Deep Researcher

Other

Generate comprehensive 30-40 page academic research papers with full citations. Trigger: deep research, generate research paper, academic paper, literature review, research report, 30-40 page paper, comprehensive analysis, full citations, scholarly work.

Install

openclaw skills install deep-researcher-ai

Deep Researcher — Academic Research Paper Generator

Generate comprehensive, academic-grade research papers (30-40 pages) with 40-80 unique citations, following a rigorous 7-stage workflow. Adapts to any field — AI, medicine, economics, social sciences, engineering, and more.

Workflow Overview

STAGE 1: Topic Analysis      → Decompose topic into sub-questions
STAGE 2: Source Discovery    → Query academic & industry databases
STAGE 3: Content Synthesis  → Extract, summarize, map source relationships
STAGE 4: Cross-Verification  → Triangulate claims, verify facts
STAGE 5: Content Expansion   → Fill gaps, add case studies, data
STAGE 6: Synthesis & Writing → Assemble paper chapter-by-chapter
STAGE 7: Refinement & QA     → Polish, format citations, validate

Stage 1: Topic Analysis

Decompose the research topic into 12-15 subtopics. Identify:

  • Primary research questions
  • Scope boundaries (time period, geography, industry)
  • Feasibility for 30-40 page scope
  • Key theories and seminal works to anchor the paper

Output: Topic Deconstruction Report with subtopics, research questions, and knowledge gaps.


Stage 2: Source Discovery

Query multiple source categories using OpenClaw's native tools:

CategorySourcesTool
AcademicarXiv, Google Scholar, PubMed, Semantic Scholarbatch_web_search
EconomicWorld Bank API, IMF, OECD Statsbatch_web_search
IndustryMcKinsey Insights, Statista, Gartnerbatch_web_search + extract_content_from_websites
Code/AIGitHub, Hugging Face, arXiv (CS)batch_web_search
NewsReuters, BBC, RSS feedsbatch_web_search
PatentsGoogle Patentsbatch_web_search

Tool: batch_web_search (up to 10 concurrent queries)

For each search, extract: title, authors, year, DOI/URL, abstract, key findings.

Output: 40-80 candidate sources organized by category and relevance.


Stage 3: Content Synthesis

For each major source:

  • Extract core contribution, methodology, key findings (3-5 bullet points), limitations
  • Group by theme, methodology, and chapter alignment
  • Identify patterns: recurring themes, contradictions, gaps

Output: Synthesized source notes (150-200 words per source), cross-reference map, draft literature review.


Stage 4: Cross-Verification

  • Every factual claim must be backed by ≥1 source
  • Critical claims (statistics, dates, specific findings) verified against 2-3 independent sources
  • Flag sources with potential bias or industry funding
  • Identify underrepresented perspectives

Output: Verification log, triangulation matrix, bias assessment.


Stage 5: Content Expansion

  • Search for case studies, historical precedents, comparative analyses
  • Add quantitative data from World Bank, IMF, OECD where relevant
  • Include expert viewpoints, industry reports, conference proceedings
  • Aim for 15-20 distinct subtopics covered

Output: Expanded source list (+10-20 sources), comparative analysis, historical timeline.


Stage 6: Synthesis & Writing

Assemble the paper using the Standard Research Paper Structure below. Integrate citations in APA 7th format. Write 15,000-18,000 words targeting 30-40 pages.

Standard Research Paper Structure

1. Title Page          (clear title, keywords, date)
2. Abstract            (300-500 words, 3-5 keywords)
3. Executive Summary   (1-2 pages, key takeaways for decision-makers)
4. Chapter 1: Introduction        (3-4 pages)
   - Background & context
   - Problem statement
   - Research objectives & questions
   - Significance & scope
5. Chapter 2: Literature Review   (6-8 pages)
   - Theoretical framework
   - Key themes (organized thematically)
   - Major studies & seminal works
   - Gaps in existing research
6. Chapter 3: Methodology         (4-5 pages)
   - Research design (qualitative/quantitative/mixed)
   - Data sources & search strategy
   - Inclusion/exclusion criteria
   - Analysis techniques & AI tools used
7. Chapter 4: Data Collection     (3-4 pages)
   - Sample/data description
   - Collection procedures
   - Ethical considerations
8. Chapter 5: Analysis & Findings  (8-10 pages)
   - Descriptive findings
   - Quantitative/qualitative results
   - Comparative and longitudinal analysis
   - Visual elements (tables, figures)
9. Chapter 6: Discussion          (3-4 pages)
   - Interpretation of key findings
   - Theoretical & practical implications
   - Limitations & counterarguments
10. Chapter 7: Conclusion         (2-3 pages)
    - Summary of contributions
    - Actionable recommendations
    - Future research directions
11. References                    (5-8 pages, 40-80 sources)
12. Appendices                    (optional)

Citation style: APA 7th Edition (Author, Year) — default. Also supports MLA 9th and Chicago Notes/Bibliography.


Stage 7: Refinement & QA

Run the quality checklist:

Accuracy

  • 0% hallucinated claims — every claim backed by ≥1 source
  • All statistics cross-checked against primary sources
  • All dates within ±1 day of source
  • All DOIs resolve correctly

Completeness

  • 30-40 page target (15,000-18,000 words)
  • ≥40 unique citations
  • 15-20 distinct subtopics covered
  • All 7 chapters present
  • 5+ figures/tables

Coverage

  • 4+ different source types (academic, industry, news, government)
  • 70%+ sources from last 5 years
  • 3+ distinct viewpoints represented
  • At least 1 counterargument documented

Citation Integrity

  • All in-text citations appear in References
  • All References have in-text citations
  • No orphan URLs
  • APA 7th formatting consistent throughout

Literary Quality

  • Formal academic tone, no slang
  • Third-person perspective
  • Clear transitions between chapters
  • No repetition or redundancy
  • Consistent terminology

Output: Final polished paper + QA report


Output Formats

FormatDescriptionTool
MarkdownDefault, editableDirect output
PDFAcademic submissionminimax-pdf skill
DOCXWord processingminimax-docx skill

Request with: "[topic] — output as PDF" or "[topic] — output as DOCX"


APA 7th Citation Quick Reference

In-text: (Author, Year) or Author (Year) showed that...

Reference entry (Journal):

Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Year). Title of article. Journal Name, Volume(Issue), Page.Range. https://doi.org/xxxxx

Reference entry (Book):

Author, A. A. (Year). Title of book (Edition ed.). Publisher.

Reference entry (Web):

Author, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Title of page. Website Name. https://url

Citation Density Rule

Target: ≥1 citation per 150-200 words across the full paper. This ensures every claim is evidence-backed and academically rigorous.


Source Priority Matrix

PrioritySource TypesCost
HIGHarXiv, PubMed, World Bank, IMF, OECD, Hugging Face, GitHubFree
MEDIUMGoogle Scholar, IEEE, McKinsey, Gartner, StatistaFree/Premium
LOWNews feeds, Twitter, Reddit, news blogsFree

Always prioritize free, authoritative, open-access sources first.


Data Sources Registry

Academic

  • arXiv: https://export.arxiv.org/api/query — cutting-edge AI/ML/theory, no API key
  • Google Scholar: batch_web_search — comprehensive peer-reviewed coverage
  • PubMed/PMC: https://eutils.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/eutils/ — biomedical, life sciences
  • Semantic Scholar: https://api.semanticscholar.org/ — CS academic sources

Economic & Policy

  • World Bank: https://api.worldbank.org/v2/ — free, no key required
  • IMF: https://api.imf.org/ — macroeconomic data
  • OECD: https://stats.oecd.org/ — comparative policy data

Technology & AI

  • Hugging Face: https://api.huggingface.co/ — ML models, datasets, papers
  • GitHub API: https://api.github.com/ — code trends, repositories
  • Google Patents: https://patents.google.com/ — innovation trends

Industry

  • McKinsey Insights: Public articles and reports
  • Gartner: Industry analysis (subscription)
  • Statista: Statistics and market data (subscription)

Troubleshooting

IssueSolution
"Insufficient sources"Expand keyword list; use Boolean operators (AND/OR/NOT); try alternative databases
"Page count too short"Expand Stage 5 (content expansion); add case studies, comparative data, visual elements
"Citation gaps"Return to Stage 2; search for missing angles; add industry reports and government data
"Hallucination risk"Always verify facts via Cross-Verification stage; cite primary sources only
"Formatting inconsistent"Run APA 7th reference check; ensure all in-text citations match reference list

Iteration Triggers

  • From Stage 4 → Stage 3: Cross-verification reveals hallucination or insufficient evidence
  • From Stage 5 → Stage 2: Expansion search finds critical gaps in core coverage
  • From Stage 6 → Stage 4: Writing reveals missing critical sources
  • Page count <30: Expand Stage 5, then revisit Stage 6

Integration Notes

This skill replaces and significantly extends the knowledge-digest skill's research capabilities. Where knowledge-digest focuses on learning materials from existing documents, deep-researcher generates original academic research from primary and secondary sources across multiple databases.

Both skills can coexist — use deep-researcher for original paper creation, knowledge-digest for study aids from existing materials.