For Research Analysts ·
What you'll accomplish
By the end of this guide, you'll have a reliable workflow for using Claude to draft the narrative sections of your research reports — executive summary, section introductions, and implications text — in a fraction of the time it takes to write from scratch. Instead of staring at a blank slide, you'll have a strong first draft to edit.
What you'll need
What you should see: A chat interface with a message input box at the bottom.
Before pasting any findings, give Claude the full picture of the project. This context shapes everything it writes.
I'm a research analyst writing a report on [study topic] for a [client type] client. The client's main business question was: "[what they wanted to learn]." Their audience is [describe who will read this — e.g., the marketing leadership team at a Fortune 500 CPG company]. They need to make a decision about [what decision]. I'll be sharing my key findings next. Please help me draft the narrative sections of the report.
What you should see: Claude confirming it understands the context and asking what you'd like to write.
What you should see: A 300-word executive summary with a clear opening finding, supporting context, and implications section. Troubleshooting: If it feels too generic, add more specificity: "The client is deciding whether to reposition their product to target millennials. Make the implications speak to that decision."
For each major section of your report:
What you should see: A transitional introduction that frames what the data in the section will show.
The implications slide is often the hardest to write. Use this approach:
What you should see: 4–5 numbered implications, each clearly tied to a finding and framed as an actionable recommendation.
Claude maintains context across the conversation, so you can iterate:
Executive summary:
Draft a 300-word executive summary for a [audience] based on these findings: [findings]. Lead with the most important finding. Include 3 strategic implications. Plain business language — no research jargon.
Section introduction:
Write a 100-word introduction for the [section name] section. These are the findings in this section: [findings]. Frame what the data will show and why it matters.
Implications:
Write 4 strategic implications based on these findings. Each: action verb + recommendation + link to finding. Audience: [role]. Keep each to 2 sentences.
Tone adjustment:
Rewrite the above with a more assertive tone — take a clear point of view rather than just reporting findings. The client is paying for our perspective, not just the data.