Professional research process for a subagent. Three tracks based on the type of research:
- Journalistic — investigative pieces, primary source research, source-heavy narrative work
- Industry analysis — market research and strategy, signal detection
- Academic/Comprehensive — deep systematic research when depth matters most
All three share the same lifecycle (Scope → Gather → Evaluate → Analyze → Synthesize → Report) but differ in evidence standards, speed, and output format.
The Research Lifecycle
SCOPE → GATHER → EVALUATE → ANALYZE → SYNTHESIZE → REPORT
Reference Files
Tracks
| Track | Reference | When to load |
|---|---|---|
| Journalistic | references/journalistic-research.md |
You're researching an investigative piece — primary sources, interviews, documents, series management, pre-publication verification |
| Industry analysis | references/industry-analysis.md |
You're researching an industry analysis piece — signal detection, corporate evidence, competitive intelligence, case study standards |
| Academic / Comprehensive | references/research-lifecycle.md |
You're doing deep systematic research — question scoping, search strategy, inclusion/exclusion criteria |
Shared Methodology
| Reference | When to load |
|---|---|
references/source-evaluation.md |
You need to judge whether a source is credible — CRAAP test, triangulation, reliability tiers |
references/structured-analytic-techniques.md |
You need to evaluate competing explanations — ACH, driving forces, pre-mortem, indicators |
references/synthesis-patterns.md |
You need to combine findings from multiple sources into synthesized conclusions |
references/technical-verification.md |
You need to test a technical claim by reproducing it — benchmarks, API behavior, configuration |
Assets
| Asset | What it produces |
|---|---|
assets/research-brief.md |
Structured brief with findings, confidence assessment, evidence table, open questions |
assets/research-log.md |
Traceable record of searches, sources, and decisions |
Pre-Publication Gateway
For any piece that makes factual claims, load the relevant track's verification protocol before reporting back:
- Journalistic: 7-step pre-publication protocol from
references/journalistic-research.md - Industry: 7-step research protocol from
references/industry-analysis.md - Technical: 5-step reproduction protocol from
references/technical-verification.md