> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.notis.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Research Assistant
> Kick off deep, multi-source research with one sentence. Notis investigates across the web, your Notion workspace, and any document you share, then files the findings in your Research database.
## Quick start: speak these
> *Do a deep research on Notis competitors and save it to my Research database.*
> *Compare the pricing of HubSpot, Pipedrive, and Salesforce, including hidden enterprise fees.*
> *Find recent academic papers on retrieval-augmented generation and summarize the key takeaways.*
> *Research what's been said about us online in the last 30 days.*
Notis turns one prompt into a structured research brief — without you opening 40 tabs.
## Research workflow
### 1. Frame the question
Be specific about what you want to learn:
> *Research the top five YC-backed AI productivity companies. For each, list pricing, target persona, and recent funding.*
> *Investigate why customer churn spikes after month two for SaaS in our category.*
> *Build a market map for AI meeting assistants released in 2026.*
The clearer the framing, the sharper the output.
### 2. Scope the sources
Tell Notis where to look:
> *Use the web only.*
> *Cross-reference my Notion CRM and the public web.*
> *Use this attached PDF plus public Glassdoor reviews.*
By default, Notis pulls from the web, your Notion workspace, and any document you've attached. Specifying scope avoids confusion when sources contradict each other.
Deep research can run on your Notion workspace, the web, or documents shared in chat. **To avoid confusion, instruct Notis which sources to include before kicking off the research.** Read more in the [Deep Research](/tools/deep-research) reference.
### 3. Let it run
Deep research can take up to 60 minutes. While it runs, Notis queues your other messages so nothing gets lost.
> *Heads up — this one's a deep one. Let me know when it's done.*
You'll get a notification when results are ready.
### 4. Save the output to Notion
Persist the findings:
> *Save the report to my Research database under "Competitive landscape".*
> *Create one Notion page per competitor with the structured summary.*
> *Append the new findings to my existing market map page.*
Notis writes the output where you tell it, with the source links preserved.
### 5. Iterate
Research is rarely one-shot. Push for more depth:
> *Go deeper on the pricing strategies — I want to see the discount mechanics.*
> *Re-run this for the European market only.*
> *Pull the actual quotes from each source instead of summaries.*
Each follow-up builds on the prior context.
## Set up your Research database in Notion
The Notis Second Brain template includes a [Research database](/get-started/notion) where Notis can save investigations.
Add a description to the database explaining your preferred output format. Example: "*Each entry should have: title, scope (web/Notion/document), sources cited, key findings (bullets), open questions, and recommended next step.*" Notis follows the description on every save.
## Recommended Integrations
| Integration | What it enables | Examples |
| --------------------- | ----------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------ |
| **Research Database** | Store and revisit research outputs | Notion |
| **Web Search** | Pull current information from the web | Built-in |
| **Documents** | Attach PDFs, reports, or transcripts as inputs | Built-in |
| **Notes** | Save quick research one-pagers | Notion |
| **CRM** | Enrich account or contact records with research | HubSpot, Pipedrive, Salesforce |
## Automations
### Weekly competitor scan
Use this automation to monitor competitors automatically and surface anything new.
1. In the [Notis portal](https://app.notis.ai), open the **Automations** tab and create a new scheduled automation.
2. Set the schedule to **Every Monday at 8:00 AM**.
3. Paste and adapt this instruction:
```
Run a competitor pulse for the past 7 days.
Targets:
- Competitor A
- Competitor B
- Competitor C
For each, look for:
- Product launches or feature announcements
- Pricing changes
- Funding news
- Public blog posts, podcasts, or interviews
- Notable hires
- Significant social media discussion (positive or negative)
Output format:
### {Competitor name}
- Highlight 1 (with source link)
- Highlight 2 (with source link)
- "So what" — one line on why it matters for us
Save the brief in my Research database titled: Competitor Pulse — YYYY-MM-DD
Then send me the TL;DR in chat: top 3 things I should know this week.
```
### Pre-meeting account research
Pair this with calendar triggers to research accounts before sales calls.
1. Create a new automation with trigger **Calendar Event Starting** (15 minutes before).
2. Paste and adapt:
```
A meeting is about to start. If the meeting includes external attendees from a company,
research that company before kickoff.
Steps:
1. Identify the company from the attendee email domains.
2. Pull recent news, funding, and team size.
3. Check our CRM for prior touchpoints with this company.
4. Output a 6-bullet brief in chat:
- Company snapshot
- Recent news (with link)
- Tech stack signals (if findable)
- Past interactions in our CRM
- Suggested talking points
- Watch-outs
```
## Pro tips
* **Specify sources every time**: One sentence — "use the web only" or "include my Notion workspace" — saves hours of misdirected research.
* **Time-box your asks**: "*Quick scan, 10-minute version*" vs. "*Full deep research, no time limit*". Notis adjusts depth accordingly.
* **Chain research → output**: "*Research X, then draft a blog post about it*" runs both steps in sequence.
* **Save the prompts that work**: Once you find a research prompt you like (competitor pulse, customer interview synthesis, etc.), turn it into an automation so you never rewrite it.
* **Cite-or-fail**: Ask Notis to "*include sources for every claim*" — anything without a citation gets removed.