Consensus is an AI-powered academic research search engine that helps you find, understand, and synthesize peer-reviewed research papers with cited answers.
Step-by-Step Guide
Step 1: Open the Consensus Website
Go to the official Consensus website and open the search page.
You can start searching for academic research from the search page. Consensus currently searches a database of 220+ million peer-reviewed research papers.
Step 2: Click Sign Up
If you don’t already have an account, select Sign Up.
Consensus currently provides two signup methods:
- Google account
When using email, you can enter your name and continue.
Step 3: Verify Your Email
If you sign up using email, Consensus sends a 6-digit verification code to your inbox.
Enter that code to complete the account setup. Consensus also uses a new code when you sign in.
Tip: If you don’t receive the email, check your Spam/Junk or All Mail folder.
Step 4: Log In to Consensus
After creating your account, go to the Consensus search page and sign in.
For email login, enter your email and follow the verification instructions. You can also use Google if that is how you created your account.
Step 5: Enter Your Research Question
Once logged in, you’ll see the Consensus search interface.
Enter a research question into the search bar.
Example:
Does exercise improve sleep quality in adults?
Consensus supports:
- Natural-language questions
- Keywords
- Boolean searches
- Paper titles
- Author names
- DOI searches
- More detailed research instructions
Step 6: Choose Your Search Mode
Consensus currently provides different ways to search and analyze research.
Paper Search
Useful for browsing relevant papers without an AI-generated summary.
Pro
Analyzes relevant papers and provides a more detailed synthesis.
Deep
Designed for comprehensive literature reviews and can analyze a much larger set of papers.
For a beginner, start with a normal/Pro search before trying Deep Review.
Step 7: Select the Research Corpus
Consensus lets you choose where to search.
Current options include:
- All — the full research database
- Medical — a curated medical/clinical research collection
- My Library — papers you’ve uploaded or saved
For general academic research, All is usually the appropriate starting point
Step 8: Review the AI Summary and Research Papers
After searching, Consensus provides relevant research and can synthesize findings from the papers.
Depending on your search, you may see:
- AI-generated summaries
- Paper titles
- Research findings
- Citations
- Consensus Meter
- Study information
- Related research
Consensus says its AI-generated synthesis includes citations so users can trace claims back to research papers.
Step 9: Open a Paper and Explore the Evidence
Click a paper from the search results to examine its details.
You can investigate information such as:
- Study methodology
- Sample size
- Results
- Citations
- Related papers
- Full-text availability
Consensus also supports Chat with Full Text, allowing you to ask questions about selected papers when the feature is available for your search mode/plan.
Step 10: Save Papers to My Library
If you find useful research, save it to My Library so you can return to it later.
You can organize research papers into collections and search across your saved material. Consensus also allows users to upload their own PDFs and research documents into My Library.
You can then use your library for future research and, where supported, chat with multiple papers together.
Quick Consensus Workflow
Create Account → Verify Email → Login → Ask Research Question → Select Search Mode → Choose Corpus → Review Results → Open Papers → Analyze Evidence → Save to My Library