dataset-summary-brief

Dataset Summary Brief

What This Skill Does

Produces a structured summary of what a dataset contains, what it covers, what its limitations are, and what story angles it could plausibly support — written as a briefing document for a journalist or editor.

When To Use This Skill

• You have received a new dataset and need to assess its news potential quickly before committing reporting time
• You need to brief an editor, producer, or commissioning colleague on what a dataset does and doesn't contain
• You are handing off a dataset to another journalist and need to document what you found
• You want to identify data gaps before deciding whether additional FOI requests or data collection are needed

What You Need To Provide

Required: A description of the dataset — source, title or file name, number of rows and columns, time period covered, geographic scope, and a list of column names with brief descriptions of what each contains. Optional: A small representative data sample; any known issues with the data (missing values, format inconsistencies); the context in which the data was obtained (FOI response, published report, leaked document).

How the Assistant Approaches This

1. Reviews the structure description and identifies the key variables, time dimensions, and geographic granularity of the dataset.
2. Assesses the dataset's completeness and potential limitations — missing periods, incomplete geographies, definitional ambiguities, and likely data quality issues.
3. Writes a structured brief covering: what the dataset is and where it came from, what it can and cannot show, and three to five story angles it could support.

Output Format

A one-page briefing document (approximately 400–600 words) structured under four headings: What This Dataset Is, What It Covers, Limitations and Caveats, and Potential Story Angles. Tone: direct and editorial — written for a journalist colleague, not a data scientist. No statistics formulae. Plain language throughout.