Agent-Skills.md

Agent Skills: Research Skills Discovery

Gateway skill for research methodology - automatically loads relevant research skills based on task context

UncategorizedID: rand/cc-polymath/discover-research

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rand/cc-polymath
randLicense: MIT
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pnpm dlx add-skill https://github.com/rand/cc-polymath/tree/HEAD/skills/discover-research

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skills/discover-research/SKILL.md

Skill Metadata

Name
discover-research
Description
Automatically discover research methodology skills when working with research methodology, literature review, systematic review, evidence synthesis, academic research, or experimental design. Activates for research tasks.

Research Skills Discovery

Auto-Activation

This skill is automatically activated when your task involves:

  • Research synthesis, literature reviews, meta-analysis
  • Quantitative research, statistical analysis, surveys, experiments
  • Qualitative research, interviews, ethnography, case studies
  • Study design, hypothesis testing, sampling strategies
  • Data collection, survey design, interview protocols
  • Data analysis, coding, statistical tests, visualization
  • Research writing, academic papers, citations, reporting

Available Research Skills

Core Methodology Skills

1. research-synthesis - Synthesizing information and conducting meta-analysis

  • Narrative synthesis approaches
  • Meta-analysis with Python implementation
  • Thematic synthesis of qualitative findings
  • Evidence mapping and gap analysis
  • GRADE framework for quality assessment
  • Use when: Integrating findings across studies

2. quantitative-methods - Quantitative research and statistical analysis

  • Experimental design with power analysis
  • Survey methods and analysis
  • Hypothesis testing framework
  • Regression analysis with diagnostics
  • Effect sizes and reporting
  • Use when: Testing hypotheses with numerical data

3. qualitative-methods - Qualitative research approaches

  • In-depth interview protocols
  • Thematic analysis (6 phases)
  • Grounded theory coding
  • Case study research design
  • Quality criteria and rigor
  • Use when: Exploring experiences and meanings

4. research-design - Planning and designing research studies

  • Research question formulation (FINER criteria)
  • Validity threat analysis
  • Sampling strategies with Python tools
  • Experimental control frameworks
  • Design quality assessment
  • Use when: Planning a new study from scratch

Implementation Skills

5. data-collection - Methods for gathering research data

  • Survey instrument design and validation
  • Interview protocol development
  • Observation methods and field notes
  • Data quality control frameworks
  • Response rate optimization
  • Use when: Implementing data collection

6. data-analysis - Analyzing quantitative and qualitative data

  • Comprehensive descriptive statistics
  • Inferential testing with full reporting
  • Systematic qualitative coding
  • Thematic development process
  • Publication-ready visualizations
  • Use when: Making sense of collected data

7. research-writing - Writing research papers and reports

  • IMRAD structure with guidelines
  • APA statistical reporting
  • Citation management
  • Argument construction
  • Peer review response strategies
  • Use when: Communicating research findings

Loading Skills

Load Individual Skills

From skills directory

Read <cc-polymath-root>/skills/research/research-synthesis.md Read <cc-polymath-root>/skills/research/quantitative-methods.md Read <cc-polymath-root>/skills/research/qualitative-methods.md Read <cc-polymath-root>/skills/research/research-design.md Read <cc-polymath-root>/skills/research/data-collection.md Read <cc-polymath-root>/skills/research/data-analysis.md Read <cc-polymath-root>/skills/research/research-writing.md

Common Workflow Combinations

Quantitative Research Study:

Planning phase

Read <cc-polymath-root>/skills/research/research-design.md

Data collection

Read <cc-polymath-root>/skills/research/data-collection.md Read <cc-polymath-root>/skills/research/quantitative-methods.md

Analysis and reporting

Read <cc-polymath-root>/skills/research/data-analysis.md Read <cc-polymath-root>/skills/research/research-writing.md

Qualitative Research Study:

Planning phase

Read <cc-polymath-root>/skills/research/research-design.md

Data collection

Read <cc-polymath-root>/skills/research/data-collection.md Read <cc-polymath-root>/skills/research/qualitative-methods.md

Analysis and reporting

Read <cc-polymath-root>/skills/research/data-analysis.md Read <cc-polymath-root>/skills/research/research-writing.md

Literature Review / Meta-Analysis:

Synthesis phase

Read <cc-polymath-root>/skills/research/research-synthesis.md

If including quantitative synthesis

Read <cc-polymath-root>/skills/research/quantitative-methods.md

Writing phase

Read <cc-polymath-root>/skills/research/research-writing.md

Mixed Methods Study:

All methods

Read <cc-polymath-root>/skills/research/research-design.md Read <cc-polymath-root>/skills/research/quantitative-methods.md Read <cc-polymath-root>/skills/research/qualitative-methods.md Read <cc-polymath-root>/skills/research/data-collection.md Read <cc-polymath-root>/skills/research/data-analysis.md Read <cc-polymath-root>/skills/research/research-writing.md

Progressive Loading

Load skills progressively based on research phase:

Phase 1: Planning (Load 1-2 skills)

  • research-design (always)
  • quantitative-methods OR qualitative-methods (based on approach)

Phase 2: Collection (Add 1-2 skills)

  • data-collection (always)
  • Keep loaded: specific method skill

Phase 3: Analysis (Add 1 skill)

  • data-analysis (always)
  • Keep loaded: method and collection skills for reference

Phase 4: Writing (Add 1 skill, can unload others)

  • research-writing (always)
  • research-synthesis (if synthesizing literature)
  • Keep one method skill for reporting details

Phase 5: Synthesis (If conducting review)

  • research-synthesis (load early)
  • quantitative-methods (if meta-analysis)
  • qualitative-methods (if thematic synthesis)

Decision Tree

Research Task
    ↓
Conducting new study?
    YES → Load research-design
        ↓
        Quantitative approach?
            YES → Load quantitative-methods + data-collection
        Qualitative approach?
            YES → Load qualitative-methods + data-collection
        Mixed methods?
            YES → Load both methods + data-collection
        ↓
        Ready to analyze?
            YES → Load data-analysis
        ↓
        Ready to write?
            YES → Load research-writing

    NO → Synthesizing existing research?
        YES → Load research-synthesis
            ↓
            Quantitative synthesis (meta-analysis)?
                YES → Also load quantitative-methods
            Qualitative synthesis?
                YES → Also load qualitative-methods
            ↓
            Ready to write?
                YES → Load research-writing

Context-Aware Loading

Based on keywords in your task, these skills auto-load:

Keywords → Skills Mapping:

  • "literature review", "meta-analysis", "systematic review" → research-synthesis
  • "survey", "experiment", "hypothesis", "statistical" → quantitative-methods
  • "interview", "ethnography", "case study", "lived experience" → qualitative-methods
  • "study design", "sampling", "validity", "research plan" → research-design
  • "questionnaire", "data collection", "measurement" → data-collection
  • "analyze data", "coding", "statistical test", "thematic" → data-analysis
  • "write paper", "manuscript", "citation", "peer review" → research-writing

Related Skill Categories

  • statistics: Advanced statistical techniques
  • data-science: Machine learning and big data approaches
  • visualization: Advanced data visualization
  • academic-writing: General academic writing skills
  • scientific-computing: Python/R for research computing

Quick Start Examples

"I need to design a survey study"

Read <cc-polymath-root>/skills/research/research-design.md Read <cc-polymath-root>/skills/research/data-collection.md Read <cc-polymath-root>/skills/research/quantitative-methods.md

"I need to analyze interview transcripts"

Read <cc-polymath-root>/skills/research/qualitative-methods.md Read <cc-polymath-root>/skills/research/data-analysis.md

"I need to conduct a meta-analysis"

Read <cc-polymath-root>/skills/research/research-synthesis.md Read <cc-polymath-root>/skills/research/quantitative-methods.md

"I need to write up my results"

Read <cc-polymath-root>/skills/research/research-writing.md Read <cc-polymath-root>/skills/research/data-analysis.md

Best Practices

  1. Start with design: Load research-design first when planning new studies
  2. Method-specific loading: Load only the method skill you need (quant OR qual)
  3. Progressive addition: Add skills as you progress through research phases
  4. Unload when done: Unload skills from completed phases to manage context
  5. Keep writing loaded: research-writing useful throughout for documentation

Skill Maintenance

All research skills follow these standards:

  • Practical code examples (Python primary, R when appropriate)
  • Real-world templates and protocols
  • Best practices and anti-patterns
  • Cross-references to related skills
  • 250-400 lines optimized for context efficiency

Integration with Other Skills

Research skills integrate well with:

  • python-data-science: For advanced analysis
  • python-visualization: For publication graphics
  • academic-latex: For paper formatting
  • git-workflow: For research project management
  • reproducibility: For reproducible research practices