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academic-deep-research — Claude Code skill: cited deep research

A skill that runs multi-step research: two search cycles per theme, an evidence hierarchy and APA 7 citations. Useful for literature reviews and competitive intelligence.

Install into Claude Code · Skills CLI (Vercel) All methods and platforms ↓
npx skills add kesslerio/academic-deep-research-clawhub-skill --skill academic-deep-research -a claude-code
Open on GitHub

What academic-deep-research does

The skill follows a written protocol instead of firing one search query. Each theme gets two full research cycles, the agent analyses results after every tool call, and a single claim needs several sources behind it. Contradictions between sources are handled explicitly rather than smoothed over.

It runs on the native web_search, web_fetch and sessions_spawn tools, so no external API or key is involved. The package ships reference files: reference/protocol.md for phases and tool order, reference/citations-apa.md for citation rules, reference/quality-standards.md for confidence levels, reference/parallel-research.md for the parallel session workflow, plus quickref.md and example.md.

Expect three stops. First the skill asks 2–3 clarifying questions, then it presents themes and deliverables and waits for approval, and only after that does it write the report. The output is narrative prose with in-text citations and a reference list — no tables, no bullet lists. If you want a tabular summary, you will be rewriting it yourself, because the format is fixed in reference/writing-style.md.

What it helps with

  • build a literature review with traceable sources
  • verify one claim across several sources and explain the disagreements
  • format in-text citations and a reference list in APA 7
  • run competitive intelligence with a plan and approval checkpoints
  • parallelise research across themes with sessions_spawn

Example prompts for the agent

  • Run a deep research pass on diffusion models for code generation, I need a literature review with APA 7 citations
  • Do competitive intelligence on three tools, show me the plan before you start searching
  • Write the report with two search cycles per subtopic and a reference list

How to install academic-deep-research

1Skills CLI (Vercel)

npx skills add kesslerio/academic-deep-research-clawhub-skill --skill academic-deep-research -a claude-code

2Manually: put the files in place

~/.claude/skills/academic-deep-research/SKILL.md

Copy the whole skill folder; for one project use .claude/skills/academic-deep-research/

Step by step, with commands for each platform: How to install skills in Claude Code: five ways

Questions about academic-deep-research

How do I install academic-deep-research in Claude?

Run npx skills add kesslerio/academic-deep-research-clawhub-skill --skill academic-deep-research -a claude-code. The skill lands in ~/.claude/skills/academic-deep-research/SKILL.md.

What does academic-deep-research do?

It researches a topic on a fixed protocol: two search cycles per theme, analysis after each tool call, multiple sources per claim, APA 7 citations and three checkpoints with the user.

Which tools does the skill need?

It relies on the native web_search, web_fetch and sessions_spawn tools, so no separate API key is required.

Source text

SKILL.md · Apache-2.0
---
name: academic-deep-research
description: Transparent, rigorous research with full methodology — not a black-box API wrapper. Conducts exhaustive investigation through mandated 2-cycle research per theme, APA 7th citations, evidence hierarchy, and 3 user checkpoints. Self-contained using native OpenClaw tools (web_search, web_fetch, sessions_spawn). Use for literature reviews, competitive intelligence, or any research requiring academic rigor and reproducibility.
homepage: https://github.com/kesslerio/academic-deep-research-clawhub-skill
metadata:
  openclaw:
    emoji: 🔬
---

# Academic Deep Research 🔬

## When to Use

**Native tools:** `web_search`, `web_fetch`, `sessions_spawn`

Trigger this skill when the user wants:
- Deep research, exhaustive analysis, or literature review
- Multi-source verification and evidence hierarchies
- Academic-style reports with citations

## Required Stop Points

1. **Initial engagement**: ask 2–3 clarifying questions and confirm understanding.
2. **Research plan**: present themes, steps, and deliverables; wait for approval.
3. **Final report**: deliver full narrative report with citations.

## Minimum Requirements

- Two full research cycles per theme.
- Analyze between every tool call.
- Multiple sources per claim; contradictions addressed.
- APA 7th in-text citations and reference list.
- Narrative-only final report (no lists or tables).

## References

- `reference/protocol.md` — research phases, tool order, and analysis rules
- `reference/writing-style.md` — narrative constraints and phase formatting
- `reference/citations-apa.md` — citation rules and examples
- `reference/report-template.md` — required report structure
- `reference/error-handling.md` — gaps, contradictions, failures
- `reference/quality-standards.md` — evidence hierarchy and confidence levels
- `reference/parallel-research.md` — sessions_spawn workflow
- `quickref.md` — short checklist
- `example.md` — sample usage

© kesslerio · Apache-2.0 · kesslerio/academic-deep-research-clawhub-skill

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