Research something without opening twenty tabs

Research spirals. One question opens three tabs, each of those opens two more, and an hour later you have twenty tabs and no clearer answer than when you started, because you never had a decision to research toward, just a question.

Do this

1. Name the decision this research needs to support, not just the topic. “Should I refinance” is a decision. “Mortgage rates” is a topic that spirals.
2. Ask for a research brief, using the prompt below, not a general summary.
3. Read the “still needs checking” section first. That’s the part worth your remaining time, not the part it’s already confident about.
4. Verify anything the decision actually hinges on, using a real source, not this conversation.

The decision I'm trying to make: [state it specifically]
What I already know or assume: [list it, even if you're not sure it's right]

Give me a research brief:
1. What's generally agreed on, relevant to this decision
2. Where sources or experts disagree, and why
3. What specifically I should verify myself before deciding, and
   where (a specific type of source, not just "look it up")

Separate what's well-established from what's uncertain. Don't
present a debated point as settled.

Check this before you trust it

• Anything presented as a fact with no clear source type attached. “Studies show” without saying which kind of study is a claim to verify, not a fact to accept.
• Whether the information could be stale. Ask directly: “is this the kind of thing that changes often, like a rate or a policy?” If yes, check a current source before deciding.
• The one or two facts your actual decision depends on most. Those get verified regardless of how confident everything else sounded.

If it goes wrong

It states a controversial claim as settled fact. Ask it directly: “is this actually agreed on, or is there real debate here?” A well-built brief should surface disagreement instead of picking a side quietly.

The brief is thorough but doesn’t actually help you decide. That usually means the decision in step 1 was still too vague. Narrow it: not “should I travel more,” but “should I take this specific trip in March.”

You find a source that contradicts what it told you. Trust the source you can check yourself over the summary. Ask it to reconcile the two, and treat a confident non-answer as a sign to keep digging on your own.

You’re going in circles again despite the brief. Stop and write down, in one sentence, what would actually change your mind. If nothing on the list of “still needs checking” would change your mind, you may already have enough to decide.