# Skill: Web Research

## Search Query Construction

- Use specific, targeted queries — not generic phrases
- Include the domain or technology in the query (e.g. "Node.js SQLite WAL mode performance")
- For factual lookups, add "official docs" or "site:github.com" to narrow to authoritative sources
- For current events, add the year to avoid stale results

## Source Quality Tiers

| Tier | Examples | Trust Level |
|------|----------|-------------|
| Primary | Official docs, GitHub repos, RFCs, research papers | High |
| Secondary | Well-known tech publications (MDN, Stack Overflow, CSS-Tricks) | Medium |
| Tertiary | Blogs, Medium posts, forum answers | Low — verify independently |

## Fetching Pages

- Prefer fetching pages from primary/secondary sources only
- If a page is behind a paywall or returns an error, note the URL as "inaccessible" and move on
- When a fetched page is very long, focus on headings and the first paragraph of each section

## Avoiding Common Errors

- Do not treat AI-generated summaries (from search snippets) as verified facts
- Do not cite a URL you have not fetched — snippets can be misleading
- If two sources contradict each other, flag the discrepancy in your report rather than choosing one silently