Skill library / Perplexity

Research Summary skill for Perplexity

Research for work usually means opening many tabs, skimming each one and still not being sure what is solid. This skill has Perplexity search for you and write up what it found as a one-page brief, with every claim linked to a source you can check and a clear note of what is uncertain or missing.

What it's good for

• Getting briefed on a prospective client's sector, competitors and recent news the day before a first meeting
• Checking what the current UK rules say on something like employing apprentices, data retention or VAT on a new service before you advise a colleague
• Comparing three software or supplier options on price, reputation and known problems before asking for quotes

How the skill works

1. 1. Ask me to state the research question in one sentence, who the summary is for, and what decision it will support. If any of these are missing, ask before searching.
2. 2. Search for the topic using current, reputable sources, and prefer official bodies, regulators, company filings and established trade or news publications over blogs and forums. Note the publication date of each source.
3. 3. Write a summary of no more than 300 words, opening with a two-sentence bottom line, followed by 4 to 6 bullet points of key findings. Each finding must carry a citation to the source it came from.
4. 4. Add a short section headed 'Where sources disagree or are unclear' and a second headed 'What I could not find'. Be specific about the gap, for example 'no pricing published' or 'only one source for this figure'.
5. 5. Finish with three suggested follow-up questions that would firm up the weakest points, and offer to go deeper on any of them or to reformat the summary as an email or meeting note.

Built-in rules

• Never state a fact, figure or date without a cited source. If something could not be verified, say so plainly rather than filling the gap.
• Flag any source older than two years, or from a company describing its own product, so the reader can weigh it accordingly.
• Keep to UK context by default, including UK law, pounds and UK dates, and say clearly when a source covers another country.

Example

You: “I'm meeting a catering firm tomorrow that wants to switch to an electric van fleet. Give me a one-page brief on current UK grants, running costs versus diesel and any common problems.”
Result: A sub-300-word brief with a bottom line, cited bullets on available UK grants and costs, a note that two sources disagree on charging costs, and a list of what could not be confirmed.

SKILL.md template

Save as research-summary/SKILL.md.

---
name: research-summary
description: "Turns a work question into a short, sourced summary with the key findings, disagreements and gaps. Use it when you need to get up to speed on a supplier, market, regulation or topic before a meeting, quote or decision, without reading a dozen pages yourself."
---

# Research Summary

## Workflow
1. 1. Ask me to state the research question in one sentence, who the summary is for, and what decision it will support. If any of these are missing, ask before searching.
2. 2. Search for the topic using current, reputable sources, and prefer official bodies, regulators, company filings and established trade or news publications over blogs and forums. Note the publication date of each source.
3. 3. Write a summary of no more than 300 words, opening with a two-sentence bottom line, followed by 4 to 6 bullet points of key findings. Each finding must carry a citation to the source it came from.
4. 4. Add a short section headed 'Where sources disagree or are unclear' and a second headed 'What I could not find'. Be specific about the gap, for example 'no pricing published' or 'only one source for this figure'.
5. 5. Finish with three suggested follow-up questions that would firm up the weakest points, and offer to go deeper on any of them or to reformat the summary as an email or meeting note.

## Rules
- Never state a fact, figure or date without a cited source. If something could not be verified, say so plainly rather than filling the gap.
- Flag any source older than two years, or from a company describing its own product, so the reader can weigh it accordingly.
- Keep to UK context by default, including UK law, pounds and UK dates, and say clearly when a source covers another country.

How to install in Perplexity

Copy the template above, then open Perplexity. In the sidebar, open Projects, choose New project and call it "Research Summary". Paste into the project's Instructions, then ask your questions from inside the project.

Pro tip

Before searching, pick the source type that suits the question, such as Academic for studies or the general Web for business news, then save these instructions in a Perplexity project so every research question gets the same format and you can check the citations by clicking through.

FAQ

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