Turn Every Page Research

---
name: turn-every-page-research
description: Exhaustive document research methodology that ensures no source is overlooked. Based on Robert Caro's foundational research principle.
license: MIT
metadata:
  author: sethmblack
  version: 1.0.5237
repository: https://github.com/sethmblack/paks-skills
keywords:
- turn-every-page-research
- writing
---

# Turn Every Page Research

Exhaustive document research methodology that ensures no source is overlooked. Based on Robert Caro's foundational research principle.

---

## When to Use

- Research feels shallow or incomplete
- You're uncertain if you've found everything relevant
- Writing about historical events, organizations, or people
- Investigating a topic where official accounts may be incomplete
- Preparing for in-depth biographical or investigative work

**Trigger Phrases:**
- "My research feels shallow"
- "Am I missing something?"
- "How do I research more thoroughly?"
- "What sources should I check?"
- "I need to dig deeper"

---

## Inputs

| Input | Required | Description |
|-------|----------|-------------|
| topic | Yes | The subject being researched |
| sources_checked | No | List of sources already consulted |
| research_goal | No | What you're trying to discover or prove |
| time_available | No | Constraints on research depth |

---

## Core Principle

> "Turn every page. Never assume anything. The next page might have what you're looking for."
> — Robert Caro

The breakthrough is always in the document everyone else skipped. Don't assume relevance before reading. Don't trust summaries—read originals.

---

## Workflow

### Step 1: Identify All Possible Sources

Before reading anything, map the complete universe of sources:

**Primary Sources:**
- [ ] Official records, filings, registrations
- [ ] Internal documents, memos, correspondence
- [ ] Meeting minutes, transcripts, proceedings
- [ ] Financial records, contracts, agreements
- [ ] Personal papers, diaries, letters
- [ ] Photographs, recordings, artifacts

**Secondary Sources:**
- [ ] Published biographies, histories, studies
- [ ] Newspaper archives from the relevant period
- [ ] Magazine and journal articles
- [ ] Documentaries, interviews, oral histories
- [ ] Academic theses and dissertations

**Overlooked Sources:**
- [ ] Footnotes and bibliographies in existing works
- [ ] Assistants, secretaries, and junior staff
- [ ] Contemporaries who were rivals or critics
- [ ] Regional and local archives
- [ ] Collections of related figures

### Step 2: Create Reading Protocol

For each archive or document collection:

1. **Read everything** - Not just relevant-seeming documents
2. **Take notes on every page** - Even if "irrelevant"
3. **Note what's missing** - Gaps reveal hidden stories
4. **Cross-reference** - Documents illuminate each other
5. **Return later** - After more context, reread with fresh eyes

### Step 3: Apply the "Never Assume" Rule

| Instead of... | Do this... |
|---------------|------------|
| Skipping dense legal documents | Read every clause |
| Trusting published summaries | Find original documents |
| Assuming a source is irrelevant | Read it anyway |
| Stopping when you find "enough" | Ask: What else exists? |
| Believing official versions | Look for contradictions |

### Step 4: Document Your Research Path

Track:
- What archives/collections exist
- What you've read vs. what remains
- Promising leads to follow
- Questions that emerged
- Contradictions discovered

### Step 5: Identify Gaps and Pursue

The most important discoveries come from:
- Documents that should exist but don't
- People who were there but never interviewed
- Archives no one else has accessed
- The footnote in another researcher's work

---

## Outputs

| Output | Description |
|--------|-------------|
| Source inventory | Complete list of potential sources |
| Reading log | What has been read, what remains |
| Discovery notes | Key findings, contradictions, leads |
| Gap analysis | What's missing that should exist |
| Research plan | Prioritized next steps |

---



**Format:**
```markdown
## Analysis: [Topic]

### Key Findings
- [Finding 1]
- [Finding 2]
- [Finding 3]

### Recommendations
1. [Action 1]
2. [Action 2]
3. [Action 3]
```


## Additional Notes

**Best practices:**
- Use this skill when the situation clearly matches its intended use cases
- Combine with related skills for comprehensive analysis
- Iterate on outputs if initial results don't fully meet requirements

**Common variations:**
- Adjust the depth of analysis based on available time and information
- Scale the approach for different levels of complexity
- Adapt the output format to audience needs

**When to skip this skill:**
- The situation doesn't match the core use cases
- Simpler approaches would be more appropriate
- Time constraints require faster methods

## Example

**User:** "I'm researching a company's founding story for a history project. I've read the founder's biography and some news articles."

**Turn Every Page response:**

You've barely started. Let me map what's actually available.

**Immediate gaps in your research:**

1. **Corporate filings** - Articles of incorporation, SEC filings, annual reports. These aren't glamorous but they reveal dates, partners, and money that biographies gloss over.

2. **The people who left** - Every company has early employees who departed. They have stories the official history doesn't tell. Who were the first 10 hires? Where are they now?

3. **Local newspaper archives** - Not just the business section. Check obituaries of early associates, society pages, real estate transactions.

4. **The competitors** - What did rivals say about this company at the time? Trade publications, industry newsletters?

5. **Court records** - Any lawsuits, even ones settled? These reveal conflicts the biography won't mention.

6. **The founder's papers** - Are they archived somewhere? Universities, historical societies, company archives?

Your news articles are tertiary sources—reporters summarizing what they were told. The founder's biography is what he wanted remembered.

**The real story is in:**
- What he didn't put in the biography
- What the people who left would tell you
- What the court records show
- What the financial filings reveal

What archive access do you have? What court jurisdiction would have relevant records?

---

## Integration

This skill pairs with:
- **silence-interview-technique** - After documents, interview people
- **power-analysis-lens** - Documents reveal power mechanisms
- **scene-over-summary** - Rich sources enable vivid scenes

---

## Constraints

- This is research methodology, not actual database access
- Cannot access proprietary archives or classified documents
- Time and feasibility constraints are real—acknowledge them
- Not every project justifies Caro-level research (decades)

---

## Source Expert

Robert Caro - `experts/robert-caro/`