Perplexity: Search scientific information with confidence
You can quickly check and verify the sources of information.
Perplexity.ai is one of my favorite AI tools for searching and analyzing scientific literature.
It’s better suited for searching and summarizing scientific information, including the latest publications, without having to browse through Pubmed, Elsevier Science, Google Scholar, and many other websites.
Unlike ChatGPT, it displays the sources of the information used to generate the answer. This feature is handy because we — the humans — still need to double-check the facts rather than blindly trusting the bots.
It’s because the bots are incapable of providing 100% correct and accurate answers all of the time. They have yet to mature to the point where the generated error is extremely rare — so rare that it’s lower than the error rate made by a skilled human professional.
As a result, Perplexity output annotated with information sources allows users to determine where the information came from and whether those sources are trustworthy.
Example 1: The search for scientific information
Let’s pretend you’re looking for the most up-to-date information on cat vaccination recommendations.
Go to Perplexity.ai, and you’ll see a search bar similar to a search engine.
Enter your prompt: “What is the most recent recommendation for vaccinating a cat?”
Unlike a search engine, writing an entire prompt with more context and specificity is better than just putting keywords like “cat vaccination.”
The generated response includes the following:
(i) The answer annotated with references/citations
(ii) A list of clickable references to information sources
(iii) (Pro user feature) The AI model that was used to generate the answer is shown in the bottom right corner. In this case, the GPT-4 (other models are available). The free version is based on the GPT 3 model.
Edit the sources of information
The information sources are listed at the top of the answer. You will be directed to the cited website or document by clicking on them.
You can access a list of sources by clicking on Icon 1 in the bottom right corner.
Suppose you dislike some cited sources because they are untrustworthy; you can click the x buttons on the right to delete them.
Perplexity will rewrite your response without the deleted sources of information.
Copy and paste the answer with a list of citations
Assuming you are satisfied with the answer and citations, click Icon 2 and copy it to another document, such as a Word document.
With the numbered citations, the output is nicely formatted.
Only a few citations will be included in the text. For example, citations 3 and 5 are listed at the bottom but not explicitly cited within the text.
Here’s the answer (generated with GPT-4 model):
The most recent recommendation for vaccinating a cat comes from the 2020 AAHA/AAFP Feline Vaccination Guidelines. The Task Force recommends core vaccines for FHV-1, FCV, FPV, rabies, and FeLV (for cats younger than 1 year old) for both pet and shelter cats. Non-core vaccines, which are optional and based on the cat’s exposure risk, include FeLV (for cats older than 1 year), Chlamydia felis, and Bordetella bronchiseptica vaccines[1]. The vaccination schedule for kittens up to 1 year of age generally starts at 6–8 weeks with FVRCP and FeLV core vaccines[2]. Adult cats’ booster vaccinations should be re-administered every one to three years based on their lifestyle risk assessment[4]. It is essential to consult with a veterinarian to determine the appropriate vaccinations and schedule for each cat[4].
Citations: [1] https://www.aaha.org/aaha-guidelines/2020-aahaaafp-feline-vaccination-guidelines/feline-vaccination-home/ [2] https://petmd.com/cat/wellness/essential-cat-vaccinations [3] https://catvets.com/guidelines/practice-guidelines/aafp-aaha-feline-vaccination [4] https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/vaccines-for-cats [5] https://www.aaha.org/globalassets/02-guidelines/feline-vaccination-guidlines/resource-center/2020-aahaa-afp-feline-vaccination-guidelines.pdf
Example 2: A search for the most recent information
Perplexity has up-to-the-minute information. You can use it to search for the latest trend or list the most recent papers on a specific topic.
Assume you’re working on a new project concerning cat vaccination. You don’t have a cat (how unfortunate) and are unfamiliar with the advancements in veterinary medicine.
You can get a quick overview of the topic by asking, “List 10 most recent publications related to cat vaccination.”
It will display a list of papers and links to the sources. You can choose which papers to read and focus on for your project.
You can also ask follow-up questions to fine-tune your responses or get clarification on specific topics.
Example 3: Reformat the response as a table
Do you want to impress your boss or peers? Reformat the response into a table with a brief description for each paper.
To edit your prompt, click on Icon 3 (located in the bottom right corner).
Include the following phrase in your prompt:
Tabulate the answer into 3 columns: “Year of Publication,” “Title,” and “Short Description.”
Your prompt should look at this:
List 10 most recent publications related to cat vaccination. Tabulate the answer into 3 columns: “Year of Publication,” “Title,” and “Short Description.”
Here are some helpful table formatting tips:
- Use quotes to ensure the bot uses the exact wording you specified as the column header. Without the quotes, the bot can change the word as it sees fit.
- The “Year” column is intentionally titled “Year of Publication” to increase the column’s width. This ensures that the years are displayed in their entirety rather than as 202–3 in two rows due to the small column width.
- It is easier to reformat the answer by editing the prompt rather than asking a follow-up question.
Affiliate Disclosure
Perplexity is available for free.
You can also subscribe to Perplexity Pro and gain access to premium features such as Copilot, GPT-4, Claude-2.1, Perplexity 70b AI models, unlimited file upload, and others that will supercharge your productivity.
Begin with a $20/month Perplexity Pro subscription.
- Subscribers are eligible for a full refund within 14 days of their initial purchase.
Use this referral link to save $10 on your subscription.
https://perplexity.ai/pro?referral_code=YQGPR1B9
I’ll also get $10 off my Perplexity Pro subscription if you sign up. Thank you so much for your support!
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Conclusion
- Perplexity is an excellent AI tool (or knowledge assistant) for searching and analyzing scientific information.
- The search result includes a list of citations that users can use to verify the credibility of the sources.
- Users can also easily exclude the cited sources from the answer.
- Because Perplexity has access to real-time information, users can search for the latest trends and list the most recent papers on a specific topic.
- It is simple to convert the answer to a table format.
- Perplexity Pro includes premium features that can help you increase your productivity.
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