> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://resources.athenaintel.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# AI Deep Research Across Sources with Athena

> Deep Research covers source selection, models, progress tracking, cited reports, verification, and combining web, workspace, email, and meeting data.

<Tip>Conduct comprehensive, multi-source research with AI-powered analysis and citations!</Tip>

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Overview">
    Deep Research is Athena's advanced research capability that conducts in-depth investigations across multiple sources using sophisticated AI models. Unlike simple search or browsing, Deep Research autonomously plans research sub-questions, searches across configured sources, synthesizes findings, and produces structured, citation-rich reports.

    Deep Research leverages OpenAI's specialized research models (o3-deep-research and o4-mini-deep-research) to perform comprehensive analysis that would typically require hours of manual research. The system automatically formulates research strategies, gathers information from multiple sources, cross-references findings, and presents results in a coherent, well-documented format.

    ## Key Features

    ### Multi-Source Research

    Deep Research searches across multiple sources simultaneously, including web content, internal documents, emails, meetings, SharePoint files, and more. This comprehensive approach ensures you gather information from all relevant sources rather than limiting research to a single domain.

    ### Autonomous Research Planning

    The AI autonomously breaks down complex research questions into sub-questions, determines optimal search strategies, and adapts its approach based on findings. This intelligent planning ensures thorough coverage of research topics without requiring manual guidance.

    ### Citation-Rich Reports

    All findings include citations to source materials, enabling you to verify information and explore sources in depth. Citations link directly to source documents, web pages, emails, or meeting transcripts for easy reference.

    ### Configurable Summary Levels

    Choose between automatic and detailed summary levels based on your needs. Automatic mode provides balanced summaries suitable for most use cases, while detailed mode produces comprehensive reports with extensive analysis.

    ### Model Selection

    Select between o3-deep-research for higher quality, more thorough analysis or o4-mini-deep-research for faster results. Choose the model that best balances your needs for depth and speed.

    ### Transparent Research Process

    Track research progress as Deep Research works, seeing which sources are being searched, what sub-questions are being investigated, and how findings are being synthesized. This transparency helps you understand the research methodology and trust the results.
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Available Sources">
    ## Research Sources

    Deep Research can search across multiple sources to gather comprehensive information. The available sources depend on your workspace configuration and permissions.

    ### Standard Sources

    These sources are available to all users based on their workspace configuration:

    **Web**

    * Search the internet for external information, news, articles, research papers, and public content
    * Ideal for gathering industry trends, competitive intelligence, and general knowledge
    * Provides access to the broadest range of information sources

    **Olympus Assets**

    * Search through all documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and assets in your workspace
    * Access internal knowledge, project files, reports, and organizational content
    * Ensures research includes your organization's proprietary information and context

    **SharePoint** (workspace-dependent)

    * Search through SharePoint files and documents across connected SharePoint sites
    * Available for workspaces with SharePoint integration configured
    * Provides access to enterprise content management systems and shared drives

    **Email**

    * Search through internal emails and communications in your workspace
    * Find relevant discussions, decisions, and information shared via email
    * Useful for understanding historical context and stakeholder perspectives

    **Meetings**

    * Search through meeting recordings, transcripts, and meeting notes
    * Extract insights from discussions, decisions made in meetings, and action items
    * Valuable for understanding organizational knowledge shared verbally

    ### Admin-Only Sources

    These sources are available only to workspace administrators for specialized research needs:

    **Calendar** (admin-only)

    * Search through calendar events and meeting metadata
    * Useful for understanding scheduling patterns, meeting frequency, and organizational rhythms
    * Restricted to administrators due to privacy considerations

    **GitHub** (admin-only)

    * Search through Athena-Intel/demo-app-monorepo repository code on the staging branch
    * Available for technical research and codebase analysis
    * Restricted to administrators for security purposes

    **Sourcegraph** (admin-only)

    * Search through Athena-Intel/demo-app-monorepo repository via Sourcegraph
    * Provides advanced code search capabilities for technical research
    * Restricted to administrators for security purposes

    ## Source Selection

    When initiating Deep Research, you can specify which sources to include in your research. By default, Deep Research uses all available sources, but you can limit research to specific sources when appropriate:

    * **Web-only research**: For external market research or competitive intelligence
    * **Internal-only research**: For sensitive topics that should not query external sources
    * **Specific source combinations**: For targeted research that requires particular types of information
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Using Deep Research">
    ## Step-by-Step Guide

    <Steps>
      <Step title="Formulate Your Research Question">
        Start with a clear, specific research question or topic. Deep Research works best with well-defined questions that have clear objectives.

        <CodeBlock filename="Example Research Questions">
          * "What are the latest trends in enterprise AI adoption and how are competitors positioning their offerings?"
          * "Analyze our internal discussions and external market data about product feature X to determine customer demand and competitive landscape"
          * "Research regulatory requirements for data privacy across EU, US, and APAC markets"
        </CodeBlock>
      </Step>

      <Step title="Select Athena Assist with Deep Research">
        In the chat UI, select **Athena Assist** and ensure the **Deep Research** tool is available. You may need to explicitly request Deep Research for complex research tasks.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Provide Research Context">
        Give Athena context about your research goals, intended use of findings, and any specific constraints or focus areas. This helps Deep Research prioritize relevant information.

        <CodeBlock filename="Example with Context">
          I need to research enterprise AI adoption trends for a board presentation next week. Focus on:

          * Market size and growth projections
          * Key competitors and their positioning
          * Customer pain points and buying criteria
          * Our internal discussions about market opportunities

          Please search across web sources and our internal workspace documents.
        </CodeBlock>
      </Step>

      <Step title="Configure Research Parameters (Optional)">
        Optionally specify:

        * **Model**: o3-deep-research (higher quality) or o4-mini-deep-research (faster)
        * **Summary Level**: auto (balanced) or detailed (comprehensive)
        * **Sources**: Specific sources to include or exclude
        * **Research Title**: Custom title for the research run
      </Step>

      <Step title="Monitor Research Progress">
        Deep Research provides updates as it works, showing which sources are being searched, what sub-questions are being investigated, and preliminary findings. This process may take several minutes for comprehensive research.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Review Research Report">
        Once complete, Deep Research presents a structured report with:

        * Executive summary of key findings
        * Detailed analysis organized by sub-topics
        * Citations to all source materials
        * Recommendations or conclusions based on findings
      </Step>

      <Step title="Explore Citations">
        Click on citations to view source materials directly. This allows you to verify findings, gather additional context, and explore topics in more depth.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Create Deliverables">
        Use research findings to create documents, presentations, or reports. Deep Research results can be exported to Athena Docs or other formats for sharing with stakeholders.
      </Step>
    </Steps>

    ## Best Practices

    ### Clarify Your Research Question

    Before starting Deep Research, clarify your research question by considering:

    * What specific information do you need?
    * What will you do with the research findings?
    * What constraints or focus areas should guide the research?
    * What sources are most relevant to your question?

    The more specific your research question, the more targeted and useful the results will be.

    ### Choose the Right Model

    **Use o3-deep-research when:**

    * Research quality is paramount
    * You need comprehensive, thorough analysis
    * The topic is complex and requires nuanced understanding
    * You have time for longer research runs

    **Use o4-mini-deep-research when:**

    * Speed is important
    * You need quick insights on a straightforward topic
    * You're doing exploratory research to determine if deeper investigation is warranted
    * You need preliminary findings before committing to comprehensive research

    ### Select Appropriate Sources

    **Include web sources when:**

    * You need external market data, competitive intelligence, or industry trends
    * Research requires current news or recent developments
    * You're investigating topics outside your organization's direct knowledge

    **Include internal sources when:**

    * Research requires organizational context or proprietary information
    * You need to understand internal discussions, decisions, or perspectives
    * You're investigating topics specific to your company or projects

    **Limit sources when:**

    * Research involves sensitive topics that shouldn't query external sources
    * You want to focus on specific types of information
    * You need to control research scope for time or relevance reasons

    ### Iterate on Findings

    Deep Research results can inform follow-up research:

    * Use initial findings to formulate more specific research questions
    * Conduct targeted research on sub-topics that emerge as particularly relevant
    * Combine Deep Research with other Athena capabilities (Browser, Notebooks) for deeper analysis
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Use Cases">
    <CardGroup cols={1}>
      <Card title="Market Research and Analysis" icon="chart-line">
        Conduct comprehensive market research combining external market data, competitor intelligence, and internal discussions to inform strategic decisions and market positioning.
      </Card>

      <Card title="Competitive Intelligence" icon="binoculars">
        Research competitor strategies, product offerings, pricing, and market positioning by analyzing public information alongside internal assessments and customer feedback.
      </Card>

      <Card title="Regulatory Compliance Research" icon="scale-balanced">
        Investigate regulatory requirements, compliance obligations, and legal frameworks across jurisdictions by searching regulatory websites, legal databases, and internal compliance documentation.
      </Card>

      <Card title="Customer Research and Insights" icon="users">
        Analyze customer needs, pain points, and preferences by researching external customer feedback, reviews, and market research alongside internal customer communications and meeting discussions.
      </Card>

      <Card title="Technology Evaluation" icon="microchip">
        Research technologies, tools, or platforms for potential adoption by analyzing external reviews, documentation, and case studies alongside internal technical discussions and requirements.
      </Card>

      <Card title="Strategic Planning Research" icon="chess">
        Gather comprehensive information for strategic planning by researching market trends, competitive landscape, internal capabilities, and organizational discussions to inform strategic decisions.
      </Card>

      <Card title="Due Diligence" icon="magnifying-glass-dollar">
        Conduct due diligence research on companies, partnerships, or investments by analyzing public information, news, financial data, and internal assessment documents.
      </Card>

      <Card title="Industry Trend Analysis" icon="arrow-trend-up">
        Research emerging trends, technologies, or methodologies in your industry by analyzing thought leadership content, research papers, news, and internal discussions about market evolution.
      </Card>

      <Card title="Product Research" icon="box">
        Investigate product opportunities, feature requirements, or market fit by researching customer needs, competitive offerings, market trends, and internal product discussions.
      </Card>

      <Card title="Risk Assessment" icon="triangle-exclamation">
        Research potential risks, threats, or challenges by analyzing external risk factors, industry incidents, regulatory changes, and internal risk assessments and discussions.
      </Card>

      <Card title="Academic and Literature Review" icon="graduation-cap">
        Conduct literature reviews or academic research by searching research papers, academic articles, and scholarly sources alongside internal research and analysis.
      </Card>

      <Card title="Policy and Best Practice Research" icon="book-bookmark">
        Research industry best practices, policy frameworks, or operational standards by analyzing external guidance, case studies, and internal policy documents and discussions.
      </Card>
    </CardGroup>
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Research Quality">
    ## Ensuring High-Quality Research

    ### Provide Clear Context

    The quality of Deep Research results depends significantly on the clarity and specificity of your research question. Provide:

    * **Specific objectives**: What do you need to learn or decide?
    * **Intended use**: How will you use the research findings?
    * **Constraints**: Any limitations on scope, sources, or focus areas?
    * **Background**: Relevant context that helps frame the research

    ### Verify Critical Findings

    While Deep Research provides citations for all findings, it's good practice to:

    * Review citations for critical findings that will inform important decisions
    * Verify that sources are authoritative and current
    * Cross-reference findings across multiple sources when possible
    * Consult subject matter experts for highly specialized or technical topics

    ### Understand Source Limitations

    Different sources have different strengths and limitations:

    * **Web sources**: Broad coverage but may include outdated or inaccurate information
    * **Internal sources**: Authoritative for organizational context but may lack external perspective
    * **Email and meetings**: Valuable for understanding discussions but may reflect opinions rather than facts
    * **SharePoint**: Comprehensive for enterprise content but may include draft or outdated documents

    ### Combine with Human Expertise

    Deep Research is most effective when combined with human expertise:

    * Use Deep Research to gather comprehensive information quickly
    * Apply your domain expertise to interpret findings and identify gaps
    * Conduct targeted follow-up research on areas requiring deeper investigation
    * Validate findings with subject matter experts before making critical decisions

    ## Research Transparency

    Deep Research provides transparency into its research process:

    * **Source attribution**: All findings cite specific sources
    * **Research methodology**: See which sub-questions were investigated and why
    * **Search queries**: Understand what searches were performed across sources
    * **Reasoning**: View the AI's reasoning about how findings relate to your research question

    This transparency enables you to:

    * Verify the research methodology
    * Understand how conclusions were reached
    * Identify potential gaps or biases in the research
    * Determine if additional research is needed
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

## Related Documentation

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Web Toolkit" href="/docs/pillars/applications/web-toolkit">
    Use Search and Browse tools for quick web research
  </Card>

  <Card title="Browser" href="/docs/pillars/applications/browser">
    Automate complex browser workflows for authenticated research
  </Card>

  <Card title="Notebooks" href="/docs/pillars/applications/notebooks">
    Analyze Deep Research findings programmatically with Python
  </Card>

  <Card title="Docs" href="/docs/pillars/applications/docs">
    Create polished reports and presentations from research findings
  </Card>
</CardGroup>


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