Turn Claude into a research analyst that cites its sources
Set up Claude's Research mode properly so one question comes back as a structured, sourced brief — with a comparison table you can paste straight into a doc.
What this looks like
One step on screen at a time. Read it, do it, tap Next.
Turn Claude into a research analyst that cites its sources
Step 1 of 10
Understand what Research mode actually does
A normal Claude answer comes from what the model already knows plus a quick search. Research mode is different: Claude plans a search strategy, reads dozens of pages, cross-checks them again
Checkpoint
You can explain the difference in one sentence: chat answers, research investigates.
Before you begin
Tick these off as you sort them. Stopping halfway to create an account is how a fifteen-minute build becomes an hour.
0 of 6 ready
Ticks are saved on this device, so you can come back to them.
- Account
Research mode runs on Pro, Max, Team or Enterprise. The free tier can chat and search, but the multi-source research runs in this walkthrough need a paid plan.
- Know-how
Pick something you genuinely need answered — a market, a competitor set, a purchase decision. Vague questions get vague briefs, so bring a real one.
- PermissionOptional
Research can pull from the live web on its own. Connecting Google Drive, Gmail or Slack under Settings → Connectors lets it include your own documents too.
- Time
Most of that is Claude researching in the background. Your hands-on time is five minutes.
The basics — ticked once, remembered everywhere
- Account
Either the hosted version or a self-hosted install. Everything here works the same on both — the only visible difference is the shape of your webhook URLs.
Create a workspace - Know-how
Adding a node, connecting two of them, and pressing Execute. If any of that is new, the free primer covers it in about ten minutes.
- Credential
You will paste at least one secret during setup. A password manager beats a notes app, and it stops you pasting a live key into a chat window by accident.
The shape of the setup
The Claude features you will touch, left to right, in the order you use them.
What you will build
Jump straight to any step, or print the list and tick it off beside your Claude tab.
- 1Understand what Research mode actually does
- 2Turn web search on
- 3Start a Research run, not a chat
- 4Write the brief like a briefing, not a question
- 5Let it run and read the sources, not just the summary
- 6Ask for the comparison table as a follow-up
- 7Save the brief where you will find it
- 8Ask something you already know the answer to
- 9Test a follow-up question
- 10Check a citation is real
If something goes wrong
Everything ready?
Start walkthrough