ChatGPT for research
Key Points
- Search for fast orientation
- Deep research for multi-step synthesis
- Request outlines, citations, and ‘what’s missing’
Summary
OpenAI Academy (Apr 10, 2026) shows how to use ChatGPT to move from questions to evidence-backed insights and decisions. It describes two main research modes—Search for fast orientation with web citations, and Deep research for multi-step investigations—and provides practical templates and prompts to produce auditable deliverables (briefs, memos, competitor tables, annotated bibliographies).
Key Points
- Two operating modes:
- Search: fast web pulls, prioritized citations, good for short news scans and quick orientation.
- Deep research: break problems into sub-questions, gather and evaluate sources across threads, synthesize auditable outputs.
- Built-in templates and deliverables to reuse in engineering workflows:
- Cited executive brief (1-page), competitive landscape table (8 competitors), literature reviews from PDFs, policy/regulatory scans, trend watches.
- Practical, engineer-focused tips:
- Request an outline first (sub-questions, source strategy, evaluation criteria).
- Require citations and a source-quality check; ask for a “what’s missing” section to surface data gaps.
- Ask for both a one-page summary and a full deliverable; follow up with targeted prompts like “Validate Y” or “Go deeper on X”.
- Integration guidance:
- Store source links and evaluation notes for auditability, add prompt templates to research pipelines, and automate checklist steps (outline → sources → synthesis → summary).
Quick example prompts
- Search: “Search the public web for the latest news about the U.S. grocery delivery market in the last 90 days. Summarize the 5 most important developments with dates, links, and implications for a regional delivery company.”
- Deep research: “Conduct deep research on rising private‑label adoption in household cleaning products. Produce a structured brief with findings (with citations), risks/unknowns, recommendations, and clearly separate well-supported findings from directional observations.”