Research Strategies with ChatGPT

Research takes time. ChatGPT can help you explore topics faster, understand complex subjects, and synthesize information - though you'll still need to verify important facts.

What ChatGPT Can and Can't Do for Research

ChatGPT CAN:

• Explain concepts and provide overviews
• Break down complex topics
• Suggest what to research
• Synthesize information you provide
• Generate questions to investigate
• Help you understand what you find

ChatGPT CANNOT:

• Access current information (after its training cutoff)
• Search the web (unless using browsing feature)
• Guarantee accuracy of specific facts
• Replace authoritative sources for critical decisions

Research Starting Points

Topic Overview

Generating Research Questions

Efficient Research Workflows

The Quick Overview Method

Deep Dive Structure

Understanding Complex Topics

Breaking Down Complexity

Analogies and Examples

Technical Translation

Industry and Market Research

Industry Overview

Understanding a Company

Trend Analysis

Synthesizing Information

Combining Multiple Sources

Creating Research Summaries

Verification Strategies

Fact-Checking Help

Source Evaluation

Research for Specific Purposes

Decision Support Research

Competitive Intelligence

Practice Exercise

Key Takeaways

1. Start with structure - Know what questions you're answering
2. Layer your learning - Overview first, then depth
3. Verify important facts - ChatGPT helps explore, not confirm
4. Use for synthesis - Combining information is a strength
5. Ask for sources - Get suggestions on where to verify
6. Know the limits - Recent events and specific data need current sources
7. Save time on understanding - Use ChatGPT to grasp concepts quickly

ChatGPT accelerates research by helping you understand and organize - verification comes from authoritative sources. Next, let's look at summarizing complex information.