Steps

1. Write a short research brief (question, why it matters, recency requirements).
2. Identify 3-5 primary sources as anchors.
3. Add secondary sources only as needed for interpretation.
4. Extract facts and constraints:
   • capture the version/date context
   • record only the minimal supporting excerpt
5. Populate an evidence table (claim -> source -> why trust -> notes).
6. Produce the decision-oriented summary:
   • answer the question directly
   • list tradeoffs and risks
   • propose next actions
7. Sanity check:
   • citations support the key claims
   • uncertainties and conflicts are called out explicitly

Verification

• Primary sources back the most important claims
• Evidence table exists and supports the summary
• Dates/versions are included where they matter
• Claims are cited and not overstated
• Output includes actionable next steps (if a decision is implied)

Boundaries

• MUST NOT fabricate sources or citations
• MUST NOT rely solely on low-quality sources for critical claims
• MUST NOT present speculation as fact
• MUST NOT omit dates/versions when they materially affect correctness
• SHOULD prefer official docs/standards/release notes over blogs
• SHOULD call out uncertainty and conflicting sources explicitly

Included assets

• Templates:
  • ./templates/research-brief.md
  • ./templates/evidence-table.md
• Examples: ./examples/ includes a sample research output format.