How to organize research sources and check citations
Organizing research is not just generating a conclusion. Preserve the chain from question to source, quotation and claim. In the AI Mind Map research workspace, start with a question, add original passages, connect claims to exact quotations and judge whether the evidence supports each interpretation. A citation is not proof, and the tool does not verify facts for you.
1. Turn a topic into an answerable question
“User research” is a topic. “Why do existing users struggle to finish registration?” is a question you can investigate. Open the research workspace, enter your question and start a project. You can name it later.
If you have no material yet, open the built in example. It is a fictional case that requires neither an account nor AI credits.
2. Keep the source and its context
Add a title and original text in Sources. Include the author or organization, date and document name in the title so you can find it again. Keep passages about sample size, time period and limitations rather than copying only the sentence you agree with.
Paste text or upload UTF-8 .txt or .md files. For a PDF, use Document to Markdown first, then select the passages you need. Renaming a PDF does not convert it. Parsing requires sign in and shared credits; pasting text does not.
3. Separate your claim from the exact quotation
After adding a source, move to claims. Write a claim manually, choose its source and copy the supporting quotation, or ask AI for proposals and decide whether to apply them. Your claim is an interpretation; the quotation is the source text.
The interview example below supports a statement about the existing users interviewed. It cannot establish why all prospective users abandon registration. Keep the claim within the scope of the evidence.
4. Check whether the quotation supports the claim
Select a quotation under a claim to open the original passage in a side panel with the matching text highlighted. Check the surrounding qualifications, measurement definitions and counterexamples before accepting, rejecting or leaving the claim unreviewed. Close the panel to return to your reading position.
Keep conflicting evidence and record the next question you need to investigate. Matching words do not establish support, and correlation does not establish causation.
5. Keep a backup and distinguish local from cloud storage
Projects are stored in the current browser, separately for a guest or account. Changing browser, clearing site data or switching accounts may hide or remove a local project. Back up important work.
Open Projects and Backup & restore to export a project JSON file. It restores a workspace project; it is not a way to upload a paper or PDF. After signing in, you can explicitly save to the private cloud. Local edits are not automatically uploaded.
Example input → Example output
Example input
Fictional source: registration interviews, October 2026
We interviewed 10 existing users; 7 said registration had too many steps.
We did not interview people who abandoned registration or run a controlled comparison.Example output
Claim: Too many registration steps was a common concern among the existing users interviewed.
Quote: We interviewed 10 existing users; 7 said registration had too many steps.
Limit: This does not estimate the abandonment rate among all prospective users.
Next question: What do people who abandoned registration report, and how do two flows compare?Limitations
- AI and document parsing share 30 free uses per account each month. Workflows with multiple requests can consume multiple credits.
- Sources, quotations and AI output can contain errors. The workspace does not verify authorship, source credibility or causation.
- When you request AI, relevant input is sent to a model service. Document parsing sends material to MinerU. Do not submit sensitive material or content you lack permission to process.
- Browser storage is not cloud sync. Keep backups and check the scope of a share before publishing it.
FAQ
Can I organize sources without AI?
Yes. Create a question, add sources, write claims, check quotations and export a project locally without using AI credits. AI requests require sign in.
Does a citation make a claim trustworthy?
No. A citation locates the source. You still need to check its reliability, sample and time period, and whether it supports the interpretation.
Can I import a PDF or any JSON file?
Parse PDFs with Document to Markdown, then add relevant passages. JSON restores projects exported from this research workspace; it is not a general document upload format.