How to Use OpenAI Deep Research Effectively

February 28, 2025

OpenAI Deep Research is a powerful new AI research assistant that can dive into complex topics and deliver detailed, source-backed reports. Whether you're a content creator looking for factual blog material, a business strategist studying market trends, or a student working on a research paper, Deep Research can save you hours of digging by autonomously finding and synthesizing information. In this guide, we'll explain what Deep Research is, where and how it can be used, who benefits from it, best practices to get the most out of it, and tips for writing effective prompts. Let's get started!

What is OpenAI Deep Research?

OpenAI Deep Research is an AI-powered agent integrated into ChatGPT, designed to conduct in-depth, multi-step research on the internet. Unlike a standard ChatGPT session that gives quick answers, Deep Research works like an autonomous researcher: you give it a prompt, and it will independently search, analyze, and synthesize information from hundreds of sources to produce a comprehensive answer. It leverages OpenAI’s advanced “o3” model and other tools to dig deeper and compile findings into structured outputs. Essentially, it's as if you had a tireless virtual research assistant with a PhD, capable of doing hours of work in minutes.

Key capabilities of Deep Research include:

Multi-step analysis: It can break down complex questions into sub-tasks, perform multiple web searches and document reads, then aggregate the findings into one cohesive report.
Interactive questioning: Deep Research often asks you clarifying questions at the start to refine its understanding of your request.
Structured reports: The output is typically a well-organized report with clear sections, headings, and bullet points for readability.
Source citations: Every claim or data point it provides is backed by a citation linking to the source.
Diverse input handling: You can feed Deep Research various types of inputs to inform the query—web URLs, PDFs, even images or spreadsheets.
Niche information discovery: The agent excels at digging up non-obvious, niche information that would normally require combing through many specialized sources.

Where to Use Deep Research

Because of its ability to gather and synthesize information from across the web, Deep Research has wide-ranging applications across industries and scenarios:

Content Creation & Marketing - Writers, bloggers, and marketers can use it to gather facts, examples, and insights for articles or campaigns.
Business Strategy & Market Research - Entrepreneurs and analysts can leverage it for competitor analysis, trend forecasts, and decision-making.
Academia & Education - Students and scholars can accelerate literature reviews and research projects.
Professional Fields (Finance, Law, Science, etc.) - Experts in data-heavy fields can use it for rapid yet thorough information gathering.
Personal Projects & Consumer Research - Power users can conduct deep-dive comparisons and product research efficiently.

Who Can Use Deep Research?

Deep Research is available to all ChatGPT users in Plus and Pro plans. However, users in the Plus plan only have 10 credits per month, and users in the Pro plan have unlimited credits. If you need more credits, you can upgrade to the Pro plan, which will cost you $200 per month.

Best Practices for Using Deep Research

To get the most out of OpenAI Deep Research, follow these best practices:

Start with a clear, detailed query - Provide specific context and avoid vague requests.
Break down complex tasks - Structure multi-faceted research into sub-questions.
Iterate and refine - Treat the process as an interactive research session.
Verify and fact-check information - Always validate key findings and citations.
Use your own expertise and judgment - Interpret and apply the results critically.
Leverage the output effectively - Request summaries or specific formats for usability.

How to Write the Best Prompts for Deep Research

Crafting an effective prompt is key to getting high-quality research results:

Be specific about your topic and goal - Define exactly what you want researched.
Provide context or scope - Specify time frames, geographic focus, or source preferences.
State your desired output format or depth - Request structured reports, comparisons, or summaries.
Include any specific questions or criteria - List subtopics or factors for comparison.
Use clear and direct language - Phrase instructions as you would for a human assistant.
Consider adding style or process instructions - Ask for particular tones, step-by-step approaches, or summaries.