Scoping Brief Template

Module 4, Lesson 4.2 · produces Entry 1 of the capstone research-brief log · concept

What this is. The fill-in-the-blanks version of the five-part scoping brief from Lesson 4.2. The document you hand the research agent before it retrieves anything.

How to use. Copy this template into your Module 4 topic folder as scoping-brief.md. Fill it in by hand, not with an agent. Then hand it — not the raw topic question — to the research agent.

Safety norm — copy verbatim to the top of every brief.

You do not cite what you have not opened. Every source the brief will eventually lead to must be opened by you before it appears in a downstream deliverable.

Header

Student
Topic (one sentence, in your own words)
Date drafted · Date last revised

Part 1 — The question

Part 1 · Question

One sentence. Interrogative. Scoped tightly enough that two people handed the brief independently would agree on whether an answer is on-topic.

Question
Self-check
It is one sentence, not a paragraph.
It ends with a question mark.
If a friend asked me “what are you researching?” I would read this sentence aloud and it would make sense.
It is narrow enough that I could imagine a 3–5 page brief answering it — not a book.

Part 2 — Reader and decision

Part 2 · Reader & decision

Who reads the answer, and what will they do with it? If no one reads it and no decision turns on it, it is academic busywork.

Reader (specific person or role)
What will they do with the answer? (one sentence — decision, action, shared understanding)
Self-check
The reader is a specific person or a specific role, not “anyone interested.”
There is a decision or action downstream. (“I am writing this to inform my own choice about X” counts.)

Part 3 — Answer shape

Part 3 · Answer shape

What does a good answer look like on the page? If you cannot describe the shape, the agent cannot hit it.

Format

bulleted comparison two-column table 3-paragraph brief 1-page memo other:

Length target (words or paragraphs — be specific)
Required components
Example of a sentence or bullet that would belong in the final answer (make one up — no retrieval needed, just the shape)
Self-check
If the agent handed me something in this shape I could recognize it immediately.
I could describe this shape to a classmate in 30 seconds.

Part 4 — Out of scope

Part 4 · Out of scope

List at least three things this brief is NOT about. Every out-of-scope bullet saves the agent from a wrong turn.

Not:
Not:
Not:
Not: (optional)
Not: (optional)
Self-check
Each “Not” is specific enough that an agent could tell whether a source falls inside or outside it.
At least one bullet names a topic that is adjacent and easy to drift into.

Part 5 — Constraints

Part 5 · Constraints

Source-type, date, geography, evidence-tier constraints. The agent cannot infer these from the question.

Source types required (check all that apply)
At least ____ primary sources (official publisher pages, original studies, statutes, first-hand accounts)
At least ____ secondary sources (journalism, reviews, expert analysis of primary material)
Tertiary sources allowed for context only, not as load-bearing evidence
Academic / peer-reviewed required
No social media as load-bearing evidence
Other:
Date range

published since ______ any date other:

Geography / jurisdiction
Other constraints (language, publication type, author credentials, paywall tolerance)
Self-check
Each constraint is testable — I could look at a candidate source and decide yes/no.
The constraints are realistic, not aspirational.

Closeout

All five parts are filled in. No blanks, no “TBD.”
I read the brief aloud once and it makes sense as a single document.
I am ready to hand this brief to a research agent as a critic first (Session Type A), not yet as a retriever.

A note on honesty

A three-line brief that is honest about “I don't really know what I'm looking for yet” is more useful than a polished brief that pretends to a precision you don't have. Draft it badly first. Then critique it with an agent. Then revise. Do not rewrite with an agent's help — that dilutes the brief into something that no longer reflects your intent.

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