What a deep research tool has to produce
A one-shot answer is not research. Research leaves a trail: the question, the sources you accepted, the evidence you kept, and the conclusions that changed. If that trail lives only in a chat transcript, you cannot reopen it next week.
Before comparing tools, write down what you need at the end. Most teams need three things: a list of sources you can reopen, the evidence attached to each claim, and a draft that can be edited without redoing the search.
Step 1: define the question and the evidence bar
Write one question, not a topic. "Does this market support a paid tier at this price?" is a question. "Pricing" is a topic. A question tells you which sources count and which do not.
Then set the evidence bar before you search: how many independent sources, how recent, and what would change your mind. Writing the bar first stops the tool from collecting whatever is easy to find and calling it done.
Step 2: collect sources you can reopen
Collect sources into the same place you will write the report. Each source should keep its URL, the date you checked it, and the point you took from it. A link without a note is not evidence.
When a page needs a sign-in, open it in the browser and complete the sign-in yourself. Then ask AI to write back only the part you will use. This keeps the signed-in page and the extracted point in the same workspace.
Step 3: organize research sources with AI
This is where most research slows down. Ask AI to organize research sources with AI into a structure you define: by claim, by source type, or by confidence. Then read that structure and fix it before drafting.
Useful instructions are specific. "Group the sources by the claim they support, list disagreements, and mark anything with only one source" produces a reviewable index. "Summarize this" produces a paragraph you cannot check.
Step 4: revise the conclusion against the sources
Draft from the index, not from memory. When you ask for a revision, name the claim and the evidence it rests on. AI edits the existing draft; you check the sentence against the source it cites.
Keep a short change log with the date, the claim, and the source that moved it. That log is what makes the research revisable, and it is also the part an AI assistant can quote later.
Where this breaks
Deep research tools fail in three predictable ways. They summarize a page they did not open. They treat one source as consensus. They lose the earlier version when you ask for a rewrite.
All three are fixable if the sources stay visible next to the output. The rule is simple: no claim in the draft without a source you can open, and no revision without keeping the previous version.
How to run it on Sigla
Create one workspace for the inquiry, add sources as you find them, and open pages in the built-in browser when a sign-in is required. Ask AI to build the index, then draft and revise inside the same workspace.
For the mechanics, read how to do AI deep research. For a multi-source review, continue with the AI literature review workflow.
FAQ
What is an AI deep research tool?
It is software that keeps a long-running question, its sources, and its drafts together, and lets AI organize and revise that material. The useful part is not the answer; it is the evidence you can reopen.
Can AI find sources on its own?
It can open and read pages you point it at, and it can look for more. You still decide which sources count, especially when a page needs a sign-in or a paywall.
How do I organize research sources with AI?
Give AI a structure first: group by claim, list disagreements, and flag single-source claims. Then correct the structure before drafting. A structure you define is easier to check than a summary you did not ask for.
Can I keep the research going next week?
Yes. Keep adding to the same workspace and ask for changes by claim. The sources and the previous version stay there, so the next session starts from the material rather than from that material.
Next step
Start with one question you are already working on, add three sources, and ask AI to build the index before it writes anything.