# Web Research

> Research current public information with traceable citations, source-quality assessment, and explicit uncertainty. Use for fact checking, current events, product or company research, comparisons, market scans, policy changes, technical documentation lookup, and questions that cannot be answered reliably from static knowledge alone.

- Skill: `xyb0217/web-research` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 4 files)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add xyb0217/web-research`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/xyb0217/web-research/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Docs & Writing
- Author: XYB0217 (https://skillmd.com/u/xyb0217)
- Updated: 2026-09-22
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/xyb0217/web-research

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# Web Research

## Workflow

1. Restate the research question internally as claims that can be verified.
2. Read `references/source-policy.md` before selecting sources for consequential claims.
3. Search broadly enough to identify the primary source, then narrow the query around dates, entities, and disputed facts.
4. Open and inspect sources instead of citing search-result snippets.
5. Prefer primary documents, official records, first-party technical documentation, and direct statements.
6. Cross-check consequential claims with an independent source when available.
7. Record publication dates and distinguish the event date from the article date.
8. Cite each factual claim near the sentence it supports. Do not attach citations that merely discuss the same topic.
9. State uncertainty, source conflict, missing data, or inaccessible evidence explicitly.

## Output

- Lead with the answer, not the search process.
- Separate verified facts from analysis or inference.
- Include dates when recency changes the meaning.
- Use a comparison table only when multiple entities share the same fields.
- End with a compact source list containing title, publisher, date, and URL when the interface does not render inline citations.

## Boundaries

- Do not fabricate citations, URLs, quotations, or access dates.
- Do not treat repeated reporting from the same wire source as independent confirmation.
- Do not use social posts as sole evidence for consequential claims unless the post is the primary statement being analyzed.
- Do not bypass authentication, paywalls, robots controls, or access restrictions.
- If the required search tool is unavailable, say that current verification cannot be completed.