Research Node

Overview #

The Research Node is a powerful component that leverages Perplexity’s Sonar technology to conduct real-time research, gather information, and provide comprehensive analysis. It’s designed to streamline the process of collecting and synthesizing information while maintaining high accuracy and source credibility.

Key Features #

Advanced Model Selection #

• Sonar: Fast and efficient model with real-time web search capability. Ideal for quick research tasks and general queries.
• Sonar Pro: Enhanced model offering improved citation quality and support for complex queries. Perfect for academic research and detailed analysis.
• Sonar Reasoning: Specialized model powered by DeepSeek R1, hosted in US data centers. Focuses on step-by-step reasoning and analytical tasks. Excellent for problem-solving and detailed explanations.

Smart Search Capabilities #

• Real-time web search integration
• Configurable search recency filters (past 24 hours to past year)
• Domain filtering for targeted research
  • Include domains: wikipedia.org (only include results from Wikipedia)
  • Exclude domains: -facebook.com (exclude all results from Facebook)
  • Multiple filters: wikipedia.org -facebook.com (include Wikipedia, exclude Facebook)
• Custom citation options
• Search context preservation

Customizable Parameters #

Basic Settings #

• Temperature (0-2)
  • Controls response creativity and randomness
  • Lower values (0-0.5): More focused, deterministic responses
  • Higher values (0.5-2): More creative and diverse outputs

Advanced Parameters #

• Top P (0-1)
  • Controls cumulative probability for token sampling
  • Helps balance between focused and diverse responses
• Frequency Penalty (-2 to 2)
  • Reduces repetition of frequent tokens
  • Cannot be used simultaneously with Presence Penalty
• Presence Penalty (-2 to 2)
  • Reduces repetition of all tokens
  • Cannot be used simultaneously with Frequency Penalty

Search Configuration Options #

• Real-time Search Toggle: Enable/disable live web searching
• Citation Integration: Include or exclude source citations
• Recency Filters:
  • Any time
  • Past 24 hours
  • Past week
  • Past month
  • Past year
• Domain Filtering:
  • Add specific domains to focus or restrict search scope
  • Examples:
    • sciencedirect.com nature.com (only search these academic sources)
    • -pinterest.com -instagram.com (exclude social media sites)
    • gov.uk -blog.gov.uk (include government sites but exclude their blog)
    • microsoft.com -answers.microsoft.com (include Microsoft but exclude community answers)

Output Options #

Available Node Outputs #

1. Research Results: [[content] from node-id]
   • Main research findings and analysis
2. Citations (when enabled): [[citations] from node-id]
   • Source references and citations
3. Search Context (when enabled): [[search_context] from node-id]
   • Additional context from the search process

Use Cases #

Academic Research #

• Literature reviews
• Background research
• Source gathering
• Fact verification

Business Intelligence #

• Market analysis
• Competitor research
• Industry trends
• Real-time news monitoring

Content Creation #

• Topic research
• Fact-checking
• Source compilation
• Content enhancement

Technical Analysis #

• Technology trends
• Product research
• Technical documentation
• Problem-solving support

Best Practices #

Query Optimization #

1. Be specific with research queries
2. Use domain filters for targeted results
3. Adjust recency filters based on topic currency
4. Enable citations for verifiable information

Model Selection Guidelines #

• Use Sonar for:
  • Quick fact-checking
  • General information gathering
  • Simple queries
• Use Sonar Pro for:
  • Academic research
  • Detailed analysis
  • Complex queries requiring extensive sources
• Use Sonar Reasoning (DeepSeek R1) for:
  • Problem-solving tasks
  • Step-by-step analysis
  • Logical reasoning requirements
  • Complex technical explanations

Parameter Optimization #

1. For Factual Research:
   • Lower temperature (0.1-0.3)
   • Enable citations
   • Use specific domain filters
   • Example: arxiv.org nature.com -researchgate.net
2. For Creative Analysis:
   • Higher temperature (0.6-0.8)
   • Adjust top_p for controlled creativity
   • Balance frequency/presence penalties
3. For Real-time Monitoring:
   • Enable real-time search
   • Set appropriate recency filters
   • Use domain filtering for reliable sources
   • Example: reuters.com bloomberg.com -opinion.bloomberg.com

Integration Tips #

Workflow Integration #

• Chain with AI Model nodes for enhanced analysis
• Connect to Output nodes for result presentation
• Use with Condition nodes for selective processing
• Combine with Parser nodes for structured data extraction

Advanced Usage #

1. Dynamic query construction using input from previous nodes
2. Multi-step research workflows
3. Automated report generation
4. Fact-verification chains

Performance Considerations #

• Higher temperatures may increase response variability
• Complex queries work best with Sonar Pro
• Domain filtering can impact search speed
• Citations may increase processing time
• Sonar Reasoning (DeepSeek R1) may have slightly longer processing times due to its advanced reasoning capabilities