Consensus is an AI-powered academic search engine that helps users find and understand scientific research. It searches through over 200 million peer-reviewed papers to provide evidence-based answers to research questions.
The platform's standout feature is its Consensus Meter, which shows how much agreement exists among scientists on specific topics. Users can ask yes/no questions and quickly see where the research community stands. The tool also includes Pro Analysis for content creation and advanced search filters to narrow down results by factors like study design and sample size.
Students, researchers, and professionals can access the platform through various subscription tiers. The free plan offers limited searches and analyses, while paid plans unlock unlimited features. Student discounts are available with verified academic email addresses.
When using Consensus, you'll get paper summaries, citation tools, and quality indicators for each study. The platform updates its database monthly and maintains accuracy by only pulling from peer-reviewed sources. This helps ensure users can find reliable scientific information without having to wade through questionable content.
Consensus appears to be a promising AI-powered academic search tool that helps researchers quickly find and understand scientific papers. Users appreciate its easy-to-use interface and ability to provide rapid, research-based insights, making literature reviews more straightforward and efficient.
However, the platform isn't without limitations. Some users point out that Consensus lacks advanced features like follow-up question support and real-time research paper updates. While it offers valuable research assistance, the tool may not always include the most recent academic publications, which could potentially impact its comprehensive research capabilities.
The Free plan gives you 10 GPT-4 powered Pro Analyses, 10 Study Snapshots, and 10 Ask Paper messages per month. You'll also get unlimited searches across our 200M+ research papers database. Premium removes all these limits - you get unlimited Pro Analyses, Study Snapshots, and Ask Paper messages, plus unlimited bookmarks and custom lists. If you're a student, you can get 40% off Premium with a verified .edu or .ac email.
How accurate is Consensus compared to doing my own research?Consensus pulls from peer-reviewed scientific papers, so it's as accurate as the research it cites. Unlike doing Google searches where you might find mixed information, Consensus only uses verified academic sources. The key difference is speed - what might take you hours of reading papers can be done in seconds. Each finding links back to its source, so you can always check the original research if you need to verify anything.
Can I use Consensus for my research paper or thesis?Yes! Many students and researchers use Consensus to speed up literature reviews and find relevant papers. The tool helps you identify key studies in your field and shows you where there's agreement or disagreement on a topic. The citation tools make it easy to properly cite sources in your work. Just remember that Consensus is a starting point - you should still read the full papers for critical analysis in academic work.
Why does Consensus sometimes give different answers to similar questions?This happens because even small changes in how you phrase a question can lead to different papers being selected. Science isn't always black and white - researchers might use different methods or study different populations. Try rewording your question or using the filters to narrow results by date, sample size, or study type. The Consensus Meter is useful here - it shows you if there's strong agreement or mixed findings on a topic.
How often is the Consensus database updated?The database is updated monthly with new research papers. Currently, Consensus includes over 200 million papers across many scientific fields. The team works to add new papers as they become available, but there's always a slight delay between when research is published and when it appears in the database. For very recent developments, you might need to supplement with other sources.
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