When I began my thesis, I felt confused. There were many research papers and many databases, and I did not know where to start. Over time I found some tools that made the work easier. Here are the things that helped me.
Finding the right papers with Consensus
The first step in research is finding useful studies. I use Consensus for this. Consensus helps you see what many papers say in common. Instead of reading 20 papers one by one, you can quickly find the main ideas.
I use it a lot for the theory part of my thesis. When you need to cite definitions or well-known ideas, Consensus finds trustworthy sources. You get citations from real research, not random web pages.
The search is simple. You type a question or topic and it shows papers with short snippets. The snippets tell you if the research supports, disagrees with, or adds details to your question. This saves a lot of time compared to searching through databases by hand.
Using ChatGPT Deep Research for related studies
I also use ChatGPT deep research for finding related work. Even though I use other tools for daily tasks, ChatGPT’s deep research is the most useful for academic work. It organizes information in a clear way.
There is a limit on how much you can use deep research on free plans, but for writing a thesis it is usually enough. I use it when I want to find studies similar to mine or see how other researchers solved a problem.
Deep research looks beyond one or two sources. It searches many papers and combines their results. This is helpful when you write a literature review and need to know the current state of research.
For example, when I did not know how others had used a specific method, I asked ChatGPT to research it. It returned a detailed list of different approaches and gave me citations to check. That saved me many hours of searching.
Going deeper with NotebookLM
After finding papers with Consensus and ChatGPT, the next step is understanding them. I use NotebookLM for that.
NotebookLM is made for self-study. You upload papers, notes, or other documents, and it helps explain them. It is like a study partner who has read all your files.
I upload the main papers I collected, then ask NotebookLM to explain hard parts or make short summaries. Sometimes I ask it to compare two researchers’ approaches. This helps me understand ideas without reading the same hard text many times.
The tool also helps you organize sources. That is useful when you have references from different fields or methods. Instead of messy notes, NotebookLM gives a clear space to see how papers connect.
Why this workflow works
This three-step process worked for me because each tool does a different job. Consensus finds papers quickly. ChatGPT gives a wider view of the research. NotebookLM helps you understand details.
These tools do not replace careful thinking or reading. You still need to check sources, verify citations, and build your own arguments. But the tools make the hard parts of research easier.
At first I thought research meant many hours in the library or endless database searches. These tools did not make research easy, but they made it less frustrating and more focused.
If you are writing a thesis or a research project, try this order: start with Consensus, then use ChatGPT to explore, and finish with NotebookLM to study the papers. You will save time and understand your topic better.