# Deep research mode

**Source:** https://promtable.com/glossary/deep-research-mode

> Deep research mode is the multi-hour LLM-agent feature that runs an autonomous research loop — searches dozens of sources, reads, synthesizes, cites — and returns a structured report. OpenAI Deep Research, Perplexity Pro Research, Gemini Deep Research, Claude Research are 2026 examples.

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Deep research mode is the multi-hour LLM-agent feature that runs an autonomous research loop — searches dozens of sources, reads, synthesizes, cites — and returns a structured report. OpenAI Deep Research, Perplexity Pro Research, Gemini Deep Research, Claude Research are 2026 examples.

Standard chat answers in seconds; deep research takes 5-30 minutes and returns a multi-page report with citations. Behind the scenes: agent plans search queries, fans out across sources, reads pages, ranks evidence, synthesizes, drafts the report, self-critiques, iterates. The output is closer to a junior analyst's first draft than to a search result. Production gotchas: cost (each run can be $5-20 in API tokens), latency (users must wait), citation accuracy (not every cited source backs the claim), source quality (SEO spam can sneak in), reproducibility (same query gives different reports). Best use: starting point for serious research, not the final answer. By 2026 deep research is the headline feature of every consumer AI product tier.

## When to use

- First-draft research before human verification.
- Competitive landscape scans, due diligence prep.

## Common mistakes

- Treating the report as final — every citation needs to be re-verified.
- Running deep research on simple fact-find queries — wasted minutes + dollars.

## Related terms

- [search-grounded-generation](https://promtable.com/glossary/search-grounded-generation)
- [research-agent](https://promtable.com/glossary/research-agent)
- [background-agent](https://promtable.com/glossary/background-agent)

*Last updated: 2026-06-01*
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Original page: https://promtable.com/glossary/deep-research-mode
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