Deep Research

2. Search Wide, Then Deep (Progressive Deepening)

Round 1: Broad landscape scan
  → "What is X? How does X work? X overview"
  → Goal: Identify the key concepts, players, and terminology

Round 2: Targeted investigation
  → "X vs Y comparison", "X architecture internals", "X best practices"
  → Goal: Understand the mechanics, trade-offs, and expert opinions

Round 3: Deep dives on specifics
  → "X edge cases", "X implementation gotchas", "X academic paper"
  → Goal: Fill remaining gaps, find contrarian views, verify claims

Round 4 (if needed): Adversarial search
  → "X criticisms", "X failures", "why X is bad", "X alternatives"
  → Goal: Stress-test your conclusions with disconfirming evidence

3. Grade Your Evidence

4. Reason Deeply Between Searches (Deep Thinking)

After each search round, stop and think:

• What did I learn that I didn't know before?
• What contradictions or surprises did I find?
• What is still unclear or unconfirmed?
• Have my initial assumptions changed?
• What should I search for next?

Procedure

Phase 0 — Frame the Research

1. State the research objective in one sentence.
2. List what you already know (even if tentative).
3. List 3–5 specific questions you need answered.
4. Perform a Key Assumptions Check (KAC).
5. Define the output format: report, comparison table, specification, etc.
6. Set a depth budget: how many search rounds are appropriate? (Typically 3–5)

Phase 1 — Landscape Scan (Broad)

1. Run 2–3 broad web searches with different phrasings.
2. Read the top results. Skim for structure, not detail.
3. Pause and reason.
4. Build an evidence map.
5. Update your question list.

Phase 2 — Targeted Investigation (Focused)

1. Search for specific sub-topics identified in Phase 1.
2. Read primary sources when possible.
3. Grade each source using the evidence grading scale.
4. Pause and reason.
5. Start building your synthesis outline.

Phase 3 — Deep Dives (Specific)

1. Search for specific unanswered questions from Phase 2.
2. Actively look for disconfirming evidence.
3. Check for recent developments.
4. Read code, specifications, or academic sources if relevant.
5. Pause and reason.

Phase 4 — Synthesis (Deep Thinking)

1. Organise your findings into a coherent structure.
2. Cross-reference claims.
3. Identify your own reasoning gaps.
4. Apply reasoning techniques: Chain of Thought, Tree of Thought, Analysis of Competing Hypotheses, Self-Reflection.
5. Perform a sensitivity analysis.
6. Write the output with proper sourcing and confidence levels.

Phase 5 — Validate and Refine

1. Re-read the original research objective. Does the output answer it fully?
2. Check for logical consistency.
3. Check for completeness.
4. Check for accuracy — are specific claims sourced?
5. Run a bias audit.

Deep Thinking Reasoning Toolkit

• Chain of Thought (CoT): Break complex reasoning into explicit steps.
• Recursive Thought Expansion (RTE): When a step is ambiguous, expand it into its own sub-chain.
• Tree of Thought (ToT): Explore multiple reasoning paths, evaluate, prune.
• Graph of Thought (GoT): When reasoning is non-linear — ideas from different branches inform each other.
• Analysis of Competing Hypotheses (ACH): Evaluate evidence against multiple hypotheses systematically.
• Self-Consistency: Generate the same conclusion via 3+ independent reasoning paths.
• Self-Reflection Loop: Critique → Identify assumptions → Challenge → Refine.
• Adversarial Thinking (Red Team): Deliberately argue against your own conclusions.

Cognitive Bias Watchlist

Anti-Patterns to Avoid

Stopping Rules

Stop researching when:

• You've completed your planned search rounds (3–5).
• New searches are returning information you've already seen (saturation).
• You can confidently answer all your original questions.

References

• docs/agi/skills/session-discipline/SKILL.md — for session tracking
• docs/agi/skills/instruction-adherence/SKILL.md — for staying on objective