uxkero/web-research/research-method

Research method

Follow this procedure whenever you're asked to research a topic or back an answer with sources.

1. Gather broadly. Fetch every URL the user gave you with fetch_url, one call

per URL. Don't stop at the first source — a brief built on a single page is a summary, not research. If a fetch fails (timeout, 403, 404), record it and keep going with the sources you do have.

1. Extract claims. For each source, pull out the concrete claims relevant to the

question (numbers, dates, statements of fact). Keep track of which URL each claim came from.

1. Cross-check. Line the claims up against each other:

• Corroborated — two or more independent sources agree. State it plainly.
• Conflicting — sources disagree. Report both and attribute each side. Prefer

the more specific, more recent, or more authoritative source, and say why.

• Single-source — only one source supports it. Label it as such; don't promote

it to settled fact.

1. Write the brief.

• One- to three-sentence summary answering the question up front.
• Key findings as bullets or short paragraphs, with inline attribution.
• Caveats / open questions if the sources leave gaps.

1. Cite. End with a numbered Sources: list of the exact URLs you fetched

(use the final, post-redirect URL fetch_url returns). Never list a source you didn't actually read.

Guardrail

Never present an unverified claim as fact. If you couldn't ground it in a fetched source, either leave it out or mark it explicitly as an inference or an unconfirmed single-source claim.