research
This skill should be used when the user asks to "find papers", "search academic literature", "find citations", "literature search", "find research on", "what does the literature say about", or any request to search for academic papers across multiple sources.
Best use case
research is best used when you need a repeatable AI agent workflow instead of a one-off prompt.
This skill should be used when the user asks to "find papers", "search academic literature", "find citations", "literature search", "find research on", "what does the literature say about", or any request to search for academic papers across multiple sources.
Teams using research should expect a more consistent output, faster repeated execution, less prompt rewriting.
When to use this skill
- You want a reusable workflow that can be run more than once with consistent structure.
When not to use this skill
- You only need a quick one-off answer and do not need a reusable workflow.
- You cannot install or maintain the underlying files, dependencies, or repository context.
Installation
Claude Code / Cursor / Codex
Manual Installation
- Download SKILL.md from GitHub
- Place it in
.claude/skills/research/SKILL.mdinside your project - Restart your AI agent — it will auto-discover the skill
How research Compares
| Feature / Agent | research | Standard Approach |
|---|---|---|
| Platform Support | Not specified | Limited / Varies |
| Context Awareness | High | Baseline |
| Installation Complexity | Unknown | N/A |
Frequently Asked Questions
What does this skill do?
This skill should be used when the user asks to "find papers", "search academic literature", "find citations", "literature search", "find research on", "what does the literature say about", or any request to search for academic papers across multiple sources.
Where can I find the source code?
You can find the source code on GitHub using the link provided at the top of the page.
SKILL.md Source
# Academic Literature Search
Multi-source academic search with deduplication, DOI resolution, and journal filtering.
**Always read `${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/../google-scholar/domain-knowledge.local.md` before presenting results.**
## IRON LAW: Always Use the Script
**NEVER run the sources manually in sequence. ALWAYS use the research script. This is not negotiable.**
```bash
uv run python3 "${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/scripts/research.py" "<query>" [--n 50] [--min-citations N]
```
The script parallelizes all sources and DOI resolution automatically. Doing it manually serializes everything and triples wall time.
## Sources
| Source | Tool | Strength | Default |
|--------|------|----------|---------|
| `scholar lookup` | Keyword/citation-ranked | Finance classics, foundational papers | ✅ |
| `consensus` CLI | Empirical corpus, sorted by citations | Accounting/finance empirical literature | ✅ |
| Paperpile bib | Personal library (`My Library.bib`) | Papers already in your collection | ✅ |
| `scholar search` | NL semantic | Law reviews, conceptual literature | opt-in (`--scholar-search`) |
`scholar search` is opt-in because it shares rate limits with `scholar lookup` and 429s when run in parallel. Add `--scholar-search` when you specifically want semantic/NL results.
## Output Schema
The script outputs a JSON array. Each paper has:
```json
{
"title": "...",
"authors": ["..."],
"year": 2023,
"journal": "...", // original journal label (may be SSRN)
"journal_resolved": "...", // CrossRef-resolved journal (present if SSRN label was resolved)
"doi": "...",
"citations": 150,
"takeaway": "...",
"url": "...",
"sources": ["lookup", "consensus"] // all sources that returned this paper
}
```
## LLM Review Step (After Script)
After running the script, read `${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/../google-scholar/domain-knowledge.local.md` and cross-reference each paper's effective journal (use `journal_resolved` if present, else `journal`) against the trusted list:
- ★ = journal matches trusted list
- Papers in `sources: ["lookup", "consensus"]` (multiple sources) = higher confidence
- Papers from `bib` source = already in user's library (flag with 📚)
### Presentation Format
```
★ [Title](url) — Authors (Year), *Journal*, N citations [sources]
> Takeaway: ...
📚 ★ [Title](url) — Authors (Year), *Journal* [in your library]
> Takeaway: ...
```
Trusted papers first (sorted by citations desc), then non-trusted in a collapsed table.
## Red Flags
- About to run the sources manually in sequence → STOP. That serializes the work and triples wall time; run `uv run python3 research.py "<query>"`.
- About to call `mcp__consensus__search` → STOP. It is rate-limited to 3 results; the script uses the CLI binary automatically.
- About to present results before reading domain-knowledge.local.md → STOP. The ★ trusted-journal signals come from that file; read it first, always.
- About to use the `journal` field when `journal_resolved` is present → STOP. The SSRN label hides the real venue; always prefer `journal_resolved`.
## Common Patterns
```bash
# Standard search
uv run python3 "${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/scripts/research.py" "mandatory disclosure"
# With citation floor
uv run python3 "${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/scripts/research.py" "poison pill" --min-citations 50
# More results from Consensus
uv run python3 "${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/scripts/research.py" "corporate governance" --n 100
# Disable streaming (wait for all sources, output pretty-printed JSON)
uv run python3 "${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/scripts/research.py" "mandatory disclosure" --no-stream
```
## Streaming Mode (default)
Without `--stream`, the script waits for all four sources before emitting anything — Consensus takes ~60s, so fast sources (bib <1s, Scholar ~10s) sit idle.
With `--stream`, the script emits one NDJSON line per event as it happens:
```json
{"event": "source", "source": "bib", "papers": [...]}
{"event": "source", "source": "scholar-lookup", "papers": [...]}
{"event": "source", "source": "scholar-search", "papers": [...]}
{"event": "source", "source": "consensus", "papers": [...]}
{"event": "final", "papers": [...]}
```
- `source` events: raw papers from each source as it completes (may have duplicates across sources)
- `final` event: deduplicated + CrossRef-resolved unified set
Process `source` events as they arrive to present early results; use `final` for the complete deduplicated list. Pass `--no-stream` for batch mode (pretty-printed JSON after all sources complete).Related Skills
deep-research
This skill should be used when the user asks to "deep research", "comprehensive research on", "thorough investigation of", "research report on", "deep dive into", "literature review on", or needs Gemini Deep Research for web-grounded multi-source synthesis beyond what Google Scholar and Consensus provide.
writing
This skill should be used when the user asks to 'write a paper', 'start a writing project', 'draft an article', 'write about', 'brainstorm writing topics', 'gather sources for a paper', 'what should I write about', or needs the writing workflow entry point for any writing task.
writing-validate
Validate draft sections cover all PRECIS claims before review.
writing-setup
Internal skill for creating PRECIS.md, OUTLINE.md, and ACTIVE_WORKFLOW.md. Called after brainstorm sources are gathered.
writing-revise
This skill should be used when the user asks to 'revise writing', 'fix review issues', 'polish draft', 'apply review feedback', 'complete writing workflow', or after /writing-review produces REVIEW.md with issues to fix.
writing-review
Internal skill for hierarchical document review. Called by writing-validate after claim validation passes.
writing-precis-reviewer
Internal skill used by writing-setup at exit gate. Dispatches a reviewer subagent to verify PRECIS.md quality before outlining. NOT user-facing.
writing-outline
Internal skill for creating detailed section outlines. Called by /writing workflow after PRECIS and master OUTLINE are complete.
writing-outline-reviewer
Internal skill used by writing-outline at exit gate. Dispatches a reviewer subagent to verify OUTLINE.md quality before drafting. NOT user-facing.
writing-lit-review
Internal skill for literature review and source materialization. Called after brainstorm, before setup. NOT user-facing.
writing-legal
Internal skill for academic legal writing. Loaded by /writing when style=legal. Based on Volokh's "Academic Legal Writing".
writing-handoff
Create structured handoff document for writing workflow session pause/resume.