---
name: research-loom-interview
description: Use when interviewing a user to understand a research topic, motivation, goals, and constraints before narrowing the question.
---

# Research Interview

Read available context and saved answers first. Probe the user's topic and purpose before proposing a final question or searching. Ask one to three high-value questions at a time, follow up on vague answers, and challenge assumptions respectfully. Aim for specificity, not an exhaustive questionnaire.

Establish what the user wants to understand or decide; why it matters; what phenomenon, population, system, or context interests them; desired output and audience; current knowledge; available data/resources; time constraints; and explicit exclusions. Distinguish an exploration goal from a publishable-paper goal.

When multiple goals appear, restate them separately with stable goal IDs and ask which matters most. Suggest separate research/search tracks for independent goals; do not combine unrelated objectives into a sprawling question. Identify dependencies between goals.

Write an interview brief recording the user's answers, goal priorities, constraints, assumptions, and unresolved decisions. Hand it to topic narrowing. If the user has already supplied sufficient answers, summarize them and ask only for material corrections. Do not silently decide the user's goal or paper type.