get-research-paper

The saved excerpt is a snapshot from review. The external source remains the complete and most current version.

---
name: get-research-paper
description: Discovers, retrieves, ranks, and summarizes real existing research papers on any topic. Searches arXiv, Google Scholar, PubMed, Semantic Scholar, and reputable open repositories; returns a curated reading list with verified DOIs, key findings, and citation-ready metadata. Activates on slash commands (`/get-research-paper`, `/find-paper`, `/fetch-paper`, `/papers-on`, `/scholar`) and natural-language requests like "get research paper on …", "find papers about …", "what are the top papers on …". Hands off cleanly to the `research-paper` skill for paper writing. Runtime-neutral — works with Claude Code, OpenCode, Cursor, Cline, Codex, Aider, Amp, and 50+ agents.
license: MIT
version: 1.1.0
---

# Get Research Paper

A research-discovery skill. Where the **`research-paper`** skill *writes*
papers, this skill **finds** them. Give it a topic, get a ranked,
de-duplicated reading list of real existing papers with verified DOIs,
key findings, and ready-to-cite metadata.

This file is the **entry point**. Heavier guidance (per-source
strategies, ranking criteria, summarization prompts) lives in topic
folders and is loaded **on demand**.

---

## 1. When to activate

### Slash commands

| Command                        | What it does                                      |
| ------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------- |
| `/get-research-paper <topic>`   | Curated reading list (default 10 papers)         |
| `/find-paper <topic>`           | Alias for `/get-research-paper`                  |
| `/find-papers <topic>`          | Alias for `/get-research-paper`                  |
| `/fetch-paper <topic>`          | Alias for `/get-research-paper`                  |
| `/papers-on <topic>`            | Alias for `/get-research-paper`                  |
| `/scholar <topic>`              | Quick scholarly summary (5 papers, 2-line summaries) |

Common options:
- `--n <N>` — number of papers (default 10).
- `--years <range>` — e.g. `2020-2024`, `last-5`, `since-2018`.
- `--source <src>` — `arxiv`, `scholar`, `pubmed`, `semantic-scholar`, `all` (default).
- `--depth <quick|standard|deep>` — summary detail.
- `--style <harvard|apa|ieee|...>` — pre-format the bibliography.
- `--audience <academic|technical|general>` — adjust summary register.
- `--handoff` — emit a `bibliography.yaml` ready for the `research-paper` skill.

### Natural-language patterns

- "get research paper on / about / for [topic]"
- "find research papers on [topic]"
- "find papers on / about [topic]"
- "what are the top papers on [topic]"
- "show me research on [topic]"
- "fetch papers about [topic]"
- "list papers on [topic]"
- "literature on [topic]" (shorter than `/literature-review`)
- "scholar [topic]"

### Negative activation

Do NOT activate for:
- Requests to **write** a paper (route to `research-paper`).
- Requests to **review** or **critique** a draft (route to `research-paper`).
- Casual questions ("what is X?") that don't need scholarly sources.
- Pure code / API documentation lookup.

---

## 2. Output contract

Every run produces, at minimum:

1. **Reading list** — N papers with:
   - Title (full)
   - Authors (first 3 + "et al." if more)
   - Year
   - Venue / journal / preprint server
   - DOI / arXiv ID / URL
   - 2–4 sentence **summary** (problem → method → finding → significance)
   - **Relevance score** (1–5) and **quality score** (per `citation_engine` rubric)
   - **Cite key** (lowercase author_year_word) ready for use
2. **Field briefing** (optional, default ON for `--depth deep`) — a
   1-paragraph synthesis of where the field is and what the dominant
   approaches are.
3. **`bibliography.yaml`** — canonical-format file ready to drop into
   the `research-paper` skill.
4. **`Known-gaps.md` block** — every paper that couldn't be verified is
   surfaced with severity and recommended fix.

See `templates/reading-list.md`, `templates/paper-summary.md`,
`templates/briefing.md`.

---