The key idea
Perplexity can be evaluated as a research and discovery tool. An answer containing links still requires a check that those sources support the precise claims.
Our method
Ask narrow questions with a defined geography, period and decision purpose. Open the source pages, record dates and separate primary evidence from commentary. Keep contradictory findings in the brief rather than selecting only supportive material.
How to assess progress
Check coverage, stale information and unsupported extrapolations. A concise answer is not a complete market study, and search results do not establish the reliability of every source.
Decision
Decide which uncertainty requires external evidence, and how current that evidence must be. A competitor's public offer, a historical industry measure and a buyer's private motivation call for different sources. Limit the discovery question to a geography, period and definition you can actually verify.
Exercise
Ask one narrow research question, then split the resulting answer into individual factual claims. Open every source supporting a claim material to the decision. Record whether it is original evidence, a secondary interpretation or a page repeating another source. Run a second query designed to find contrary evidence and compare the coverage rather than counting links.
Deliverable
Deliver a source dossier with question, exact claim, source title, publication or observation date, relevant passage and coverage limitation. Add a list of claims you rejected or could not verify. Finish with the decision implication and the remaining research needed, keeping discovery output separate from the final evidence brief.
Pitfall
Several linked pages may all rely on the same underlying announcement. Count independent evidence, not apparent source volume. If the answer gives a precise figure that the cited page does not contain, remove or qualify it instead of searching only for material that makes the figure look plausible.
Official sources
PerplexityDemos
A synthetic CSV covers four campaigns across two periods. The question: does improving overall return hide a problem?
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