Interactive Deep Research Lesson 2: assemble a report spine and judge which sources are solid enough to cite, with an AI Coach.
Deep Research · Lesson 2Pro ~14 min · Builds on Lesson 1
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Competitor & market reports you'd put your name on.
A brief answers one question; a report builds the whole picture. This lesson is multi-source synthesis — the structure of a competitor or market report you'd sign, and citations you can actually trust under each claim.
The mental model
A report is a brief with structure and depth — and its credibility lives entirely in its sources.
Where a brief gives you a fast read on one decision, a report lays out a landscape: who the players are, how they compare, where the openings are. AI synthesizes the pile of sources into that structure — but a report is only as trustworthy as the sources under it, so curation matters more, not less.
The reframeStructure first, then fill. Tell AI the exact sections you want before it researches, so it gathers toward a report instead of dumping facts you have to organize.
Step 01 · Build the report structure
A report you'd sign has a predictable spine. Switch on the sections you want AI to gather toward:
Report spine:
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Report promptBuild a [market/competitor] report on [topic] to help me decide [decision]. Sections in order: executive summary, the landscape, competitor profiles (compare each on the same criteria), gaps and opportunities. Cite every claim. Flag where sources disagree and where evidence is thin. Note the date of each key figure.
That spine forces AI to gather toward a structured report — and comparing every competitor on the same criteria is what makes profiles actually comparable, not just a pile of write-ups.
Step 02 · Judge the sources
A report's credibility is its sources. Tap each — solid enough to cite, or weak?
Multi-source synthesis hides single points of failure. One bad source buried in a confident report taints the conclusion. Spot-check the figures that drive the decision, prefer primary and independent sources, and treat any vendor's self-description as a claim, not a fact.
Your challenge: build a report you'd sign
Define the report's spine before researching.
Run the report prompt in a citation-showing tool.
Compare every competitor on the same criteria.
Spot-check the sources behind the decision-driving figures.
✓
Lesson complete
You can structure a competitor or market report, drive multi-source synthesis toward it, compare players on common criteria, and judge the sources that carry the conclusion.
Hey! I'm your AI Coach for this lesson. Ask me anything about building competitor and market reports — structure, synthesis, or judging sources. What's on your mind?
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