Research Workflow Design

Research workflows are among the most valuable applications of prompt chaining. They gather, analyze, and synthesize information from multiple sources into coherent insights.

The Research Chain Architecture

Query → Decompose → Search → [Multiple Sources] → Extract → Verify → Synthesize → Report

Core Components

Query Decomposition

Break complex research questions into searchable sub-queries:

Multi-Source Search

Search different sources in parallel:

async function multiSourceSearch(subQueries) {
  const searchPromises = subQueries.map(async (sq) => {
    const sources = {
      academic: () => searchAcademicPapers(sq.query),
      news: () => searchNews(sq.query),
      government: () => searchGovSites(sq.query),
      industry: () => searchIndustryReports(sq.query)
    };

    return {
      query: sq.query,
      results: await sources[sq.source_type]()
    };
  });

  return Promise.all(searchPromises);
}

Information Extraction

Extract structured data from search results:

Building the Research Pipeline

Stage 1: Planning

const researchPlan = {
  query: originalQuery,
  scope: {
    timeRange: 'last 5 years',
    geographicFocus: 'California, USA',
    sourceTypes: ['academic', 'government', 'industry']
  },
  subQueries: decomposedQueries,
  expectedOutputs: [
    'Environmental impact statistics',
    'Economic analysis',
    'Comparative data'
  ]
};

Stage 2: Collection

async function collectResearch(plan) {
  const collected = {
    sources: [],
    statistics: [],
    claims: [],
    gaps: []
  };

  for (const subQuery of plan.subQueries) {
    const results = await searchAndExtract(subQuery);

    collected.sources.push(...results.sources);
    collected.statistics.push(...results.statistics);
    collected.claims.push(...results.claims);

    // Identify gaps
    if (results.coverage < 0.7) {
      collected.gaps.push({
        query: subQuery.query,
        missing: results.missingAspects
      });
    }
  }

  return collected;
}

Stage 3: Verification

Stage 4: Synthesis

async function synthesizeFindings(verifiedFindings, originalQuery) {
  const synthesisPrompt = `
Based on these verified findings, synthesize a comprehensive answer
to the original research question.

ORIGINAL QUESTION: ${originalQuery}

VERIFIED FINDINGS:
${formatFindings(verifiedFindings)}

SYNTHESIS REQUIREMENTS:
1. Address all aspects of the original question
2. Cite sources for key claims
3. Acknowledge areas of uncertainty
4. Note any important limitations
5. Provide balanced perspective

Generate a structured synthesis:
`;

  return await llm.chat({ content: synthesisPrompt });
}

Quality Controls

Source Evaluation

function evaluateSource(source) {
  const scores = {
    recency: calculateRecencyScore(source.date),
    authority: evaluateAuthority(source.type, source.publisher),
    methodology: assessMethodology(source.content),
    bias: detectBias(source.content, source.publisher)
  };

  return {
    ...scores,
    overall: weightedAverage(scores, {
      recency: 0.2,
      authority: 0.35,
      methodology: 0.3,
      bias: 0.15
    })
  };
}

Claim Tracking

const claimTracker = {
  claims: [],

  addClaim(claim, sources) {
    this.claims.push({
      claim,
      sources,
      supportCount: sources.length,
      highQualitySources: sources.filter(s => s.credibility === 'high').length,
      conflictingEvidence: false
    });
  },

  markConflict(claimIndex, conflictingClaim) {
    this.claims[claimIndex].conflictingEvidence = true;
    this.claims[claimIndex].conflicts = this.claims[claimIndex].conflicts || [];
    this.claims[claimIndex].conflicts.push(conflictingClaim);
  }
};

Exercise: Design a Research Workflow

Design a complete research workflow:

Key Takeaways

• Decompose complex queries into searchable sub-queries
• Search multiple source types in parallel
• Extract structured data from each source
• Verify findings for consistency and credibility
• Track claims and their supporting sources
• Synthesize findings while acknowledging limitations
• Include proper citations throughout
• Identify and address research gaps

Next, we'll explore how to synthesize information from multiple sources.