Using the Research Feature (Pro)

The Research feature allows Grantable’s AI to look up information online when additional context may be useful — such as background data, definitions, or recent developments — and include citations so you can review the sources yourself.

Written By Philip Deng

Last updated 4 months ago

Availability

Research is available only to Pro plan subscribers.
If you aren’t able to utilize the Research Online toggle in your AI Settings Panel, you may need to upgrade your plan under Settings → Billing.

💡 You can use all other AI capabilities (writing, editing, searching your workspace) without this feature — Research simply adds the option for limited web lookups.

Enabling Research

  1. Open any document in the Document Editor.

  2. On the right-hand side, click the ⚙️ Settings icon in the chat box.

  3. Toggle Research & Citations (Pro Feature) to ON.

Once enabled, the AI Assistant will be able to perform real-time web lookups in response to your prompts.

💡 You control when this happens — the AI won’t search online automatically until you explicitly ask it to.

Asking the AI to Research

After enabling the Research toggle, type a direct instruction in the chat box to tell the AI what to look for.
For example:

“Research current statistics on food insecurity in the United States and summarize them in one paragraph with citations.”

or

“Look up recent examples of successful youth mentoring programs funded by major U.S. foundations, and describe two of them with sources.”

The AI will:

  • Conduct a brief online search using your prompt.

  • Summarize what it finds in natural language.

  • Provide citations or source links so you can verify the information yourself.

💡 The AI aims for relevance and credibility, but it can occasionally misinterpret or surface incomplete data — always read the cited sources directly before including them in proposals.

Best Practices

  • Use Research to gather general background or refresh context, not as a substitute for original verification.

  • Review every citation — click through to confirm accuracy and date.

  • For sensitive or factual content (budgets, data, compliance), rely on your own uploaded files instead.

  • Try combining Research with your Organization Profile and Workspace Search to balance new information with your verified internal content.

💡 Research is most valuable as an assistive tool — it helps you explore and refine ideas faster, not replace subject expertise.

Troubleshooting

If Research isn’t working as expected:

  • Ensure your account is on the Pro plan.

  • Check that Research Online is toggled ON in the AI Settings Panel.

  • Rephrase your prompt with more specific keywords.

  • If you get weak or irrelevant results, disable Research and retry using your own sources for a grounded response.

💡 A good workflow is to generate two versions — one with Research ON and one OFF — then combine the best parts manually.

✅ Key takeaway: The Research feature (Pro) lets Grantable’s AI retrieve and cite public web information to strengthen your context and understanding. Use it intentionally, verify all sources, and treat its findings as helpful starting points rather than confirmed facts.