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DOCUMENT-BASED RESEARCH · Workflow idea

Find promising questions in a document collection, then test them with evidence.

Review permitted PDFs for themes that appear weakly connected and prepare possible research questions for a person to refine. Treat patterns as prompts for inquiry rather than proof of a gap, cite source documents, protect confidential material, and verify any follow-up claim with a researcher.

Make it yours See how it works ↓
A Roman aqueduct taking shape from architectural sketch to marble.
A little structure. A clearer outcome.
Starts with
A researcher selects documents for a question-finding exercise
Produces
A set of draft research questions with collection context for researcher review.
Category
Research & strategy

01 / The starting point

A clear request.
A useful direction.

PDFs the researcher is authorized to analyze

“Surface possible questions from a bounded collection without overstating what the documents establish.”
An example request · Make it specific to your team.

02 / The work

5 tasks.
One useful outcome.

Helps researchers explore themes and possible blind spots across a selected set of PDF documents.

  1. Confirm document rights and research scope

    Check that each PDF may be processed for this defined purpose.

  2. Prepare an approved document set

    Use relevant, current sources and note gaps in the collection.

  3. Explore themes and weak connections

    Identify candidate topics that may merit further investigation.

  4. Draft source-aware research questions

    Keep the questions exploratory and avoid claiming that a gap is proven.

  5. Refine with a researcher

    Check document passages, collection limitations, and research value before sharing.

03 / The result

Something useful.
Something to build on.

A set of draft research questions with collection context for researcher review.

AmbactiWorkflow folio · 5 steps

Find research questions in PDF collections

Research & strategy · Example outcome

The handoff

A set of draft research questions with collection context for researcher review.

Keep in mind

A collection may be incomplete, biased, outdated, or restricted. Confirm rights and permissions before analysis, avoid including sensitive material in external services, and treat generated questions as hypotheses. A qualified researcher should check the underlying passages and evidence before drawing conclusions.

04 / Make it yours

Set the brief.
Set the standard.

A few choices shape the work around your team.

Choose documents the team may analyze

Respect copyright, confidentiality, and document access boundaries.

Limit sensitive content and retention

Remove unnecessary personal or confidential information and set an expiry.

Keep source references with questions

Make the analyzed collection and relevant evidence easy to revisit.

Set researcher review expectations

Require human validation before a question informs a publication or decision.

Put your next idea to work.

Start with your brief. Make the process your own.

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