# Research

Neo can investigate a question, find relevant sources, compare evidence, and produce a source-grounded brief. Good research begins with a precise question and ends with a clear account of what the evidence does—and does not—support.

## When to use research

Use research for current facts, market or policy changes, source comparison, literature orientation, vendor evaluation, background checks on a claim, or any question where the answer depends on evidence outside the conversation.

For timeless explanations that do not require current information, a direct answer may be faster. Ask for browsing when freshness or traceability matters.

## Request a research brief

Specify:

- the exact question or decision;
- the date or freshness requirement;
- preferred and excluded source types;
- geography, industry, or market scope;
- the intended audience;
- desired depth and format;
- claims that require primary-source confirmation.

### Example

> Research how the EU AI Act affects a mid-sized company deploying an internal support assistant. Prioritize official EU sources and reputable legal analysis published in the last 12 months. Separate confirmed obligations from interpretation, cite each material claim, and end with questions for counsel. This is background research, not legal advice.

## A strong research process

1. Define the question and key terms.
2. Identify likely authoritative sources.
3. Gather evidence from more than one perspective.
4. Check dates, scope, authorship, and original context.
5. Compare agreements, conflicts, and missing evidence.
6. Synthesize an answer matched to the audience.
7. Record the research cutoff and unresolved questions.

## A strong research output includes

- an answer or executive summary up front;
- source links close to the claims they support;
- the publication date and relevant as-of date;
- agreement and disagreement across sources;
- explicit uncertainty and evidence gaps;
- a distinction between fact, inference, and recommendation;
- suggested next steps.

## Evaluate sources

Prefer primary sources for laws, policies, product behavior, statistics, filings, and official announcements. Secondary sources can add interpretation and context, but should not quietly replace the underlying evidence.

A search result or snippet is a lead, not proof. Ask Neo to open and inspect the source itself. Pay attention to pages that are outdated, republished, paywalled, dynamically generated, or outside the requested geography.

## Refine the work

Useful follow-ups include:

- “Which conclusion is least certain, and why?”
- “Find the primary source behind this claim.”
- “What credible evidence points in the opposite direction?”
- “Turn this into a decision memo for a non-technical executive.”
- “Update only the facts that changed after the cutoff date.”

## Verify before relying

Open important citations yourself and confirm that they support the exact claim. Check numbers, units, definitions, and dates. Research is not a substitute for professional legal, medical, financial, or other regulated advice.