Using Perplexity and AI Search Engines for Research
AI Snapshot
The TL;DR: what matters, fast.
- AI search engines provide summarised answers with citations.
- Use the Question → Review → Verify process to ensure reliability.
- Always cross-check with primary sources to avoid misinformation.
Perfect For
Students and professionals looking for fast, cited answers to complex questions.
Generative AI tools like Perplexity AI have surged in popularity, offering users answers with citations when they ask questions. These tools can speed up research but require careful verification.
What Makes AI Search Engines Different?
Question → Review → Verify Process
Common Pitfalls
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Prompts
Research Question
Ask a precise question
Use Perplexity to answer: “What are the main drivers of AI adoption in Southeast Asia?” Then evaluate the citations provided.Citation Check
Verify citations
Take one citation from the Perplexity answer on renewable energy in Thailand and find the original source. Summarise it in your own words.Source Comparison
Compare AI and human search
Search the same question using a traditional search engine and Perplexity. Compare the top three results from each and reflect on differences.Frequently Asked Questions
Ready to experiment?
Pick one of these prompts and see where it takes you. The interesting bit is not just getting results - it is discovering what happens when you tweak the parameters or combine different approaches. If you end up with something unexpected (whether that is brilliantly unexpected or amusingly terrible), we would genuinely love to see it.
Share your results, your variations, or the weird tangents you went down trying to get things just right. That is often where the best insights come from: the collective trial and error of people actually using these tools in practice.
And if you found this useful, we have got plenty more practical how-to guides covering everything from creating images for your blog to helping you automate boring work tasks. Each one is built the same way: real techniques, actual examples, no fluff.
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