Write a Research Brief and Audit an AI Report

Worked example and checks

Define a research question, inspect citations, and distinguish a report from verified evidence.

Decide whether research is needed

A short factual lookup may need one authoritative page. A comparison across changing requirements needs a clearer brief. Write the question, audience, geographic scope, date range, and the decision the report should support.

Give the investigation boundaries

For a practice exercise, compare two fictional course options using supplied descriptions. Ask for a table of prerequisites, assessment method, and missing information. For live research, name the types of sources you prefer and require publication dates where they matter. Do not prescribe an arbitrary source count or assume more citations mean better evidence.

Check access in your account

Use the research capability available in your current interface. Product access, controls, limits, and completion time can vary. The desktop app's official web-search documentation distinguishes a quick lookup from a multi-source investigation; inspect the tools and help available to you.

Audit the finished report

Choose several consequential claims and open their citations. Check that each page supports the exact statement, that dates match the question, and that a source is not merely repeating another source. Mark conflicting evidence instead of averaging it into an apparently certain answer.

Keep uncertainty in the deliverable

Separate sourced observations from inference and unanswered questions. Save the reviewed report with its source links and the date you checked it. A report can organize research, but its polished format does not establish completeness or professional authority. For consequential decisions, use the relevant primary documents and qualified review.

Reference and corrections

Official documentation for this topic. Check the version and platform covered by the source. Guidance revised 22 October 2026.

Report an incorrect instruction through our contact page. Include the app, operating system, command, and observed result.