---
user-invocable: true
name: deep-research
description: Comprehensive research on any topic - structured and thorough
tokens: ~350
cloud-ok: true
---

# Deep Research
#claudeai

## When to Use
You need to thoroughly understand a topic - more than a quick search, but not a multi-week project.

## What I Need
- Topic to research
- Why do you need this? (decision, presentation, understanding)
- Time budget (30 min, 2 hours, half day)

## The Research Process

### 1. Frame the Question
Turn vague topic into specific questions:
- "AI" → "What are the main use cases for AI in B2B sales?"
- "Pricing" → "How do usage-based SaaS companies structure pricing?"

**Key questions to answer:**
1. [Specific question 1]
2. [Specific question 2]
3. [Specific question 3]

### 2. Survey the Landscape (30%)
Quick scan to understand the territory:
- Wikipedia / overview articles
- Recent news (last 6 months)
- Key players / voices
- Main debates / perspectives

### 3. Go Deep (50%)
Focus on highest-quality sources:
- Academic papers (Google Scholar)
- Industry reports
- Expert blogs / newsletters
- Primary sources (data, original research)
- Books/long-form (for established topics)

### 4. Synthesize (20%)
Connect the dots:
- What are the main perspectives?
- Where do experts agree/disagree?
- What's the "so what" for your purpose?
- What questions remain?

## Source Quality Hierarchy

| Tier | Source Type | Trust Level |
|------|-------------|-------------|
| 1 | Primary data, peer-reviewed research | High |
| 2 | Industry reports, expert practitioners | Medium-High |
| 3 | Quality journalism, reputable blogs | Medium |
| 4 | General articles, Wikipedia | Low-Medium |
| 5 | Random blogs, social media | Verify heavily |

## Time-Boxed Research

| Time | Depth |
|------|-------|
| 30 min | Landscape survey, key facts, top sources |
| 2 hours | + Deep dive on 3-5 sources, synthesis |
| Half day | + Comprehensive coverage, multiple perspectives |
| Full day | + Expert interviews, primary research |

## Output Format

```
## Research Brief: [Topic]

**Question(s):**
1. [What we're trying to answer]
2. [Secondary question]

**TL;DR:**
[2-3 sentence summary of key findings]

**Key Findings:**

### [Theme 1]
[Finding with supporting evidence]
- Source: [Citation]

### [Theme 2]
[Finding with supporting evidence]
- Source: [Citation]

### [Theme 3]
[Finding with supporting evidence]
- Source: [Citation]

**Perspectives / Debate:**
- View A: [Perspective]
- View B: [Counter-perspective]
- Consensus: [Where experts agree]

**Implications for You:**
- [So what for your situation]
- [Action or decision this informs]

**Open Questions:**
- [What's still unclear]
- [What needs more research]

**Sources:**
1. [Source with link]
2. [Source with link]
3. [Source with link]

**Confidence Level:** High / Medium / Low
[Why this confidence level]
```

## Research Hygiene

- Date your sources (things change)
- Note author credibility
- Triangulate claims across sources
- Distinguish fact from opinion
- Track your sources as you go
- Know when to stop (diminishing returns)