eli5

Explains research papers and technical ideas in plain English with analogies.

Updated Sep 11, 2026
One-click install
npx skills add https://github.com/cameronbracken/waterology-research --skill eli5-cameronbracken
Or copy as Structured Prompt for Agent▼
Please help me install this Agent Skill.
Skill: eli5
Source: https://github.com/cameronbracken/waterology-research/tree/main/skills/eli5
Command: npx skills add https://github.com/cameronbracken/waterology-research --skill eli5-cameronbracken

SYSTEM DOCUMENTATION & REQUIREMENTS

What problem does it solve? Dense research papers and technical concepts are hard to communicate to non-specialists, students, or collaborators outside your field. This Skill turns jargon-heavy material into clear, accurate plain-English explanations without distorting what the work actually shows. ## Core Features & Use Cases - Paper-grounded explanations: Reads a named paper, arXiv ID, DOI, or URL with the runtime's source reader before explaining, so the summary reflects the actual content. - Structured output format: Organizes every explanation into One-Sentence Summary, Big Idea, How It Works, Why It Matters, What To Be Skeptical Of, and If You Remember 3 Things. - Topic anchoring: When only a topic is given, grounds the explanation on the 1-3 clearest representative papers. - Use Case: A graduate student pastes an arXiv link to a machine learning paper outside their subfield and asks "ELI5 this" to get a jargon-free explanation with one strong analogy and clearly separated facts versus speculation. ## Quick Start Ask the assistant to ELI5 a specific paper by pasting its arXiv ID, DOI, or URL and requesting a plain-English explanation.

Frequently Asked Questions about eli5

High-intent search queries and answers about installing and using this skill.

FAQPage Schema
How do I get a simple explanation of a research paper?▼

Provide the paper's arXiv ID, DOI, or URL and ask for an ELI5 explanation. The skill reads the source first, then returns a structured plain-English breakdown covering the big idea, how it works, and why it matters.

How to explain a technical topic without a specific paper?▼

Give just the topic name and the skill anchors the explanation on the 1-3 clearest representative papers in that area. This keeps the explanation grounded in real research rather than generic summaries.

Does the explanation separate facts from speculation?▼

Yes, the guidelines explicitly keep what the paper actually shows separate from interpretation or speculation. A dedicated What To Be Skeptical Of section highlights limitations and uncertain claims.

What structure does an ELI5 explanation follow?▼

Every explanation uses six sections: One-Sentence Summary, Big Idea, How It Works, Why It Matters, What To Be Skeptical Of, and If You Remember 3 Things. Sentences stay short with jargon defined or removed.

Can I save the explanation as a file?▼

Explanations are kept inline in the conversation by default. If you ask to save the result as an artifact, the skill will write it out as a file instead.