# Modes for the RESEARCH Stage in the ARS Pipeline: The 7 Deep-Research Modes Explained > Explore the 7 deep-research modes in the ARS pipeline: full, quick, review, lit-review, fact-check, socratic, and systematic-review. Tailor your research output effectively. - Repository: [Edward Cheng-I Wu/academic-research-skills](https://github.com/Imbad0202/academic-research-skills) - Tags: deep-dive - Published: 2026-05-13 --- **The RESEARCH stage in the Academic Research Skills (ARS) pipeline supports seven distinct modes—`full`, `quick`, `review`, `lit-review`, `fact-check`, `socratic`, and `systematic-review`—each designed for specific output formats ranging from 500-word briefs to 15,000-word PRISMA-compliant systematic reviews.** The Academic Research Skills (ARS) pipeline, maintained in the `Imbad0202/academic-research-skills` repository, structures complex research tasks into discrete stages. The **RESEARCH** stage is powered by the **deep-research** skill, which defines its operational behavior through a configurable mode system documented in [`MODE_REGISTRY.md`](https://github.com/Imbad0202/academic-research-skills/blob/main/MODE_REGISTRY.md). ## Overview of the RESEARCH Stage Architecture According to the source code in [`MODE_REGISTRY.md`](https://github.com/Imbad0202/academic-research-skills/blob/main/MODE_REGISTRY.md), the RESEARCH stage delegates execution to the **deep-research** skill bundle, which contains specialized agents such as `research_question_agent` and `synthesis_agent`. When you invoke the pipeline with `--stage research`, the `--mode` parameter determines which agent configuration activates, controlling the **fidelity spectrum**, **oversight level**, and **output format**. Detailed specifications for individual modes reside in [`commands/ars-full.md`](https://github.com/Imbad0202/academic-research-skills/blob/main/commands/ars-full.md) and [`commands/ars-lit-review.md`](https://github.com/Imbad0202/academic-research-skills/blob/main/commands/ars-lit-review.md), while [`deep-research/SKILL.md`](https://github.com/Imbad0202/academic-research-skills/blob/main/deep-research/SKILL.md) defines agent behaviors. The test suite in `tests/fixtures/` validates each mode's output against these specifications. ## The Seven RESEARCH Stage Modes The deep-research skill registers seven distinct modes in the ARS pipeline. Each mode targets a specific research use case, output length, and level of human oversight. ### full **Spectrum:** Balanced **Typical Output:** APA 7.0 research report, 3,000–8,000 words **Oversight:** High **Trigger Phrases:** "research [topic]", "deep research", "academic analysis" The **full** mode generates comprehensive academic papers with proper citation formatting. It operates with high oversight, prompting for user confirmation at key decision points during the research and synthesis phases. ### quick **Spectrum:** Fidelity **Typical Output:** Research brief, 500–1,500 words **Oversight:** Medium **Trigger Phrases:** "quick brief", "30 minute summary", "quick research" Use **quick** mode for rapid intelligence gathering. This mode prioritizes speed and operates more autonomously than `full`, delivering condensed findings without extensive intermediate review steps. ### review **Spectrum:** Balanced **Typical Output:** Peer reviewer-style report on provided text **Oversight:** High **Trigger Phrases:** "review this paper", "evaluate this paper", "assess this source" The **review** mode transforms the pipeline into a critical assessment tool. It analyzes existing manuscripts or sources and produces structured reviewer reports, maintaining high oversight to ensure analytical rigor. ### lit-review **Spectrum:** Fidelity **Typical Output:** Annotated bibliography plus synthesis narrative **Oversight:** Medium **Trigger Phrases:** "literature review", "annotated bibliography" **lit-review** mode specializes in survey research. It aggregates sources into annotated bibliographies followed by integrative synthesis, operating with medium oversight to balance thoroughness with efficiency. ### fact-check **Spectrum:** Fidelity **Typical Output:** Claim-by-claim verification report **Oversight:** Medium **Trigger Phrases:** "verify claims", "fact-check", "evidence verification" The **fact-check** mode performs granular verification of factual assertions. It examines individual claims against evidence sources, producing detailed verification reports with medium autonomy. ### socratic **Spectrum:** Originality **Typical Output:** Research-plan summary plus INSIGHT collection **Oversight:** Very High **Trigger Phrases:** "guide my research", "help me think through", "I'm not sure what to research" **socratic** mode functions as an interactive research consultant. With very high oversight, it engages in dialogue to help shape research questions and methodologies, collecting insights rather than producing final documents. ### systematic-review **Spectrum:** Fidelity **Typical Output:** PRISMA 2020 compliant report, 5,000–15,000 words **Oversight:** Medium **Trigger Phrases:** "systematic review", "meta-analysis", "PRISMA" The **systematic-review** mode implements PRISMA 2020 guidelines for evidence synthesis. It generates comprehensive systematic reviews suitable for academic publication, operating with medium oversight to manage the complexity of protocol-driven research. ## Invoking RESEARCH Stage Modes You select modes via the ARS CLI using the `--stage research --mode ` syntax. As implemented in the `main` branch, the following commands demonstrate each mode: ```bash # Full research: Balanced depth with extensive APA formatting ars pipeline --stage research --mode full # Quick research: Concise 500-1,500 word brief ars pipeline --stage research --mode quick # Review mode: Peer-review assessment of provided text ars pipeline --stage research --mode review # Literature review: Annotated bibliography with synthesis ars pipeline --stage research --mode lit-review # Fact-check mode: Granular claim verification ars pipeline --stage research --mode fact-check # Socratic mode: Interactive research planning ars pipeline --stage research --mode socratic # Systematic review: PRISMA-compliant comprehensive analysis ars pipeline --stage research --mode systematic-review ``` ## Mode Configuration and Pipeline Behavior The mode selection directly influences which agents from the deep-research skill bundle activate. Higher-oversight modes (`full`, `review`, `socratic`) trigger interactive checkpoints where the pipeline pauses for user confirmation before proceeding to synthesis or conclusion phases. Lower-oversight modes (`quick`, `lit-review`, `fact-check`, `systematic-review`) run autonomously, generating finished artifacts with minimal human intervention. ## Summary - The RESEARCH stage in the ARS pipeline offers **seven specialized modes**: `full`, `quick`, `review`, `lit-review`, `fact-check`, `socratic`, and `systematic-review`. - Mode definitions reside in [`MODE_REGISTRY.md`](https://github.com/Imbad0202/academic-research-skills/blob/main/MODE_REGISTRY.md), which serves as the single source of truth for the deep-research skill configuration. - **Oversight levels** range from Medium (autonomous execution) to Very High (interactive dialogue), depending on the mode's fidelity and originality requirements. - CLI invocation follows the pattern: `ars pipeline --stage research --mode `. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is the difference between high and medium oversight in RESEARCH modes? High oversight modes (`full`, `review`, `socratic`) pause execution at critical decision points to request user confirmation before proceeding with synthesis or analysis steps. Medium oversight modes (`quick`, `lit-review`, `fact-check`, `systematic-review`) execute autonomously once triggered, delivering completed artifacts without intermediate user interaction. ### How does the socratic mode differ from other RESEARCH modes? Unlike output-oriented modes that produce final documents, **socratic** mode operates as an interactive research consultant. It generates research-plan summaries and collects INSIGHT objects through dialogue, utilizing very high oversight to guide users who have not yet defined specific research questions. ### Where are the RESEARCH stage modes defined in the codebase? The authoritative definitions for all seven modes are located in [`MODE_REGISTRY.md`](https://github.com/Imbad0202/academic-research-skills/blob/main/MODE_REGISTRY.md) at the repository root. Detailed agent specifications for the deep-research skill that implements these modes are documented in [`deep-research/SKILL.md`](https://github.com/Imbad0202/academic-research-skills/blob/main/deep-research/SKILL.md), with command-specific documentation available in [`commands/ars-full.md`](https://github.com/Imbad0202/academic-research-skills/blob/main/commands/ars-full.md) and [`commands/ars-lit-review.md`](https://github.com/Imbad0202/academic-research-skills/blob/main/commands/ars-lit-review.md). ### Can I switch modes mid-pipeline during a RESEARCH stage execution? The ARS pipeline architecture binds the mode parameter at invocation via `--mode`. To switch operational characteristics mid-process, you must terminate the current execution and re-invoke the pipeline with the desired mode flag, as the mode selection determines which agent configurations load at initialization.