Task guide · comfortable · 20 minutes

Research a topic with reliable sources

Turn a broad question into a bounded, source-linked briefing you can inspect and challenge.

Situation: You need more than a quick answer and want to see which claims came from which sources.
Finished outcome: A focused briefing with links, disagreements, gaps and next questions kept visible.

The complete workflow

Understand the hand-off before opening a product.

The reading order remains useful without the visual layout: person, AI, review, result.

01 · person
You provide
A decision, scope and source rules.
02 · ai
AI helps
A cited first briefing across several sources.
03 · review
You check
The decisive links, gaps and conflicting claims.
04 · result
Finished result
A checked explanation that supports the next human question.

AI helps with

A useful first pass

Plans research questions
Finds and compares sources
Groups evidence, disagreements and unknowns

You bring

Context and responsibility

Whether sources are primary and current
Whether citations support the claims
Missing perspectives and applicability

Worked example

See where the draft changes.

The correction is the core teaching moment, not an optional warning after the result.

01 · Input

What the person provides

Research heat-pump options for a small Melbourne office before a lease renewal. Prioritise official efficiency guidance and installer-independent sources.

02 · AI draft

The useful first pass

Briefing: three system categories, likely building constraints, government guidance links and a list of assumptions about floor area and existing electrical capacity.

03 · Human correction

Facts and judgement

The reviewer removes a source written for another climate zone, adds the building’s actual electrical constraint and marks installation cost as unknown pending quotes.

04 · Final result

Human-approved outcome

A two-page decision briefing with verified official guidance, building-specific unknowns and five questions for qualified installers.

Try it

Use your own material.

Remove anything you cannot share, replace the bracketed details and keep the checking step.

Use a direct authoritative source when you need one current fact.
Do not treat generated citations as verified until you open them.

Research [topic] to help me decide [decision]. Focus on [country/industry] and information from [time period]. Prioritise primary sources and credible independent analysis. Compare the strongest options, disagreements and unknowns. Link every material claim. Finish with what the evidence supports, what it does not support and five questions I should investigate next.

Supporting product guides