# Research Brief Template

Go from "I know nothing about this" to a short, decision-ready brief with the weak spots clearly marked. The flow is Orient, Frame, Compare, Verify.

## 1. Orient

- Topic: [TOPIC]
- Why I need to understand it: [PURPOSE]
- Plain-language overview (under 150 words): [FILL AFTER ORIENT PROMPT]
- Common misunderstandings: [1], [2], [3]
- Terms I need: [TERM 1] ... [TERM 5]

## 2. Frame (write this BEFORE comparing)

- The decision: [DECISION IN ONE SENTENCE]
- Options: [OPTION A], [OPTION B], [OPTION C]
- Criteria, ranked by importance: 1. [CRITERION] 2. [CRITERION] 3. [CRITERION]

## 3. Compare

| Option | [CRITERION 1] | [CRITERION 2] | [CRITERION 3] |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [A] | [assessment, confidence] | [assessment, confidence] | [assessment, confidence] |
| [B] | [assessment, confidence] | [assessment, confidence] | [assessment, confidence] |

## 4. Verify

| Claim to check | Source I will use | Status |
| --- | --- | --- |
| [CLAIM] | [OFFICIAL PAGE / PERSON] | confirmed / corrected / couldn't confirm |
| [CLAIM] | [SOURCE] | [STATUS] |

## Ready-to-paste prompts

**Orient:**

```
I'm new to [TOPIC] and need to understand it well enough to [PURPOSE]. Give me
a plain-language overview in under 150 words, the 3 most common
misunderstandings, the 5 terms I need, and questions a knowledgeable person
would ask first. Mark anything you're unsure about with "(verify)".
```

**Compare (criteria first, no winner):**

```
I'm deciding: [DECISION]. Options: [A], [B], [C]. Criteria in order of
importance: [1], [2], [3]. Make a table, one row per option, one column per
criterion, with a short assessment and a confidence of high, medium, or low.
Where information may be out of date or you don't know, say so. Do not
recommend a winner.
```

## How to use this in 10 minutes

1. (2 min) Fill in the Frame section in your own words before you look at any options.
2. (3 min) Run the Compare prompt and read the low-confidence cells first.
3. (5 min) Circle the one claim that would change your answer if wrong, and check it at the original source: the official pricing page, documentation, or a person who knows.

Prices, dates, statistics, and quotes get checked at the source. If the AI names a study or a person, find it yourself. If the topic touches money, health, or legal matters, this is general education, not professional advice. The decision stays yours.

From Breazely — free, plain-spoken AI training. breazely.com