# How do I use AI to research a topic and cite every source? > Turn on a research mode, write a brief that demands a source for every claim, approve the plan, then open the sources that matter. Free lesson. Source: https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/questions/how-to-research-a-topic-with-ai-and-cite-sources · Updated 2026-10-21 · Free from Stepthrough (https://learn.ynteractive.com) By [Robert Breen](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/about) · Published October 21, 2026 · Updated October 21, 2026 · 4 min read Use a [research mode](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/deep-research) ([Claude](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/claude) Research, ChatGPT deep research, [Gemini](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/gemini) Deep Research or Felo's Pro Search), write a short brief that says what to find, how to lay it out and "cite every claim", let it work for a few minutes, and then open the sources behind the numbers you will act on. The free lesson [Research: a cited competitor price scan](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/claude-research-tutorial) takes seven minutes and ends with you catching an out-of-date price the report missed. A normal chat answer is fine for one quick fact. A research mode is different: it plans, runs many searches, reads the pages and writes a report with a citation on each claim. That saves the afternoon of reading. It does not replace your check, because a report can quote an old page or a second-hand article as if it were current. ## What are the steps? 1. **Pick the mode.** In Claude, click **+** and choose **Research**. In ChatGPT and Gemini, choose **Deep research** from the **+** menu (in Gemini it may sit under more tools). In Felo, turn on **Pro**. 2. **Write a four-part brief.** Who you are, what to find, how to lay it out (a table with named columns) and what to compare. Add "Cite every price and claim" and "flag anything old or second-hand". 3. **Read the plan.** ChatGPT and Gemini show a research plan first. Edit it if a step is wrong, then start. 4. **Let it run.** Expect a few minutes. You can leave and come back. 5. **Open the sources for the numbers that matter.** Check the line, the date and who published it. 6. **Ask a follow-up.** Tell it what you found and ask for a corrected table or talking points. 7. **Export or copy the report** with its citations so whoever reads it can check too. The post on [Claude research prompts](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/blog/claude-research-prompts) has brief templates you can copy. ## What does this look like in a real lesson? In [Research: a cited competitor price scan](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/claude-research-tutorial), a made-up landscaping company wants to know what nearby lawn care firms charge. You turn on Research and ask for a table of competitors and prices with a source link for every price, and to flag old or second-hand prices. Claude plans, searches, reads pages and writes a report. The report already warns that one price came from a review site. Then you open one competitor's source yourself, and the small print at the bottom shows the prices are from **March 2024**. The report never said so. You tell Claude, and it marks the old row and writes three talking points for customers. The [ChatGPT deep research lesson](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/chatgpt-deep-research-vendor-comparison) does the same for a software choice: a brief comparing three real time trackers against a made-up studio's needs, a five-step plan you approve, a report with a source link on every need, and a spot-check of one price on the vendor's own pricing page before you export the PDF. In [the Gemini version](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/gemini-deep-research-cited-brief-before-a-meeting) you notice that some very exact survey numbers trace back to a vendor blog post that never says how many people were asked. ## Which tool should I use? - **Felo** is an AI search tool that puts a numbered source on every claim, and its Free plan includes a daily number of Pro searches. In [Felo: Price a New Service with a Source for Every Number](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/felo-research-pricing-with-sources), a bookkeeping firm prices a fractional CFO package, checks a firm's rate against its page, and spots a price that came from a comparison article instead of the firm. Then it asks Felo where each price came from and exports a PDF. - **Claude Research** suits a report you will keep working on in the same chat. - **ChatGPT deep research** and **Gemini Deep Research** write long reports and show their plan first. Gemini can export to Google Docs. - **Perplexity** is good for quick cited lookups between bigger research runs. For side-by-side detail, see the [best AI research tools](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/compare/best-ai-research-tools) and [ChatGPT vs Claude vs Gemini for research reports](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/compare/chatgpt-vs-claude-vs-gemini-for-research-reports). If your topic is competitors, which AI tool can research competitors and show its sources narrows it down. ## What mistakes should I avoid? - **A vague brief.** "Research our market" gets a vague report. Name the columns and the comparison. - **Skipping the plan.** It is your one chance to fix the search before it runs. - **Trusting exact-looking numbers.** Very precise figures can come from a tiny survey. Find who said it. - **Not checking dates.** Prices and rules change. Old pages look current in a summary. - **Forwarding an unchecked report.** Spot-check at least the numbers a decision depends on. ## Key takeaways - Use a research mode for anything bigger than one quick fact. - Write a brief: who, what to find, layout, comparison, cite every claim. - Read and approve the plan when the tool shows one. - Open the sources behind the key numbers, and check dates and publishers. - Keep the citations when you share the report. ## Frequently asked questions **How long does AI research take?** Usually a few minutes, sometimes longer for a big question. The lessons' runs took about five minutes in ChatGPT and Gemini and about two minutes in Felo. **Can I use AI research for a client report?** Yes, as a first draft. Check the sources behind every number, rewrite the conclusions in your own words, and have a person sign off before it goes to the client. **How do I get citations from ChatGPT in a normal chat?** Ask it to search the web and cite each fact. The page on [how to make ChatGPT show where each fact came from](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/questions/how-to-make-chatgpt-show-its-sources) has the steps. ## Learn it hands-on Free, interactive lessons: you do every step yourself in a practice copy of the real tool, it checks your work as you go, and nothing touches your real accounts. - [Claude Research: Get a Cited Competitor Price Scan, Then Check It](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/claude-research-tutorial): Turn on Research, have Claude check what nearby competitors charge, read the cited report, check a source and ask a follow-up. (about 7 minutes) - [A Cited Vendor Comparison in 5 Minutes using ChatGPT Deep Research](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/chatgpt-deep-research-vendor-comparison): Write a four-part brief, approve Deep research’s plan, read a cited report comparing three real tools against your needs and budget, check a source… (about 9 minutes) - [Gemini Deep Research: Build a Cited Brief Before a Client Meeting](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/gemini-deep-research-cited-brief-before-a-meeting): Ask Gemini Deep Research to research a prospect's industry, read its plan before it starts, then check where the key numbers really came from. (about 6 minutes) - [Price a New Service in 10 Minutes, with a Source for Every Number, using Felo](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/felo-research-pricing-with-sources): A business case for small firms: before you price a new service, ask Felo, an AI search tool, what the market pays and which firms publish prices… (about 10 minutes) [Start the free lesson](https://learn.ynteractive.com/modules/claude-research) ## AI tools in this answer Each one in the Stepthrough AI tools directory: what it does, who it is for and the free lesson where there is one. [Felo](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/ai-tools/tool/felo) · [Claude](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/ai-tools/tool/claude) · [ChatGPT](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/ai-tools/tool/chatgpt) · [Gemini](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/ai-tools/tool/gemini) · [Perplexity](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/ai-tools/tool/perplexity) [The full AI tools directory](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/ai-tools) ## Related terms Plain-English definitions, each with an example from a free lesson. [Deep research](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/deep-research) · [Claude](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/claude) · [Gemini](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/gemini) · [AI sycophancy](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/sycophancy) · [AI search](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/ai-search) · [AI citations](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/ai-citations) [The full AI glossary](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary) ## Related prompts - [Cited competitor price scan prompt](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts/cited-competitor-price-scan-prompt): A copy-ready Claude Research prompt that compares nearby competitors' published prices in a table, with a source for every… [All free prompt templates](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts) ## Related questions - [Can I trust AI answers enough to use them at work?](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/questions/can-i-trust-ai-answers-at-work): Trust AI for drafts you can check; verify every fact, number and promise before it reaches anyone. Sourced tools speed up… - [How do I make ChatGPT show where each fact came from?](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/questions/how-to-make-chatgpt-show-its-sources): Ask ChatGPT to search the web and cite a source after every fact, mark anything unsourced, then open the citations yourself… - [How can procurement teams use AI?](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/questions/how-procurement-uses-ai): Procurement teams use AI to compare quotes on the same basis, pull key terms and renewal dates from contracts, and research… - [How do product managers actually use AI day to day?](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/questions/how-product-managers-use-ai-day-to-day): PMs use AI to pull themes from customer interviews, draft specs from questions, scan competitors with sources and write updates… - [How do I get ChatGPT to read a PDF?](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/questions/how-to-get-chatgpt-to-read-a-pdf): Click the + in the message box, choose Add photos & files, pick the PDF and ask for answers with section or page numbers. Free… - [How do I get ChatGPT to write like me?](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/questions/how-to-get-chatgpt-to-write-like-me): Paste two or three of your real past pieces between ### lines, add "copy my style, not the facts", then give it the new job… [More questions: How do I...](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/questions/how-do-i) · [All AI questions](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/questions) · [All free tutorials](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content)