Deep Research

Core Principles

1. Multiple sources required — Never rely on a single source for important claims
2. Cross-reference everything — Verify facts appear consistently across independent sources
3. Citation mandatory — Every claim must have a source; no unsourced assertions
4. Acknowledge uncertainty — When sources conflict or are weak, say so explicitly
5. Prefer primary sources — Official docs > blog posts > forum answers > AI-generated content

Available Research Tools

Research Workflow

Phase 1: Scope Definition

1. Core question — What specific question(s) need answering?
2. Required depth — Surface overview or exhaustive deep-dive?
3. Recency requirements — Is timeliness critical? (API versions, current events, etc.)
4. Authoritative sources — What would count as a definitive answer?

Phase 2: Source Discovery

1. WebSearch with multiple query variations
   - Try 3-5 different phrasings of the core question
   - Include technical terms AND plain language
   - Search for "[topic] official documentation"
   - Search for "[topic] research paper" or "[topic] study"

2. Identify authoritative sources from results
   - Official documentation sites
   - Academic papers / research institutions
   - Industry standards bodies
   - Recognized experts in the field

3. Check specialized tools
   - Context7 for library/framework docs
   - OpenAI docs MCP for OpenAI-specific topics
   - GitHub/codebase for implementation details

• Government and academic domains (.gov, .edu, .ac.uk) tend toward accuracy
• Official project documentation is authoritative for that project
• Wikipedia is a starting point, not an endpoint — follow its citations
• Stack Overflow answers need verification; check votes and dates
• Be skeptical of content farms and SEO-optimized listicles

Phase 3: Deep Reading

1. Fetch full content — Use WebFetch or browser to get complete text
2. Extract key claims — Note specific facts, figures, dates, quotes
3. Note source metadata — Author, date, organization, potential biases
4. Identify citations — What sources does this source cite?
5. Flag conflicts — Does this contradict other sources?

Phase 4: Cross-Verification

1. Find 2+ independent sources — Sources that don't cite each other
2. Check for conflicts — Note any disagreements between sources
3. Prefer newer sources — For rapidly evolving topics
4. Weight by authority — Primary sources > secondary > tertiary

• When sources disagree, report all positions with citations
• Investigate why they disagree (different contexts, outdated info, different definitions)
• If one source is clearly more authoritative, note that
• Never silently pick one version

Phase 5: Synthesis & Output

## Research Summary: [Topic]

### Key Findings

1. **[Finding 1]**
   - [Specific fact with citation]
   - [Supporting evidence]
   - Confidence: High/Medium/Low
   - Sources: [1], [2]

2. **[Finding 2]**
   ...

### Conflicts & Uncertainties

- [Area of disagreement]: Source A claims X [1], while Source B claims Y [2]. [Analysis of why they differ]

### Source Quality Assessment

| # | Source | Type | Authority | Recency | Notes |
|---|--------|------|-----------|---------|-------|
| 1 | [URL] | Official docs | High | 2024-01 | Primary source |
| 2 | [URL] | Research paper | High | 2023-06 | Peer-reviewed |
| 3 | [URL] | Blog | Medium | 2024-03 | Author is [expert] |

### Gaps & Limitations

- [What couldn't be verified]
- [Areas needing more research]

### Citations

[1] [Full citation with URL]
[2] [Full citation with URL]
...

Confidence Levels

Citation Format

The API rate limit is 60 requests per minute [1], though this can be increased
for enterprise accounts [2].

---
[1] OpenAI API Documentation, "Rate Limits", https://platform.openai.com/docs/guides/rate-limits, accessed 2024-01-15
[2] OpenAI Enterprise FAQ, https://openai.com/enterprise, accessed 2024-01-15

• Source name/title
• URL (if web source)
• Access date (for web sources)
• Publication date (if available)

Special Research Scenarios

Rapidly Evolving Topics (AI, crypto, etc.)

• Prioritize sources from last 6 months
• Check official changelogs and release notes
• Note when information might be outdated
• Consider using browser to check current state directly

Controversial Topics

• Present multiple perspectives with citations for each
• Identify the strongest arguments on each side
• Note which sources might have biases and why
• Don't pick sides unless evidence is overwhelming

Technical Implementation Questions

• Check official documentation first (Context7, MCP servers)
• Look for example code in GitHub
• Verify against actual behavior if possible
• Note version-specific differences

Comparative Research ("X vs Y")

• Use same evaluation criteria for all options
• Find sources that compare directly when possible
• Check for bias (vendor-sponsored comparisons)
• Note what each option is optimized for

Anti-Patterns to Avoid

Completion Criteria

1. Core question(s) answered with citations
2. Key claims verified by 2+ independent sources
3. Conflicts and uncertainties explicitly noted
4. Source quality assessed for all citations
5. Confidence levels assigned to findings
6. Gaps and limitations documented

Reference Files

• Source Evaluation Criteria — How to assess source reliability
• Search Strategies — Advanced query techniques for different domains