gh-k-dense-ai-claude-scientific-skills-scientific-skills/skills/perplexity-search/references/search_strategies.md

# Search Strategies for Perplexity

Best practices and strategies for crafting effective search queries with Perplexity models.

## Query Design Principles

### Be Specific and Detailed

Better results come from specific, well-structured queries rather than broad questions.

**Good examples:**
- "What are the latest clinical trial results for CAR-T cell therapy in treating B-cell lymphoma published in 2024?"
- "Compare the efficacy and safety profiles of mRNA vaccines versus viral vector vaccines for COVID-19"
- "Explain the mechanism of CRISPR-Cas9 off-target effects and current mitigation strategies"

**Bad examples:**
- "Tell me about cancer treatment" (too broad)
- "CRISPR" (too vague)
- "vaccines" (lacks specificity)

### Structure Complex Queries

Break complex questions into clear components:

1. **Topic**: What is the main subject?
2. **Scope**: What specific aspect are you interested in?
3. **Context**: What time frame, domain, or constraints apply?
4. **Output**: What format or type of answer do you need?

**Example:**
```
Topic: Protein folding prediction
Scope: AlphaFold3 improvements over AlphaFold2
Context: Published research from 2023-2024
Output: Technical comparison with specific accuracy metrics
```

**Query:**
"What improvements does AlphaFold3 offer over AlphaFold2 for protein structure prediction, according to research published between 2023 and 2024? Include specific accuracy metrics and benchmarks."

## Domain-Specific Search Patterns

### Scientific Literature Search

For scientific queries, include:
- Specific terminology and concepts
- Time constraints (recent publications)
- Methodology or study types of interest
- Journal quality or domain constraints

**Template:**
"What does recent research (2023-2024) say about [specific scientific concept] in [domain]? Focus on [peer-reviewed/preprint] studies and include [specific metrics/findings]."

**Example:**
"What does recent research (2023-2024) say about the role of gut microbiome in Parkinson's disease? Focus on peer-reviewed studies and include specific bacterial species identified."

### Technical/Engineering Search

For technical queries, specify:
- Technology stack or framework
- Use case or application context
- Version requirements
- Performance or implementation constraints

**Template:**
"How to [specific technical task] using [technology/framework] for [use case]? Include [implementation details/performance considerations]."

**Example:**
"How to implement real-time data streaming from Kafka to PostgreSQL using Python? Include considerations for handling backpressure and ensuring exactly-once semantics."

### Medical/Clinical Search

For medical queries, include:
- Specific conditions, treatments, or interventions
- Patient population or demographics
- Outcomes of interest
- Evidence level (RCTs, meta-analyses, etc.)

**Template:**
"What is the evidence for [intervention] in treating [condition] in [population]? Focus on [study types] and report [specific outcomes]."

**Example:**
"What is the evidence for intermittent fasting in managing type 2 diabetes in adults? Focus on randomized controlled trials and report HbA1c changes and weight loss outcomes."

## Advanced Query Techniques

### Comparative Analysis

For comparing multiple options:

**Template:**
"Compare [option A] versus [option B] for [use case] in terms of [criteria 1], [criteria 2], and [criteria 3]. Include [specific evidence or metrics]."

**Example:**
"Compare PyTorch versus TensorFlow for implementing transformer models in terms of ease of use, performance, and ecosystem support. Include benchmarks from recent studies."

### Trend Analysis

For understanding trends over time:

**Template:**
"What are the key trends in [domain/topic] over the past [time period]? Highlight [specific aspects] and include [data or examples]."

**Example:**
"What are the key trends in single-cell RNA sequencing technology over the past 5 years? Highlight improvements in throughput, cost, and resolution, with specific examples."

### Gap Identification

For finding research or knowledge gaps:

**Template:**
"What are the current limitations and open questions in [field/topic]? Focus on [specific aspects] and identify areas needing further research."

**Example:**
"What are the current limitations and open questions in quantum error correction? Focus on practical implementations and identify scalability challenges."

### Mechanism Explanation

For understanding how things work:

**Template:**
"Explain the mechanism by which [process/phenomenon] occurs in [context]. Include [level of detail] and discuss [specific aspects]."

**Example:**
"Explain the mechanism by which mRNA vaccines induce immune responses. Include molecular details of translation, antigen presentation, and memory cell formation."

## Query Refinement Strategies

### Start Broad, Then Narrow

1. **Initial query**: "Recent developments in cancer immunotherapy"
2. **Refined query**: "Recent developments in checkpoint inhibitor combination therapies for melanoma"
3. **Specific query**: "What are the clinical trial results for combining anti-PD-1 and anti-CTLA-4 checkpoint inhibitors in metastatic melanoma patients, published 2023-2024?"

### Add Constraints Iteratively

Start with core query, then add constraints:

1. **Base**: "Machine learning for drug discovery"
2. **Add domain**: "Machine learning for small molecule drug discovery"
3. **Add method**: "Deep learning approaches for small molecule property prediction"
4. **Add context**: "Recent deep learning approaches (2023-2024) for predicting ADMET properties of small molecules, including accuracy benchmarks"

### Specify Desired Output Format

Improve answers by specifying the output format:

- "Provide a step-by-step explanation..."
- "Summarize in bullet points..."
- "Create a comparison table of..."
- "List the top 5 approaches with pros and cons..."
- "Include specific numerical benchmarks and metrics..."

## Common Pitfalls to Avoid

### Too Vague

**Problem**: "Tell me about AI"
**Solution**: "What are the current state-of-the-art approaches for few-shot learning in computer vision as of 2024?"

### Loaded Questions

**Problem**: "Why is drug X better than drug Y?"
**Solution**: "Compare the efficacy and safety profiles of drug X versus drug Y based on clinical trial evidence."

### Multiple Unrelated Questions

**Problem**: "What is CRISPR and how do vaccines work and what causes cancer?"
**Solution**: Ask separate queries for each topic.

### Assumed Knowledge Without Context

**Problem**: "What are the latest results?" (Latest results for what?)
**Solution**: "What are the latest clinical trial results for CAR-T cell therapy in treating acute lymphoblastic leukemia?"

## Domain-Specific Keywords

### Biomedical Research

Use precise terminology:
- "randomized controlled trial" instead of "study"
- "meta-analysis" instead of "review"
- "in vitro" vs "in vivo" vs "clinical"
- "peer-reviewed" for quality filter
- Specific gene/protein names (e.g., "BRCA1" not "breast cancer gene")

### Computational/AI Research

Use technical terms:
- "transformer architecture" not "AI model"
- "few-shot learning" not "learning from limited data"
- "zero-shot" vs "few-shot" vs "fine-tuning"
- Specific model names (e.g., "GPT-4" not "language model")

### Chemistry/Drug Discovery

Use IUPAC names and specific terms:
- "small molecule" vs "biologic"
- "pharmacokinetics" (ADME) vs "pharmacodynamics"
- Specific assay types (e.g., "IC50", "EC50")
- Drug names (generic vs brand)

## Time-Constrained Searches

Perplexity searches real-time web data, making time constraints valuable:

**Templates:**
- "What papers were published in [journal] in [month/year] about [topic]?"
- "What are the latest developments (past 6 months) in [field]?"
- "What was announced at [conference] [year] regarding [topic]?"
- "What are the most recent clinical trial results (2024) for [treatment]?"

**Examples:**
- "What papers were published in Nature Medicine in January 2024 about long COVID?"
- "What are the latest developments (past 6 months) in large language model training efficiency?"
- "What was announced at NeurIPS 2023 regarding AI safety and alignment?"

## Source Quality Considerations

For high-quality results, mention source preferences:

- "According to peer-reviewed publications..."
- "Based on clinical trial registries like clinicaltrials.gov..."
- "From authoritative sources such as Nature, Science, Cell..."
- "According to FDA/EMA approvals..."
- "Based on systematic reviews or meta-analyses..."

**Example:**
"What is the current understanding of microplastics' impact on human health according to peer-reviewed research published in high-impact journals since 2022?"

## Iterative Search Workflow

For comprehensive research:

1. **Broad overview**: Get general understanding
2. **Specific deep-dives**: Focus on particular aspects
3. **Comparative analysis**: Compare approaches/methods
4. **Latest updates**: Find most recent developments
5. **Critical evaluation**: Identify limitations and gaps

**Example workflow for "CAR-T cell therapy":**

1. "What is CAR-T cell therapy and how does it work?"
2. "What are the specific molecular mechanisms by which CAR-T cells recognize and kill cancer cells?"
3. "Compare first-generation, second-generation, and third-generation CAR-T cell designs"
4. "What are the latest clinical trial results for CAR-T therapy in treating solid tumors (2024)?"
5. "What are the current limitations and challenges in CAR-T cell therapy, and what approaches are being investigated to address them?"

## Summary

Effective Perplexity searches require:
1. **Specificity**: Clear, detailed queries
2. **Structure**: Well-organized questions with context
3. **Terminology**: Domain-appropriate keywords
4. **Constraints**: Time frames, sources, output formats
5. **Iteration**: Refine based on initial results

The more specific and structured your query, the better and more relevant your results will be.