Start here: your first sourced answer
Goal. Ask Perplexity one real research question and get back a written answer with numbered, clickable citations — then learn to read the answer as a claim plus its evidence, not as a finished fact.
Summarize the current understanding of the gut microbiome's role in immune regulation, and give me the sources you used.
Go to perplexity.ai — no account needed for a basic search. Type the question in plain language (any language works) and press Enter. Perplexity is an answer engine: it searches the live web and writes you an answer with sources attached, not a list of ten blue links.
- 1Open perplexity.ai and just ask. You don't need to log in for basic search. Type a full question, not keywords — "what is the current evidence that..." beats "gut microbiome immune".
- 2Read the answer as claim + evidence. Each sentence carries small numbered markers like [1] [2]. Those are citations — the sources Perplexity drew that sentence from.
- 3Hover or click a citation to see which page it points to. The whole point of Perplexity over a normal chatbot is that every claim shows its receipt — so you can check it.
You'll see. A few clear paragraphs answering your question, with inline numbered citations and a list of source links you can open — an answer and its evidence trail in one place, in seconds.
Cost. Basic search is free and needs no account. The deeper modes and saved research threads in later lessons need a free login or a Pro plan.
Takeaway. Perplexity answers a question and shows its sources inline. Treat the prose as a draft claim and the citations as the evidence you'll verify — never the other way round.