---
name: step-4-research-edit-add-timestamps-and-outline
description: "Build a clear plan from your source. Add time marks and checked facts before you write."
category: Content Factory — Process
stage: Process
definitive_article: https://localservicespotlight.com/article-guidelines/
status: complete
---

# Step 4: Research, edit, add timestamps and outline

A clear plan saves you from writing the same point twice. This guide turns your video notes into sections a reader can follow. Start with the source, the reader’s question, and the goal.

**The path:** Checked source → Topic and source map → Time-marked outline → Writing plan.

**Use this when:** The source and GCT brief are ready, and the writer needs a grounded article outline.

## Inputs
- The verified transcript, original source ID/duration, speaker notes and [Goals, Content, and Targeting](https://blitzmetrics.com/gct-business-strategy/) brief.
- The current site inventory and access to read existing owned guides.
- Current primary sources for changing facts, and a working document separate from the verbatim transcript.
- The article role, intended canonical page, editor and expected deliverable.

## First-run prompt

> Build an outline from the supplied GCT, full source and owned site inventory. Keep the verbatim transcript intact. Map each section to real source times, separate current primary research from speaker claims, and identify the correct topic home. List specific evidence gaps before writing unsupported sections.

## Steps
1. Search the owned site and inventory for the same reader need. Identify whether to update an existing canonical page or write a distinct supporting piece. Record its place in the [SEO Tree](https://blitzmetrics.com/seo-tree/) before creating a rival guide.
2. Review relevant search results to see common questions, but verify technical or factual additions against primary sources. A high ranking answer is not automatically true or a source to copy.
3. Make an editorial copy of the transcript. Remove repetition and unrelated tangents there while preserving the verbatim source. Keep useful scenes and the speaker’s voice; do not cut a limitation that changes a claim.
4. Mark each topic shift against the original media clock. Use source ID plus start/end time, not guessed times derived from word counts. If the edited video has a new clock, label it separately and keep a source-to-cut map.
5. List the proposed H2 sections and any needed H3 subsections in reader order. Attach a source interval to each source-derived point. Reorder for clarity without implying events happened in a different sequence.
6. Place research notes under the relevant heading with URL, checked date and the precise claim supported. Label them as research rather than attributing them to the speaker.
7. Check each section against the goal and reader. For a task recipe, include its starting state, inputs/access, method, measured output, acceptance and handoff. For a story, keep its actual scene and lesson rather than manufacturing task steps.
8. Add planned visual, owned term explanations and useful next links. State any missing proof beside the section it blocks. Save the outline version and give the writer the source map, not only a list of headings.

## Definition of done (QA checklist)

- [ ] The primary topic owner and article role are recorded.
- [ ] Every source-derived outline section maps to a real source interval.
- [ ] Research and speaker claims are clearly separate and checked.
- [ ] The original transcript remains intact; missing evidence and visual needs are specific.

## Example(s)

**Fictional teaching example — times are invented to teach the format.** The sample quote video yields this outline:

| Section | Source clock | Writing note |
|---|---|---|
| Show the whole bike | 00:40–01:28 | Explain what the full photo reveals. |
| Show the issue up close | 01:29–02:20 | Keep the speaker’s warning about blurry photos. |
| Say when it happens | 03:10–04:05 | Include the difference between a noise at rest and while riding. |
| Know what still needs a visit | 04:06–05:20 | Preserve the inspection limit. |

A proposed section “Prices for every repair” is dropped because neither the source nor checked research provides that information. If a clip later starts at 00:00 in a new cut, the outline still retains the original source clock above.

## Handoff and Content Factory context

The assigned writer uses the outline and evidence map for [Step 5: write from the transcript](https://local-service-spotlight.github.io/task-library/?task=step-5-write-article-from-transcript#task-step-5-write-article-from-transcript). Clip editors may reuse original timestamps after checking their chosen source version.

Produce supplies the real source. **Process**, this stage of the [Content Factory](https://blitzmetrics.com/content-factory/), turns it into useful finished assets. Post saves or publishes them on the agreed channels. Promote tests and distributes suitable work within its own scope. The handoff above names this task’s actual next step; catalog neighbors alone are not prerequisites.

## When this runs

One outline per article version. Update only the affected sections when the source or scope changes.

## First-run setup and continuity

Open the supplied task file and its linked source. Verify the project’s real inputs, account, access and output folder before work. This Markdown file is a guide; it does not install an app, connect an account, supply a subscription or create a schedule. Carry out work already authorized; do not ask for the same approval again. Keep any unsupplied destination or new action outside that scope clearly pending.

Save source IDs, versions, decisions, checked outputs and next owner in the project tracker. Before a retry, check the saved state and other workers’ changes. A model name does not guarantee memory or a running timer. Repeated work needs an actual configured trigger and durable state; one-off work can be started by the prompt above.

Keep agent media muted with volume zero before playback. If mute cannot be verified, use captions, metadata or still frames. State the limit: silent visual checks do not prove spoken-word accuracy or audio quality. Do not start sound through the user’s speakers unless explicitly asked.

## Write up the real run

For every actual attempt, [write its meta article](https://blitzmetrics.com/meta-article-prompt/) with this recipe and revision, trigger, steps performed, output evidence, measured result, gaps and next owner. Failed, blocked and partial attempts also get a written record. A draft can satisfy writing; publishing it follows the existing job scope.

Keep one stable execution ID across retries and edits. A separately scoped child task may have its own ID linked to its parent. Writing the parent’s meta record is part of that run, not an endless new chain. The [recipe and meta-article guide](https://localservicespotlight.com/meta-articles/) explains this distinction. Teaching examples are not real executions and must not enter the run count.


<!-- factory-layer:start -->

## Factory chain (do not treat this as isolated)

- **Phase:** Process
- **Importance:** 4/5 `●●●●○` — frequency 4, revenue 3, gating 2 (runs every factory cycle or weekly)
- **Suggested previous station:** `step-3-watch-video-and-identify-gct`
- **Suggested next station:** `extract-15-60-second-clips-from-long-form-video`
These stations are generated neighbors, not verified prerequisites or handoffs. Follow the task’s actual Inputs and Handoff sections.
- **Handoff:** Process-stage artifact examples include `transcript.md`, `gct.md`, `article.html` (or a staged draft), `clips/`, or `04-Promote-Creatives/`. These are examples, not requirements for every task. Follow this task's actual Inputs and Handoff sections for the required output, evidence, and next owner. Pass the files or records, not one vendor's memory.

## Model routing (same factory, any engine)

- **This task's lane:** `any` — Any capable chat model (Claude, ChatGPT, Grok, Gemini). SOP following, drafts, checklists.
- **Single-engine path:** Use the capable AI app you already have. Check its required tools and access before starting. Pass the actual result and proof to the next task.
- **Optional multi-engine:** A tested local model may draft; a stronger model may review facts and voice. Use supported tools for approved actions. Pick models from observed quality and cost; a model name does not prove it can run this task.
- **Never** store the working state in one vendor's memory. Files in the Content Library are the bridge.

<!-- factory-layer:end -->
## Definitive article & links

- Canonical article: https://localservicespotlight.com/article-guidelines/
- Exact task: [Step 4: Research, edit, add timestamps and outline](https://local-service-spotlight.github.io/task-library/?task=step-4-research-edit-add-timestamps-and-outline#task-step-4-research-edit-add-timestamps-and-outline)
- Writing standard: [Article Guidelines](https://localservicespotlight.com/article-guidelines/)
- [Task recipe and publishing standard](https://blitzmetrics.com/definitive-article-guide/)
- [SEO Tree: give a page its right topic home](https://blitzmetrics.com/seo-tree/)

## Review and evidence still needed

The source contributor status is preserved. It is not certification of this draft or proof of account access, completed work or a live outcome. The worked example teaches the method and is explicitly fictional.
- Source timestamps, existing topic ownership and any new factual research need actual verification.