ai-anthropology

Scaffold a new anthropological research project by guiding the user through each phase of the research lifecycle

List the AI Anthropology Toolkit's skills, agents, and commands with what each covers and when to use it

Use this agent when a user needs help analyzing qualitative data for anthropological research — building codebooks, coding transcripts or field notes, or conducting thematic analysis. This agent draws on the qualitative-analysis skill to guide the full arc from raw data to themes, including multi-lens parallel analysis and the toolkit's computational notebook pipeline. Also use when a user has coded data and needs help turning codes into defensible themes. <example> Context: A researcher has finished fieldwork and has a corpus of interview transcripts to analyze. user: "I have 15 interview transcripts from my fieldwork and I don't know how to start analyzing them." assistant: "I'll use the analysis-advisor agent to guide you through the full analysis arc — segmenting your transcripts, building a codebook, coding, and constructing themes." <commentary> End-to-end qualitative analysis support. The analysis-advisor covers segmentation, codebook development, coding passes, and theme building as an integrated workflow. </commentary> </example> <example> Context: A PhD student needs a codebook grounded in their theoretical framework. user: "I need to build a codebook from my literature review before I start coding my data." assistant: "I'll use the analysis-advisor agent to help you derive candidate codes from your sources, write five-part code entries, and validate the codebook for distinctness before you code." <commentary> Codebook development from literature is a distinct analysis task with its own quality checks. The analysis-advisor handles derivation, definition writing, and validation. </commentary> </example> <example> Context: A researcher's committee wants the analysis run under more than one theoretical lens. user: "My committee asked how my findings would change under a critical lens versus an interpretivist one. Can I actually compare that?" assistant: "I'll use the analysis-advisor agent to design a multi-lens analysis — parallel lens-specific codebooks, per-lens coding passes, and a comparison of where the lenses converge, diverge, or conflict." <commentary> Multi-lens parallel analysis operationalizes epistemic pluralism. The analysis-advisor designs the comparison and interprets convergence, lens-specific, and friction findings. </commentary> </example>

Use this agent when a user needs help writing grant proposals, funding applications, or dissertation prospectuses for anthropological research. This agent orchestrates the grant-proposal and dissertation-prospectus skills to provide funder-specific guidance and prospectus development. Covers NSF Cultural Anthropology (including CA-DDRIG), Wenner-Gren, Fulbright IIE and Fulbright-Hays, ERC, SSHRC, and Wellcome Trust. Do NOT use for formulating research questions or selecting methods from scratch (use the research-design agent first); this agent turns an existing research design into a persuasive funder- or committee-facing document. <example> Context: A PhD student is writing an NSF CA-DDRIG proposal for dissertation fieldwork. user: "I need to write my NSF DDRIG proposal. I have my research plan but I'm struggling with the project description and broader impacts." assistant: "I'll use the proposal-advisor agent to help you structure your NSF CA-DDRIG project description and broader impacts statement following NSF-specific requirements and conventions." <commentary> NSF CA-DDRIG has specific formatting, page limits, and evaluation criteria. The proposal-advisor provides funder-specific guidance that goes beyond generic grant writing advice. </commentary> </example> <example> Context: A researcher is writing their dissertation prospectus for committee review. user: "My prospectus defense is in two months and I need help structuring the document. My department wants 20-25 pages." assistant: "I'll use the proposal-advisor agent to help you structure your prospectus with the right section architecture, length calibration, and committee-oriented framing." <commentary> Prospectus development requires section-by-section guidance calibrated to institutional norms. The agent handles structure, content, and strategic framing. </commentary> </example> <example> Context: A postdoc is applying for a Wenner-Gren Post-PhD Research Grant. user: "I'm applying for a Wenner-Gren grant to extend my dissertation research into a new field site. Can you help with the application?" assistant: "I'll use the proposal-advisor agent to guide your Wenner-Gren application, ensuring it meets their specific evaluation criteria and framing expectations." <commentary> Different funders have different expectations. The agent provides Wenner-Gren-specific guidance distinct from NSF or Fulbright conventions. </commentary> </example>

Use this agent when a user needs help designing an anthropological research project from the ground up — formulating research questions, selecting and justifying methods, or building a research plan. This agent orchestrates across the research-question, methodology-selection, and research-plan skills to produce a coherent research design. Also use when a user is revising their overall research design after committee or reviewer feedback. Do NOT use for writing funder- or committee-facing documents such as grant proposals or dissertation prospectuses (use the proposal-advisor agent); this agent handles the pre-proposal intellectual framing those documents draw on. <example> Context: A graduate student has a broad topic interest but no formulated research question or methods. user: "I want to study how gig workers in Lagos use social media to organize, but I don't know where to start with my research design." assistant: "I'll use the research-design agent to guide you through formulating your research question, selecting appropriate methods, and building a research plan." <commentary> The user needs end-to-end research design support spanning multiple skills. The research-design agent orchestrates question formulation, methodology selection, and plan development as an integrated process. </commentary> </example> <example> Context: A researcher has a draft question but is unsure whether their methods fit their theoretical stance. user: "My committee says my interpretivist framing doesn't match my survey-heavy methods. Can you help me redesign?" assistant: "I'll use the research-design agent to review the alignment between your theoretical stance, research question, and methods, then help you redesign for epistemic coherence." <commentary> The user has a method-stance misalignment that requires coordinated revision across question framing, methods, and plan. The research-design agent handles this holistic redesign. </commentary> </example> <example> Context: An early-career researcher is planning a new project and wants to think through the full design before writing proposals. user: "Help me plan my research — I'm interested in medical pluralism in rural Guatemala." assistant: "I'll use the research-design agent to help you develop your research question, select methods appropriate to your epistemic stance, and draft a research plan." <commentary> Proactive use: the phrase "help me plan my research" combined with a topic signals the need for full research design guidance. </commentary> </example>

Use this agent when a user needs help writing research articles, thesis chapters, dissertation chapters, or managing the peer review process for anthropological research. This agent orchestrates the research-writing and academic-review skills to provide comprehensive writing and review support. Covers article architecture, ethnographic craft, subfield conventions, peer review writing, and revision response management. Do NOT use for conference abstracts, slides, posters, or public-facing writing such as op-eds (use the dissemination-advisor agent); this agent covers journal articles, chapters, and peer review. <example> Context: A researcher has fieldwork data and needs to write their first journal article. user: "I've finished my fieldwork and I want to write an article for American Ethnologist. Where do I start?" assistant: "I'll use the writing-advisor agent to help you structure your article following American Ethnologist conventions, from outline through full draft." <commentary> First article writing requires end-to-end guidance: structure, voice, evidence integration, and journal-specific conventions. The writing-advisor handles the full arc. </commentary> </example> <example> Context: A researcher received an R&R decision and needs help with the revision and rebuttal. user: "I got an R&R from Cultural Anthropology with three reviewers. One loves it, one wants major theory changes, and one questions my methods. How do I handle the rebuttal?" assistant: "I'll use the writing-advisor agent to help you draft a point-by-point rebuttal letter and plan your revisions, including strategies for handling contradictory reviewer feedback." <commentary> R&R management requires both review interpretation skills (academic-review) and writing craft (research-writing) working together. </commentary> </example> <example> Context: A graduate student is writing their dissertation methods chapter. user: "I'm stuck on my methods chapter — I don't know how to write up participant observation as a method without it sounding vague." assistant: "I'll use the writing-advisor agent to help you write a methods chapter that presents participant observation with the specificity and credibility that dissertation committees expect." <commentary> Methods writing for dissertations is a common pain point that requires discipline-specific craft knowledge. </commentary> </example>

Use this agent when a user needs help with academic career materials for anthropology — job applications, career statements, or teaching materials. This agent orchestrates the job-materials, career-statements, and teaching-materials skills to provide comprehensive career development support. Covers the full range from CV formatting to syllabus design. <example> Context: A PhD candidate is preparing applications for tenure-track positions. user: "I'm going on the job market this fall and need to prepare my full application package — CV, cover letter, and statements." assistant: "I'll use the career-advisor agent to help you build your complete application package, coordinating across your CV, cover letter, research statement, teaching statement, and diversity statement for a coherent narrative." <commentary> Job market preparation requires coordinated materials that tell a consistent story. The career-advisor ensures all components reinforce each other. </commentary> </example> <example> Context: An assistant professor is preparing their tenure file. user: "I need to write my tenure narrative and update my CV for my third-year review." assistant: "I'll use the career-advisor agent to help you draft your tenure narrative and recalibrate your CV to emphasize the trajectory and impact that tenure committees evaluate." <commentary> Tenure materials require different framing than job market materials — the agent calibrates to career stage and evaluation context. </commentary> </example> <example> Context: A new faculty member is designing their first course. user: "I'm teaching Introduction to Cultural Anthropology for the first time next semester. I need a syllabus and some lesson plans." assistant: "I'll use the career-advisor agent to help you design your course using backward design principles, create a syllabus, and develop lesson plans for key class sessions." <commentary> Course design is a career development task — new faculty often need structured guidance on syllabus design, assignment creation, and lesson planning. </commentary> </example>

Use this skill whenever a user needs help writing, evaluating, or responding to peer reviews for anthropological research. Triggers include: any mention of "peer review," "review a manuscript," "write a review," "reviewer comments," "respond to reviewers," "rebuttal letter," "revision plan," "manuscript evaluation," "assess this paper," "reviewing for [journal name]," "R&R response," "how to review," "reviewer feedback," "revise and resubmit." Covers writing constructive peer reviews for anthropology journals, evaluating manuscripts from the reviewer's perspective, and responding to reviewer feedback (rebuttal letters, revision plans). Review types: invited review, desk review, blind review, open review. Do NOT use for grant review panels (use grant-proposal skill) or student work feedback (use teaching-materials skill). This skill handles peer review as a professional scholarly practice and revision as a strategic engagement with reviewer critique.

Use this skill whenever a user needs help writing professional philosophy statements for academic career advancement. Triggers include: any mention of "research statement," "teaching statement," "teaching philosophy," "diversity statement," "DEI statement," "tenure narrative," "promotion statement," "research vision," "future research plans," "statement of purpose," "personal statement for academic job," "how to write a research statement," "how to write a teaching statement," or "tenure portfolio." Covers research statements, teaching statements/philosophies, diversity statements, and tenure/promotion narratives for anthropologists at all career stages. Do NOT use for CVs, cover letters, or job talks (use job-materials skill), course syllabi or assignments (use teaching-materials skill), or grant proposals (use grant-proposal skill).

Use this skill whenever a user needs help preparing materials for an anthropology conference presentation. Triggers include: any mention of "conference abstract," "AAA abstract," "organized session," "roundtable proposal," "poster session," "workshop proposal," "slide deck," "conference presentation," "conference talk," "academic poster," "speaker notes," "20-minute talk," "15-minute talk," "CASCA abstract," "AES presentation," "SfAA abstract," "help with my AAA panel," "poster design," or "oral delivery." Covers abstract writing for individual papers, organized sessions, roundtables, poster sessions, and workshop proposals; slide deck design for 15-20 minute conference talks; academic poster design including content structure and visual hierarchy; and speaker notes with oral delivery preparation. Do NOT use for job talks (use job-materials skill), public talks for non-academic audiences (use public-engagement skill), or full paper writing (use research-writing skill).

Use this skill whenever a user needs help writing, drafting, revising, or structuring a dissertation prospectus, dissertation proposal, qualifying exam proposal, upgrade/transfer document, or fieldwork clearance proposal for anthropological research. Triggers include: "prospectus," "dissertation proposal," "qualifying exam," "QE," "upgrade proposal," "transfer of status," "fieldwork clearance," "I need to write my prospectus," "how do I structure a dissertation proposal," and questions about committee expectations, prospectus defenses, or upgrade vivas. Covers US prospectuses, UK upgrade/transfer/fieldwork proposals, and dual-purpose prospectuses that also serve as grant applications. Do NOT use for standalone grant proposals without a committee audience (use grant-proposal skill), journal articles or thesis chapters (use research-writing skill), or research question development outside a prospectus context (use research-question skill).

Use this skill whenever a user needs help designing fieldwork data collection instruments or protocols for qualitative or anthropological research. Triggers include: "interview guide," "interview protocol," "focus group guide," "observation protocol," "field notes," "field note template," "fieldwork protocol," "data collection instruments," "sampling strategy," "purposive sampling," "snowball sampling," "data management plan," "DMP," "transcription protocol," "researcher training," "pilot testing," "semi-structured interview," "life history interview," "key informant interview," or "participant observation protocol." Covers interview guides, focus group guides, observation protocols, field note systems, sampling and recruitment, training, pilot testing, and data management. Do NOT use for IRB protocol narratives (use irb-protocol skill), consent documents (use informed-consent skill), or methodology selection (use methodology-selection skill).