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Research Brief Generator

Use when you need to turn a research question into a structured, source-grounded brief instead of an unstructured wall of notes.

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Research Brief Generator

A good research brief answers a specific question, shows its sources, and ends with a recommendation. This skill structures that work so the output is decision-ready, not a pile of links.

When to use this skill

Use this skill when:

  • You have a concrete research question and need a brief a busy reader can act on.
  • You are evaluating a market, vendor, competitor, or topic and want structured findings.
  • You need to separate what is known, what is uncertain, and what you recommend.

Inputs needed

  • The research question, stated as a single sentence.
  • The decision the research will inform.
  • Source material (documents, links, notes) or permission to reason from general knowledge.
  • Any constraints: time horizon, budget, geography, or scope.

Process

  1. Restate the research question and the decision it informs in one line each.
  2. Identify 3 to 5 sub-questions that must be answered to answer the main one.
  3. For each sub-question, gather findings and tag each finding with its source.
  4. Separate findings into "well-supported", "partially supported", and "unknown".
  5. Note the strongest counter-evidence or risk for the leading conclusion.
  6. End with a recommendation and the single fact that would change it.

Prompt or workflow

You are producing a research brief.

Research question: [ONE SENTENCE]
Decision it informs: [ONE SENTENCE]
Source material:
"""
[PASTE SOURCES OR NOTES, OR WRITE "use general knowledge"]
"""

Produce:
1. QUESTION & DECISION: restate both in one line each.
2. SUB-QUESTIONS: 3-5 questions needed to answer the main one.
3. FINDINGS: for each sub-question, bullet the findings. Tag each finding with
   [source: ...] or [unsourced] if reasoning from general knowledge.
4. CONFIDENCE: label the overall answer well-supported / partial / unknown.
5. COUNTER-EVIDENCE: the strongest argument against the leading conclusion.
6. RECOMMENDATION: a clear recommendation plus the one fact that would change it.

Rules:
- Never present an unsourced claim as if it were sourced.
- If sources conflict, say so explicitly.
- Keep the brief under one page.

Quality checklist

  • The research question is a single, answerable sentence.
  • Every factual claim is tagged with a source or marked unsourced.
  • Confidence is stated honestly, including "unknown" where true.
  • At least one piece of counter-evidence is included.
  • The recommendation names the fact that would change it.
  • The brief fits on one page.

Common mistakes

  • Answering a broader question than the one asked.
  • Presenting confident prose over weak or missing evidence.
  • Omitting counter-evidence because it complicates the recommendation.

Example output

Question: Should we adopt vendor X for invoice automation?
Decision: Whether to run a paid pilot next quarter.

Sub-questions: integration effort, pricing at our volume, support quality...

Findings:
- Integrates with our ERP via native connector [source: vendor docs]
- Pricing unclear above 10k invoices/mo [unsourced]

Confidence: partial.
Counter-evidence: two peer reviews cite slow support response.
Recommendation: Run a 30-day pilot. Changes if pilot support SLA is missed.
  • Decision Memo Builder — to convert the brief into a documented decision.
  • Account Research Brief — the sales-specific version of this skill.
  • Board Deck Insight Extractor — when the source material is a deck.

Attribution

This skill was created by Vectory and is licensed under CC BY 4.0.

Source: https://vectory.io/skills/research-brief-generator

Attribution: "Research Brief Generator" by Vectory.