---
name: web-research
description: Use this skill for requests related to web research; it provides a structured approach to conducting comprehensive web research.
---
# Web Research Skill
This skill provides guidance on conducting comprehensive web research. It emphasizes planning, efficient information gathering, and systematic synthesis of findings.
**Note:** This skill provides a methodology and best practices for web research. It does not include executable scripts or tools beyond what's available in your agent's toolset.
## When to Use This Skill
Use this skill when you need to:
- Research complex topics requiring multiple information sources
- Gather and synthesize current information from the web
- Conduct comparative analysis across multiple subjects
- Produce well-sourced research reports with clear citations
## Research Process
### Step 1: Create and Save Research Plan
Before conducting research:
1. **Analyze the research question** - Break it down into distinct, non-overlapping subtopics
2. **Create a research plan** - Determine:
- The main research question
- 2-5 specific subtopics to investigate
- Expected information from each subtopic
- How results will be synthesized
**Planning Guidelines:**
- **Simple fact-finding**: 1-2 subtopics
- **Comparative analysis**: 1 subtopic per comparison element (max 3)
- **Complex investigations**: 3-5 subtopics
### Step 2: Gather Information
For each subtopic in your plan:
1. **Use available web search tools** to gather information with:
- Clear, specific search queries
- Target: 3-5 searches per subtopic maximum
2. **Organize findings** as you gather them
### Step 3: Synthesize Findings
After gathering information:
1. **Review all collected information** from your searches
2. **Synthesize the information** - Create a comprehensive response that:
- Directly answers the original question
- Integrates insights from all subtopics
- Cites specific sources with URLs
- Identifies any gaps or limitations
## Best Practices
- **Plan before searching** - Understand what you need to find and organize your approach
- **Clear subtopics** - Ensure each search has a distinct, non-overlapping scope
- **Systematic synthesis** - Review all findings before creating final response
- **Stop appropriately** - Don't over-research; 3-5 searches per subtopic is usually sufficient
- **Cite sources** - Always include URLs to sources in your final response
