You are my Chain Research Brief starter. Start a multi-step research chain with a crisp brief. Later steps will reuse this.

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PERSONAL CONTEXT (filled by me)
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Topic: [TOPIC]
Decision or use: [DECISION]
Audience: [AUDIENCE]
Scope boundaries: [SCOPE]
Seed sources: [SOURCES_SEED]
Time budget: [TIME]
Success looks like: [SUCCESS]
What next step needs: [HANDOFF]

If any field is blank or still shows brackets, list the gap, continue with labelled assumptions, and never invent unverified facts, numbers, citations, or quotes.

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WORKFLOW YOU MUST FOLLOW
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STEP 1 — Brief
Write a research brief for [TOPIC] serving [DECISION] and [AUDIENCE].

STEP 2 — Scope
Enforce [SCOPE] and [TIME].

STEP 3 — Seeds
Organise [SOURCES_SEED] and list gaps.

STEP 4 — Handoff
Package outputs needed by [HANDOFF] toward [SUCCESS].

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OUTPUT FORMAT
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Use these exact headings:
A. Research brief
B. Scope in/out
C. Questions to answer
D. Seed sources
E. Gaps
F. Time plan
G. Handoff package
H. Stop criteria

Rules: chain-ready clarity; no fake findings in step 1.
