claude-scientific-skills/scientific-skills/research-lookup/README.md

Research Lookup Skill

This skill provides real-time research information lookup using Perplexity's Sonar Pro Search model through OpenRouter.

Setup

1. Get OpenRouter API Key:

   • Visit openrouter.ai
   • Create account and generate API key
   • Add credits to your account

2. Configure Environment:

   export OPENROUTER_API_KEY="your_api_key_here"
   

3. Test Setup:

   python scripts/research_lookup.py --model-info
   

Usage

Command Line Usage

# Single research query
python scripts/research_lookup.py "Recent advances in CRISPR gene editing 2024"

# Multiple queries with delay
python scripts/research_lookup.py --batch "CRISPR applications" "gene therapy trials" "ethical considerations"

# Claude Code integration (called automatically)
python lookup.py "your research query here"

Claude Code Integration

The research lookup tool is automatically available in Claude Code when you:

1. Ask research questions: "Research recent advances in quantum computing"
2. Request literature reviews: "Find current studies on climate change impacts"
3. Need citations: "What are the latest papers on transformer attention mechanisms?"
4. Want technical information: "Standard protocols for flow cytometry"

Features

• Academic Focus: Prioritizes peer-reviewed papers and reputable sources
• Current Information: Focuses on recent publications (2020-2024)
• Complete Citations: Provides full bibliographic information with DOIs
• Multiple Formats: Supports various query types and research needs
• High Search Context: Always uses high search context for deeper, more comprehensive research
• Quality Prioritization: Automatically prioritizes highly-cited papers from top venues
• Cost Effective: Typically $0.01-0.05 per research query

Paper Quality Prioritization

This skill always prioritizes high-impact, influential papers over obscure publications. Results are ranked by:

Citation-Based Ranking

Paper Age	Citation Threshold	Classification
0-3 years	20+ citations	Noteworthy
0-3 years	100+ citations	Highly Influential
3-7 years	100+ citations	Significant
3-7 years	500+ citations	Landmark
7+ years	500+ citations	Seminal
7+ years	1000+ citations	Foundational

Venue Quality Tiers

Papers from higher-tier venues are always preferred:

• Tier 1 (Highest Priority): Nature, Science, Cell, NEJM, Lancet, JAMA, PNAS, Nature Medicine, Nature Biotechnology
• Tier 2 (High Priority): High-impact journals (IF>10), top conferences (NeurIPS, ICML, ICLR for ML/AI)
• Tier 3 (Good): Respected specialized journals (IF 5-10)
• Tier 4 (Use Sparingly): Other peer-reviewed venues

Author Reputation

The skill prefers papers from:

• Senior researchers with high h-index
• Established research groups at recognized institutions
• Authors with multiple publications in Tier-1 venues
• Researchers with recognized expertise (awards, editorial positions)

Relevance Priority

1. Papers directly addressing the research question
2. Papers with applicable methods/data
3. Tangentially related papers (only from top venues or highly cited)

Query Examples

Academic Research

• "Recent systematic reviews on AI in medical diagnosis 2024"
• "Meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials for depression treatment"
• "Current state of quantum computing error correction research"

Technical Methods

• "Standard protocols for immunohistochemistry in tissue samples"
• "Best practices for machine learning model validation"
• "Statistical methods for analyzing longitudinal data"

Statistical Data

• "Global renewable energy adoption statistics 2024"
• "Prevalence of diabetes in different populations"
• "Market size for autonomous vehicles industry"

Response Format

Each research result includes:

• Summary: Brief overview of key findings
• Key Studies: 3-5 most relevant recent papers
• Citations: Complete bibliographic information
• Usage Stats: Token usage for cost tracking
• Timestamp: When the research was performed

Integration with Scientific Writing

This skill enhances the scientific writing process by providing:

1. Literature Reviews: Current research for introduction sections
2. Methods Validation: Verify protocols against current standards
3. Results Context: Compare findings with recent similar studies
4. Discussion Support: Latest evidence for arguments
5. Citation Management: Properly formatted references

Troubleshooting

"API key not found"

• Ensure OPENROUTER_API_KEY environment variable is set
• Check that you have credits in your OpenRouter account

"Model not available"

• Verify your API key has access to Perplexity models
• Check OpenRouter status page for service issues

"Rate limit exceeded"

• Add delays between requests using --delay option
• Check your OpenRouter account limits

"No relevant results"

• Try more specific or broader queries
• Include time frames (e.g., "2023-2024")
• Use academic keywords and technical terms

Cost Management

• Monitor usage through OpenRouter dashboard
• Typical costs: $0.01-0.05 per research query
• Batch processing available for multiple queries
• Consider query specificity to optimize token usage

This skill is designed for academic and research purposes, providing high-quality, cited information to support scientific writing and research activities.