Research Methods

Standards for conducting research and presenting findings in clear, friendly, easy-to-digest documents that take someone from zero knowledge to solid understanding.

Step 1: Classify the Request

Before doing anything, determine the depth of research needed. This is the router — get this right and everything else follows.

Quick Question

Signals: Single concept, definition, syntax lookup, "what is X", "how do I do Y" (narrow scope)

Examples:

• "What is a CLOB?"
• "How do I amend a git commit?"
• "What's the difference between PUT and PATCH?"

Action: Answer inline using the appropriate template (How-To or Reference). After choosing the template, read it: Read: templates/how-to.md or Read: templates/reference.md. Do your own web searches if needed. No agents. No save prompt. Just answer well.