Consensus: AI Search Engine for Scientific Research

Introduction

Consensus (consensus.app) is an AI-powered search engine specifically designed to help users find evidence-based answers and insights directly from scientific research papers. Its core mission is to make scientific knowledge more accessible, efficient, and digestible for researchers, students, clinicians, health and wellness enthusiasts, and anyone seeking reliable information grounded in peer-reviewed studies. Unlike traditional academic search engines that primarily return lists of papers, Consensus uses AI to extract and synthesize actual findings related to user queries, providing direct answers and overviews of scientific agreement.

The platform leverages advanced AI, including large language models (like GPT-4 for some features) and vector search technology, to analyze its extensive database of over 200 million research papers. It aims to streamline the research process, facilitate evidence-based decision-making, and help users quickly understand the current state of scientific understanding on a topic.

Key Features

Consensus offers a unique set of AI-driven features for navigating scientific literature:

• AI-Powered Search for Research Papers:
  • Users can ask questions in natural language (e.g., "Does morning sunlight improve mood?").
  • The AI understands the intent and searches its database of over 200 million peer-reviewed papers to find relevant studies.
• Direct Extraction of Findings:
  • Goes beyond keyword matching to extract actual findings, claims, and key takeaways from papers that directly address the user's question.
• Synthesis Feature (AI-Powered Analysis):
  • (Premium feature) For many questions, Consensus can synthesize information from the top-cited papers to provide a concise, AI-generated summary of what the research says.
  • This feature often utilizes models like GPT-4 to generate cited topic overviews, which can be further customized by the user.
• Consensus Meter:
  • For "Yes/No" type questions, this feature provides a visual representation of the apparent scientific consensus among the top-cited, relevant papers.
  • It categorizes findings as "Yes," "No," "Possibly," or "Mixed," showing the number of papers supporting each stance.
  • Includes a "Consensus Meter Snapshot" which gives a short summary of each position and summary statistics across quality indicators.
• Study Snapshot:
  • Provides a quick overview of key details for individual research papers, including:
    • Population and Sample Size
    • Methods and Study Design (e.g., RCT, Meta-analysis, Systematic Review)
    • Outcomes/Results
    • Key Takeaways
• Advanced Filtering & Sorting:
  • Filter search results by study type (e.g., Randomized Controlled Trials, Meta-Analyses, Systematic Reviews, Case Reports, etc.).
  • Filter by journal quality (e.g., Q1 journals - top 25% in their field).
  • Filter by publication date, sample size, and other study characteristics.
  • Sort results by relevance, recency, or citation count.
• Research Quality Indicators:
  • Displays intuitive tags and information about study rigor, journal impact, and citation counts to help users assess the quality of the evidence.
• Source Linking & Citations:
  • All extracted findings and synthesized answers are clearly linked back to the original research papers.
  • Provides tools to easily create citations for individual papers in various formats (APA, MLA, Chicago, etc.).
  • Integrates with reference managers like Zotero, Paperpile, and EndNote (via RIS export).
• "Ask Paper" Feature (Chat with PDFs):
  • (Premium feature) Allows users to chat directly with full-text PDF papers (when available) to ask clarifying questions about methodology, specific charts, or details within the paper.
• Lists & Bookmarks:
  • Save individual papers or entire search results to custom lists for organization and later review.
  • Export lists to CSV.
• Search History: Users can view and manage their previous search history.
• Chrome Extension (Consensus SNAP):
  • Allows users to get Consensus insights (e.g., findings from research papers) while Browse other websites or reading articles online. It can also be used for creating and sharing interactive video demos (this seems to be a broader functionality of "Consensus SNAP" which might be a distinct product or an expanded feature).

Specific Use Cases

Consensus is a valuable tool for a variety of research and information-seeking tasks:

• Finding Evidence-Based Answers: Quickly get answers to scientific, medical, health, fitness, social science, or other research-based questions, supported by peer-reviewed literature.
• Conducting Literature Reviews (Especially Initial Stages): Efficiently identify key papers, synthesize findings, and understand the general consensus on a research topic.
• Fact-Checking Claims: Verify claims or statements by quickly finding relevant scientific evidence.
• Academic Writing & Research:
  • Support theses, dissertations, and research papers with credible, cited sources.
  • Identify relevant studies for inclusion in research projects.
  • Understand methodologies and findings of related work.
• Staying Updated on Research: Keep abreast of the latest research in a specific field by searching for recent studies.
• Healthcare & Clinical Decision Making: (For professionals) Quickly find evidence from clinical trials, meta-analyses, and systematic reviews to inform practice (while always cross-referencing with clinical expertise and guidelines).
• Health & Wellness Enthusiasts: Access and understand scientific findings related to diet, exercise, supplements, and well-being.
• Policy Making & Journalism: Gather scientific evidence to inform policy decisions or write evidence-based articles.

Usage Guide

Here's how to generally use the Consensus app:

1. Visit Consensus & Sign Up/Log In:
   • Go to https://consensus.app/.
   • You can often perform a limited number of searches without an account. For full functionality, saving history, and accessing premium features, sign up for a free account or a paid subscription.
2. Formulate Your Research Question:
   • In the search bar, type your question in natural language. For the "Consensus Meter" to work best, phrase questions as "Yes/No" type queries (e.g., "Does meditation reduce anxiety?").
   • For broader exploration, you can use more open-ended questions or keywords.
3. Review Search Results:
   • Consensus Meter (if applicable): If your question is a "Yes/No" type, the Consensus Meter will appear below the search bar, showing a visual summary of findings from top papers. Click the table icon for the "Consensus Meter Snapshot" which provides summaries for each stance.
   • List of Papers: Below the meter (or as the primary result for other types of questions), you'll see a list of relevant research papers.
   • Extracted Findings/Answers: For each paper, Consensus often displays a key takeaway or a direct answer snippet relevant to your query.
   • Study Snapshots: Quickly view crucial details like study design, sample size, population, methods, and outcomes for each paper.
   • Quality Indicators: Look for tags related to journal quality (e.g., Q1), study type, and citation counts.
4. Use Filters to Refine Results:
   • On the search results page, use the available filters to narrow down your results by:
     • Study Type: (e.g., RCT, Meta-analysis, Systematic Review).
     • Journal Rank/Quartile.
     • Publication Date.
     • Sample Size and other specific study characteristics.
5. Dive Deeper into Papers:
   • "Ask Paper" (Premium): If you have a Premium subscription and full-text is available to Consensus, you can use the "Ask Paper" feature to chat directly with the PDF of a paper to get specific questions answered about its content.
   • Source Links: Click on the title or source links to (where possible) access the full paper on the publisher's website or a preprint server.
6. Synthesize Information (Synthesis Feature - Premium):
   • For many research questions, Premium users can use the "Synthesis" feature. This AI-powered tool reads the top several papers and generates a paragraph or an overview that summarizes the findings, complete with citations. You can often prompt it to change the formatting, style, or focus of the synthesis.
7. Save, Cite, and Export:
   • Bookmarks/Lists: Save interesting papers or entire searches to custom lists for organization.
   • Create Citations: Use the built-in citation generator to create citations for individual papers in various formats (APA, MLA, Chicago, etc.).
   • Export: Export your search results or saved lists to CSV files. Integrate with reference managers like Zotero, Paperpile, or EndNote via RIS export.
8. Use the Chrome Extension (Consensus SNAP):
   • Install the extension to get insights from Consensus while Browse other websites, or to use its video demo creation features (if using that aspect of SNAP).

Pricing & Plans

Consensus offers a free plan and several paid subscription tiers:

• Free Plan:
  • Cost: $0/month.
  • Features: Unlimited searches across the 200M+ research paper database. Access to some basic features like research quality indicators.
  • Limitations: Limited number of uses for premium AI features per month (e.g., 10 GPT-4 powered Pro Analyses/Syntheses, 10 Study Snapshots, 10 Ask Paper messages). Limited bookmarks and custom lists (e.g., 10 bookmarks, 1 custom list).
• Premium Plan:
  • Cost: ~$11.99/month (or a discounted annual rate, e.g., ~$8.99/month, billed as $107.88/year).
  • Features: Includes everything in Free, plus:
    • Unlimited GPT-4 powered Pro Analyses (Syntheses).
    • Unlimited Study Snapshots.
    • Unlimited Ask Paper messages.
    • Unlimited bookmarks and custom lists.
    • Full access to all filters and research quality indicators.
    • Direct access to new features and regular updates.
    • Export to CSV and RIS (for reference managers).
• Teams Plan:
  • Cost: Custom pricing depending on team size.
  • Features: All Premium features for each team member, plus:
    • Discounts for up to 200 seats.
    • Centralized billing and account management for the organization.
    • (Coming Soon features often include: Consensus Search API).
• Enterprise Plan:
  • Cost: Custom quote (email sales@consensus.app).
  • Features: Tailored for large organizations, universities, and institutes (200+ users). Includes all Premium features, plus:
    • Significant discounts for large groups.
    • Ability to manage thousands of users.
    • Early access to features in development.
    • Emphasis on secure and private data handling.
    • Centralized billing & account management.
    • Development partner program (for organizations with 500+ users).
    • Library integrations.

Note: Pricing, feature limits, and plan specifics are subject to change. Always check the official Consensus pricing page and Help Center (https://help.consensus.app/en/articles/10087865-subscription-plans) for the most current details.

Commercial Use & Licensing

• Consensus provides access to and summaries of publicly available research. The copyright of the original research papers remains with their respective authors and publishers.
• Users are responsible for adhering to the terms of use of the original publications if they access or use the full-text articles.
• Consensus's terms of service would outline the rights users have regarding the output generated by Consensus itself (e.g., summaries, syntheses). Typically, such tools are for research and information gathering; direct commercial resale of AI-generated summaries without significant original contribution might be restricted or require specific licensing.

Always refer to Consensus's official Terms of Service for definitive information on usage rights.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: What is Consensus? A1: Consensus is an AI-powered search engine designed to provide evidence-based answers directly from scientific research papers. It helps users quickly find, understand, and synthesize findings from peer-reviewed studies across all scientific domains.

Q2: How does Consensus find answers in research papers? A2: Consensus uses advanced AI, including large language models (LLMs) and vector search technology, to understand natural language questions. It then searches its database of over 200 million academic papers to find relevant studies and directly extracts key findings, claims, and study details related to the query.

Q3: What is the "Consensus Meter"? A3: For "Yes/No" type questions, the Consensus Meter provides a visual summary of how many top-cited, relevant papers support a "Yes," "No," or "Possibly/Mixed" conclusion, giving a quick overview of the direction of scientific agreement.

Q4: What is the "Synthesis" feature? A4: The Synthesis feature (a premium offering) uses AI (like GPT-4) to read the top relevant research papers for your question and generates a concise summary of their collective findings, complete with citations to the source papers.

Q5: What data sources does Consensus use? A5: Consensus searches a database of over 200 million peer-reviewed research papers sourced from platforms like Semantic Scholar (which includes content from publisher partners and aggregators like PubMed), OpenAlex, and Consensus's own crawl of the scholarly web. This covers a vast range of scientific disciplines.

Q6: Is Consensus free to use? A6: Consensus offers a free plan with unlimited searches and access to some features, but with monthly limits on its premium AI analysis tools like Synthesis, Study Snapshots, and Ask Paper. Paid Premium, Teams, and Enterprise plans offer unlimited access to these AI features and more.

Q7: How does Consensus ensure the quality of the research it presents? A7: Consensus provides several "Research Quality Indicators," such as highlighting study types (e.g., RCTs, Meta-analyses), journal rankings (e.g., Q1 journals), and citation counts. However, users are always encouraged to critically appraise the papers themselves.

Q8: Can Consensus be used for any type of question? A8: Consensus works best for questions that can be answered by scientific research. It is particularly effective for "Yes/No" questions (to trigger the Consensus Meter) and questions that require understanding findings from empirical studies.

Q9: Does Consensus have a Chrome Extension? A9: Yes, Consensus offers a Chrome extension called "Consensus SNAP," which can provide insights from research papers while you browse the web and also has features for creating interactive video demos (though the primary search functionality is its core connection to the Consensus app).

Data Privacy, Security, and Responsible AI

• Data Privacy: Consensus has a privacy policy detailing how user data (including search queries) is handled. They state that user and behavior data is anonymized, and search query text is logged to improve the search engine. For enterprise clients, options for not logging queries or immediate deletion can be available.
• Security: They outline their security practices and data management, emphasizing transparency.
• Responsible AI & Limitations: Consensus aims to make scientific information accessible but acknowledges the AI can make mistakes. It is a tool to aid research and understanding, not a replacement for critical thinking or expert consultation. Users should always verify information and consult original sources.

Related Links

• Consensus Official Website: https://consensus.app/
• Consensus Pricing / Subscription Plans: https://help.consensus.app/en/articles/10087865-subscription-plans (or linked from their main pricing page)
• Consensus Help Center: https://help.consensus.app/en/
• Consensus Blog: https://consensus.app/home/blog/
• About Consensus (Data Sources, Team, etc.): Often found in "About Us" or Help Center sections like "About our data."
• Consensus Security Information: https://help.consensus.app/en/articles/10093291-security
• Terms of Service: https://consensus.app/terms/ (or linked in website footer)
• Privacy Policy: https://consensus.app/privacy/ (or linked in website footer)