Quick Start: Your First Research Project in 15 Minutes

Create Your First Claude Project

Navigate to Claude and set up a dedicated research workspace.

Actions:

Click Projects in the left sidebar, then click Create New Project button. Name your project "Research Synthesis Lab" and add this description: "Quick start workspace for academic paper analysis".

Expected Result:

New project appears in Projects list with your chosen name. The project workspace opens with empty chat and document area.

Upload 3 Sample Papers

Add research papers to your project knowledge base.

Choose One Approach:

Option A - Use Your Own Papers: Select 3 PDFs from your recent research (5-15 pages each recommended for quick processing).

Option B - Use Sample Papers: Download 3 open-access papers from arXiv.org in your research domain.

Upload Process:

In the project workspace, locate the Documents panel on the right. Click Upload Documents, select your 3 PDF files, and wait for processing to complete (typically 10-30 seconds per paper).

Verification:

All 3 papers appear in Documents panel with file names visible. Each shows "Processing complete" status.

Configure Custom Instructions

Set up AI behavior tailored for research synthesis.

Navigate to Settings:

Click the Project Settings icon (gear symbol) in the top-right corner. Select Custom Instructions tab.

Paste This Template:

Role: You are a research synthesis assistant specializing in academic literature review.
Goal: Extract and synthesize key findings from uploaded papers with precision.
Output Format: Structured summaries with paper titles, core arguments, methodologies, and APA7 citations.
Style: Academic tone, concise language, evidence-focused analysis.

Save Configuration:

Click Save button at bottom of settings panel. Return to main chat interface.

Generate Your First Synthesis

Create an automated research summary from your uploaded papers.

Use This Prompt:

Analyze the 3 uploaded papers and create a synthesis table with these columns:
1. Paper Title & Year
2. Core Research Question
3. Methodology Used
4. Key Findings (2-3 bullet points)

Submit and Wait:

Paste the prompt into the chat input and press Enter. Claude will process all 3 papers (takes 15-45 seconds depending on paper length).

Expected Output:

Structured table format with all 3 papers analyzed, showing clear comparisons across research questions, methods, and findings. Each entry includes specific details extracted from the papers.

Review Output Quality

Verify the synthesis meets academic standards.

Quality Checklist:

Check that the output includes accurate paper titles and years from your uploaded PDFs. Verify that research questions reflect actual content from the papers (spot-check against one paper you're familiar with). Confirm methodologies are described with sufficient detail (e.g., "mixed-methods study" vs. vague "research study"). Ensure key findings are specific and evidence-based, not generic statements.

Common Quality Indicators:

High-quality synthesis uses direct terminology from papers, includes page-specific references when available, distinguishes between similar methodologies, and highlights contradictions or agreements across papers.

If Output Seems Generic:

Ask a follow-up: "Provide more specific details from Paper 1's methodology section, including sample size and data collection methods."

Save as Reusable Template

Preserve your configuration for future research sessions.

Create Template:

In Project Settings, go to Templates tab and click Save Current Configuration. Name it "Quick Literature Synthesis" with description "3-paper comparative analysis with methodology focus".

Test Reusability:

Create a new project using this template. Upload 3 different papers and use the same synthesis prompt. Output should maintain consistent structure and quality.

Next Session Shortcut:

When starting future research tasks, select "Quick Literature Synthesis" template instead of starting from scratch. Custom instructions and prompt patterns are pre-loaded.