Project: Autonomous Research Agent
A research agent is useful only if it produces traceable evidence, not just confident paragraphs.
The workflow
text
question -> plan -> search -> read -> extract claims -> verify -> synthesize -> cite
Each step should leave a trace.
Agent roles
| Role | Job |
|---|---|
| planner | break the research question into subquestions |
| searcher | find candidate sources |
| reader | extract relevant evidence |
| verifier | check whether claims are supported |
| writer | produce final synthesis |
You can implement these as separate agents or as one agent with explicit phases.
Source quality rules
Prefer:
- primary sources
- official docs
- peer-reviewed papers
- reputable technical blogs
- dated sources
Be careful with:
- SEO summaries
- unsourced claims
- old docs
- benchmark marketing
- copied content
Output contract
A good research report includes:
- short answer
- key findings
- evidence table
- citations
- open questions
- confidence level
- source dates
Failure modes
- source says one thing, final answer says another
- no citations
- old source treated as current
- search snippets used without opening source
- agent keeps searching forever
- weak source becomes central claim
Knowledge check
Q1: What makes a research agent trustworthy?
Traceable sources, verified claims, and clear uncertainty.
Q2: Why should search snippets not be enough?
Snippets can be incomplete, outdated, or misleading without source context.