Research Brief

When to use

Reach for this when research is done and someone has to act on it — pick a vendor, set a strategy, approve a budget, brief an exec. It packages findings into a short, top-down document built around the decision the reader faces, not around what you found.

Not for: doing the research (use rsr-deep-dive); merging raw sources (use rsr-synthesis); mapping a field (use rsr-literature-map). A brief is the last mile — it assumes the analysis exists and formats it for a decision.

Method

1. Name the decision and the reader. What choice is being made, by whom, by when, and what do they already know? Decision: if there's no actual decision, this is a summary, not a brief — say so and adjust.
2. Lead with the answer. Write the recommendation or bottom line first, in one or two sentences. The reader may read nothing else.
3. Give the "so what." 3-5 findings that directly drive the recommendation — each stated as an implication, not a raw fact.
4. Show the options. Decision: if it's a choice, lay out the realistic alternatives with the key trade-off of each; if it's informational, skip to risks.
5. State confidence and risk. How sure are you, what could change the answer, what's the biggest unknown.
6. Close with next steps. Concrete actions, owners if known. Push detailed evidence and citations to an appendix so the front stays scannable.

Example

Decision: "Should we adopt Tool A or B for support automation? — VP Support, by Friday." Bottom line: "Adopt A: it fits our stack and costs 30% less at our volume; B wins only above 10k tickets/mo, which we won't hit this year." Findings: integration effort, cost curve, migration risk. Options table: A vs B vs status quo. Confidence: Medium — pricing confirmed, integration effort estimated. Next: 2-week pilot of A, owner named. Evidence and vendor quotes in appendix.

Pitfalls

• Burying the recommendation under background — the busy reader quits before reaching it.
• Listing facts instead of implications ("costs $X" vs "at our volume, A saves $Y/yr").
• Projecting false certainty; a decision-maker needs the confidence level to weigh the call.
• Writing it generically instead of to the actual reader's knowledge and the actual deadline.

Output format

BRIEF: <topic> — for <stakeholder>, decision by <date>

Bottom line: <1-2 sentences: the recommendation>

Why (so-what findings):
- <implication> 
- ...

Options: <A vs B vs status quo — one trade-off line each>   [omit if informational]

Confidence: <High|Med|Low> — biggest unknown: <..>
Next steps: <action — owner — by when>

Appendix: <evidence, sources, methodology>