synthesizing-research

Research Synthesis

Consolidate research for: $ARGUMENTS

Purpose

When research is conducted in parallel — multiple agents exploring different aspects of a problem — each produces a separate findings file. This skill combines those files into one self-contained document that a reader with no prior context can understand completely.

Process

1. Locate Research Files

Search for research files related to the topic:

Glob pattern: docs/plans/*-<topic>-*.md
Exclude: *-plan.md, *-research.md (the consolidated output)

If no files are found, ask the user to specify the file paths.

2. Read All Source Files

Read each research file completely. Note:

• Key findings from each source
• Overlapping or contradictory information
• Gaps — topics mentioned but not investigated
• Confidence levels stated by each researcher

3. Organize by Theme

Restructure findings by theme, NOT by source. Multiple researchers may have found related information — group it together rather than presenting each researcher's output sequentially.

Themes to look for:

• Architecture and design patterns
• Data flow and state management
• External dependencies and APIs
• Security and performance considerations
• Testing patterns and coverage
• Gaps and open questions

4. Write Consolidated Document

Create the synthesis at: docs/plans/YYYY-MM-DD-<topic>-research.md

(Use today's date in YYYY-MM-DD format)

# Research: <Topic> (YYYY-MM-DD)

## Problem Statement

[What is being investigated and why]

## Requirements

[Key requirements gathered from research]

## Findings

### [Theme 1]

[Findings organized by theme, not by source document]

### [Theme 2]

[Continue for each theme...]

## External Research

[Findings from web research with source citations and confidence
assessments]

## Technical Constraints

[Limitations, dependencies, and compatibility concerns]

## Open Questions

[Questions that remain unanswered across all research]

## Recommendations

[Synthesis of all findings into actionable recommendations]

## Sources

| Document | Researcher | Focus Area |
| -------- | ---------- | ---------- |
| [path]   | [agent]    | [scope]    |

5. Validate and Present

After writing the document:

1. Present a summary of key findings to the user
2. Note any contradictions or gaps found during synthesis

Quality Criteria

A good synthesis document:

• Is self-contained — no prior context required to understand it
• Organizes by theme, not by source
• Resolves contradictions between sources (or flags them explicitly)
• Preserves source citations for external research
• Identifies gaps where more research may be needed
• Provides actionable recommendations

Anti-Patterns

Do Not	Instead
Copy-paste each researcher's output sequentially	Reorganize by theme
Drop source citations from web research	Preserve all citations
Silently resolve contradictions	Flag them explicitly
Include raw notes or exploration logs	Distill into findings
Assume all findings are equally confident	Note confidence levels