Deep research: answers with sources you can check

Use this before any research, when your question is still vague.

I want to research [TOPIC]. Before you search anything, help me sharpen the question. Ask me one question at a time, up to five, about: 1. The decision or action this research is for 2. What a good answer looks like, and how detailed it should be 3. The time period, place and audience that matter 4. What I already know or believe 5. Sources I trust or distrust Then write the final research question in one or two sentences, plus a short list of what the answer must include. Point out if the question is really two or three questions.

Swap the highlighted parts for your own words.

Tip

• Paste the final question into the next prompt.

Use this with Research on, when you need a well sourced answer to one question.

Research this question: [YOUR QUESTION]. It is for: [WHAT YOU WILL DO WITH THE ANSWER]. How to research: 1. Prefer primary sources: official sites, original studies, government data, company filings, documentation. Use news and blogs only to find primary sources, or when nothing better exists. 2. Check important facts in at least two independent sources. 3. Note the date of each source. Flag anything older than [NUMBER] years. 4. As you go, keep a few competing answers in mind and look for evidence that would tell them apart. Output: - The answer in three sentences - Key findings, each with its source link and a confidence level (high, medium, low) - Where sources disagree, and why they might - What you could not find or confirm - The three sources I should read myself If the evidence is thin, say so. Do not fill gaps with guesses.

Swap the highlighted parts for your own words.

Tip

• Ask "which of these findings rests on a single source?" to see where the answer is weakest.

Use this with Research on, when choosing between tools, products, suppliers or approaches.

Compare these options for [WHAT YOU NEED THEM FOR]: [OPTION A], [OPTION B], [OPTION C]. What matters to me, most important first: [CRITERIA, FOR EXAMPLE PRICE, EASE OF USE, UK SUPPORT, DATA PRIVACY]. 1. For each option and each criterion, find the facts from the option's own site and from at least one independent source, such as reviews or forums. 2. Build a table with options as columns and criteria as rows. Put a source link in each cell. Write "unknown" where you could not find it. 3. Note any recent change, such as a price rise or a new owner, with its date. 4. Give each option a short summary: who it suits and who should avoid it. 5. Recommend one for my situation and explain why. Say what would change your recommendation. If an option I have not named is clearly better, mention it.

Swap the highlighted parts for your own words.

Tip

• Check the price on each provider's own pricing page before you pay. Claude may have found an older price.

Use this when you already lean one way and want to test that belief.

I believe this: [YOUR VIEW OR PLAN]. My reasons are: [YOUR REASONS]. Your job is to find the strongest case against it. 1. Search for the best evidence and arguments on the other side. Prefer data and expert sources over opinion. 2. Write the strongest version of the opposing view, as someone who holds it would put it. 3. List each point that challenges my view, with its source and how strong it is. 4. Say which of my reasons hold up and which do not. 5. Finish with an honest verdict: does my view survive, need changing, or look wrong? Do not soften the verdict to be kind.

Swap the highlighted parts for your own words.

Use this with Research on, when you read a statistic or claim and want to know if it is true.

Check this claim: "[THE CLAIM, WORD FOR WORD]". I saw it in [WHERE YOU SAW IT]. 1. Find where the claim first came from: the original study, data or statement. 2. Compare what the original says with how the claim is worded. Note anything lost or stretched. 3. Look for newer data or corrections. 4. Give a verdict: accurate, missing context, misleading, false, or cannot be confirmed. 5. Write one sentence I could use that states the fact accurately, with the source. If you cannot find the original source, say so. A claim with no traceable source counts as cannot be confirmed.

Swap the highlighted parts for your own words.

Use this with a report, contract, paper or transcript you do not have time to read in full.

<document> [PASTE THE DOCUMENT, OR ATTACH IT AND WRITE ITS NAME HERE] </document> I am reading this because [WHY YOU NEED IT]. 1. First, pull out the quotes that matter most for my purpose, word for word, with page or section numbers. 2. Then, using those quotes, write: - What the document is and who wrote it, in one sentence - The main points, five to eight bullets, each linked to a quote - Any numbers, dates, deadlines or obligations - What is missing, vague or surprising - Three questions I should ask about it Keep the summary to what the document says. Mark anything that is your own view as (my view).

Swap the highlighted parts for your own words.

Tip

• For a contract or legal letter, use the summary to find what to ask a professional. It does not replace their advice.

Use this when you need particular answers from a document and do not want a general summary.

<document> [PASTE OR ATTACH THE DOCUMENT] </document> Answer these questions using only this document: 1. [QUESTION 1] 2. [QUESTION 2] 3. [QUESTION 3] For each answer, quote the passage it comes from, with the page or section. If the document does not answer a question, write "not in the document" and say what it says that comes closest. Do not use outside knowledge unless I ask.

Swap the highlighted parts for your own words.

Tip

• Add "Now answer from general knowledge, clearly separated" as a follow up if you want both.

Use this with two or more reports, quotes, proposals or policies you need to weigh up.

<documents> <document index="1"> <source>[NAME OR TITLE]</source> <document_content>[PASTE DOCUMENT 1]</document_content> </document> <document index="2"> <source>[NAME OR TITLE]</source> <document_content>[PASTE DOCUMENT 2]</document_content> </document> </documents> Compare these documents for [YOUR PURPOSE]. 1. Build a table of the points that matter: [WHAT TO COMPARE, FOR EXAMPLE PRICE, SCOPE, TIMELINE, TERMS]. One column per document. Quote or cite the section for each cell. 2. List where they agree, where they conflict, and what one covers that the others leave out. 3. Flag anything unusual or risky in any of them. 4. Say which one best fits my purpose and why.

Swap the highlighted parts for your own words.

Tip

• Add more document blocks for more files. Attaching the files also works.

Use this at the end of your research, to turn it into a decision you can share or act on.

Using our research in this chat, write a one page decision memo. The decision: [WHAT NEEDS DECIDING]. The reader: [WHO WILL READ IT, FOR EXAMPLE ME, MY BUSINESS PARTNER, MY MANAGER]. Use these sections: 1. Decision needed, in one sentence 2. Recommendation, in one or two sentences 3. Options considered, with the main pro and con of each 4. Evidence behind the recommendation, with sources 5. Risks and how to reduce them 6. What would change this recommendation 7. Next step, with a date Use plain language and keep it under 500 words. Only include facts we found in this chat. Mark any assumption as an assumption. If the evidence does not support a clear recommendation, say that and recommend what to find out first.

Swap the highlighted parts for your own words.

Use this after any research answer, before you act on it.

Review your last research answer as a strict editor. 1. List every factual claim in it. 2. For each, say which source supports it and whether the source actually says that. Open the source again if you can. 3. Flag claims with no source, a weak source, a single source, or an old source. 4. Flag anywhere the wording is more confident than the evidence. 5. Correct anything you got wrong. Then give me the answer again with the fixes applied and the weak points marked.

Tip

• Run this every time the answer matters. Claude can misread or overstate a source, and this step is where you catch it.