Looking for an AI tool to streamline your research? Perplexity AI offers powerful features that can make your work easier—many of them available for free! In this blog, I’ll highlight its key capabilities and reveal FREE features that researchers will find invaluable.
1. Generating Research Topic Ideas
Are you struggling to find a research topic? Just ask Perplexity!
For example, if you’re exploring the Impact of Climate Change on Biodiversity, simply input your query, and Perplexity will scan the web to generate relevant and well-researched topic ideas.
What sets it apart? It provides references from academic papers and online articles, making it easy to verify the sources.
If you prefer results solely from scholarly articles, adjust the search preferences to ensure you receive research-backed answers—something that could otherwise take weeks of searching on Google Scholar!
2. Finding Review Papers & Open-Access Articles
Once you have a research topic, the next step is understanding the field.
Ask Perplexity to find review papers, and it will provide a list of relevant articles with summaries. Click on citations to access the original papers.
However, some papers might be behind paywalls. To bypass this, refine your query to request open-access review papers, ensuring you get free-to-read resources.
3. Understanding Research Papers & Complex Concepts
Reading research papers can be challenging, especially when dealing with complex figures, graphs, and concepts. Simply upload the paper to Perplexity and ask specific questions.
I have taken the research paper: Green Synthesis of Robust Superhydrophobic Antibacterial and UV-Blocking Cotton Fabrics by a Dual-Stage Silanization Approach
After uploading this, I have asked a few questions as shown below:
Unlike traditional papers, which assume prior knowledge, Perplexity provides clear, simplified explanations to help you understand technical content.
Additionally, the “People Also Ask” section at the bottom of responses suggests related queries, enhancing your research approach.
4. Shortlisting Journals for Publication
Identifying the right journal for your research paper can be overwhelming. Perplexity simplifies this by analyzing your abstract or manuscript and suggesting suitable journals.
Before using this feature, turn off AI data retention in settings to ensure your data remains private. You can further refine your search by specifying: Open-access, Scopus-indexed journals or Journals with a publication time under 3 months and an impact factor below 10.
Shown below is an example:
5. Collaborative Research with the Spaces Feature
One of the most exciting features of Perplexity is Spaces, a collaborative environment for research teams. Here’s how it works:
1. Create a dedicated workspace for your project.
2. Define custom instructions (e.g., “Be an academic expert in climate change and provide information from trusted sources”).
3. Invite team members to collaborate in real-time.
4. Conduct searches within uploaded literature or across academic sources.
Although uploading multiple papers requires a PRO plan, the search feature is largely free. Spaces also keep all research discussions in one place, making it easy to track progress and share insights with your team.
Perplexity AI is a game-changer for researchers, offering a powerful suite of tools to streamline topic selection, literature review, paper analysis, and journal selection. If you have discovered additional ways to use Perplexity for research, share your insights in the comments—I’d love to explore them in a future post!
If you’re looking to master research paper writing from start to finish, including topic selection, structuring your paper, and using AI tools effectively, join my course: A-Z of Research Paper Writing.
Best of luck with your research journey!
