{"slug":"choose-a-research-model","id":"choose-a-research-model","type":"guide","title":"Choose a Research Model","description":"A decision playbook for choosing a model for research, synthesis, long-document analysis, evidence review, and structured summaries.","last_updated":"2026-04-24","last_verified":null,"verification_status":"unverified","markdown_url":"/content/guides/choose-a-research-model.md","html_url":"/guides/choose-a-research-model","api_url":"/api/v1/guides/choose-a-research-model.json","content_hash":"658cde1b52c06a4ed416222f3112afaf0471e53e6a0960b051ca85f8f8c6a867","sha256":"658cde1b52c06a4ed416222f3112afaf0471e53e6a0960b051ca85f8f8c6a867","tags":["research","models","playbook","analysis","long-context"],"relationships":{"links":[{"text":"GPT-5.4 Thinking","href":"/models/gpt-5.4-thinking","html_path":"/models/gpt-5.4-thinking","target_id":"gpt-5.4-thinking","target_type":"model","target_title":"GPT-5.4 Thinking"},{"text":"Claude Opus 4.6","href":"/models/claude-opus-4.6","html_path":"/models/claude-opus-4.6","target_id":"claude-opus-4.6","target_type":"model","target_title":"Claude Opus 4.6"},{"text":"Gemini 3.1 Pro","href":"/models/gemini-3.1-pro","html_path":"/models/gemini-3.1-pro","target_id":"gemini-3.1-pro","target_type":"model","target_title":"Gemini 3.1 Pro"},{"text":"DeepSeek R1","href":"/models/deepseek-r1","html_path":"/models/deepseek-r1","target_id":"deepseek-r1","target_type":"model","target_title":"DeepSeek R1"},{"text":"Qwen 3.5","href":"/models/qwen-3.5","html_path":"/models/qwen-3.5","target_id":"qwen-3.5","target_type":"model","target_title":"Qwen 3.5 397B-A17B"}],"related":[{"id":"best-for-task-matrix","title":"Best-For Task Matrix","type":"guide","html_url":"/guides/best-for-task-matrix","markdown_url":"/content/guides/best-for-task-matrix.md","shared_tags":["models","playbook"],"score":4},{"id":"choose-a-cheap-model","title":"Choose a Cheap Model","type":"guide","html_url":"/guides/choose-a-cheap-model","markdown_url":"/content/guides/choose-a-cheap-model.md","shared_tags":["models","playbook"],"score":4},{"id":"choose-a-local-model","title":"Choose a Local Model","type":"guide","html_url":"/guides/choose-a-local-model","markdown_url":"/content/guides/choose-a-local-model.md","shared_tags":["models","playbook"],"score":4},{"id":"choose-a-private-model","title":"Choose a Private Model","type":"guide","html_url":"/guides/choose-a-private-model","markdown_url":"/content/guides/choose-a-private-model.md","shared_tags":["models","playbook"],"score":4},{"id":"choose-a-coding-model","title":"Choose the Best AI Coding Model","type":"guide","html_url":"/guides/choose-a-coding-model","markdown_url":"/content/guides/choose-a-coding-model.md","shared_tags":["models","playbook"],"score":4},{"id":"ai-failure-modes","title":"AI Failure Modes","type":"guide","html_url":"/guides/failure-modes","markdown_url":"/content/guides/failure-modes.md","shared_tags":["models"],"score":3}],"explicit":{}},"metadata":{"title":"Choose a Research Model","type":"guide","id":"choose-a-research-model","description":"A decision playbook for choosing a model for research, synthesis, long-document analysis, evidence review, and structured summaries.","last_updated":"2026-04-24","tags":["research","models","playbook","analysis","long-context"]},"content_text":"# Choose a Research Model\n\nResearch models need reasoning, long context, reliable synthesis, and good writing. The best choice depends on whether the bottleneck is quality, context size, price, or source handling.\n\n## Short Answer\n\nUse [GPT-5.4 Thinking](/models/gpt-5.4-thinking) for hard reasoning, [Claude Opus 4.6](/models/claude-opus-4.6) for careful synthesis and writing, [Gemini 3.1 Pro](/models/gemini-3.1-pro) for long-context proprietary work, and [DeepSeek R1](/models/deepseek-r1) or [Qwen 3.5](/models/qwen-3.5) when open-source reasoning matters.\n\n## Decision Rules\n\n| Situation | Pick | Why |\n|-----------|------|-----|\n| Deep reasoning | GPT-5.4 Thinking | Highest reasoning emphasis in this dataset |\n| Careful synthesis | Claude Opus 4.6 | Strong reasoning and writing |\n| Long context | Gemini 3.1 Pro or Claude Opus 4.6 | Large context options |\n| Budget research | DeepSeek R1 | Low-cost reasoning option |\n| Multilingual research | Qwen 3.5 or Gemini 3.1 Pro | Strong multilingual signals |\n| Fast summarization | Gemini 3 Flash or Claude Haiku 4.5 | Lower-cost fast options |\n\n## Research-Specific Checks\n\n- Does the model preserve uncertainty?\n- Can it separate source claims from inference?\n- Does it handle long documents without losing chronology?\n- Can it produce structured notes, not just prose?\n- Is the task sensitive enough to require private/local deployment?\n\n## Agent Workflow\n\n1. Fetch `/api/v1/recommend/research.json`.\n2. If the user has a privacy constraint, compare against `/api/v1/recommend/local.json`.\n3. Fetch per-item JSON for top candidates.\n4. Prefer models with strong reasoning and writing scores.\n5. Ask for source constraints when the user needs citations or current facts.\n\n## Failure Mode\n\nThe common mistake is treating summarization and research as the same task. Summarization compresses a known document. Research compares uncertain sources and should preserve provenance.","content_length":2265,"generated_at":"2026-04-24"}