Academic Filter Guide
The search_mode: "academic"
parameter allows you to tailor your searches specifically to academic and scholarly sources, prioritizing peer-reviewed papers, journal articles, and research publications.
Overview
The academic filter—sometimes referred to as “academic mode” or “Focus: Academic”—is a feature in Perplexity that allows users to target their searches specifically to academic and scholarly sources. This is especially useful for students, researchers, and professionals who require peer-reviewed papers, journal articles, and research-focused answers rather than general web content.
When you activate the academic filter by setting search_mode: "academic"
, Perplexity prioritizes results from scholarly databases, journals, and reputable academic publications, filtering out non-academic or general web sources. This ensures that the answers you receive are grounded in research and scholarly consensus.
Key Features and Functionality
- Source Filtering: Prioritizes scholarly databases, academic journals, and research publications
- Research Focus: Returns results based on peer-reviewed research rather than general web content
- Enhanced Precision: Provides more technical and discipline-specific information for academic queries
- Compatibility: Works with other search parameters like
search_context_size
to further refine results
Usage Examples
Basic Academic Search
This example shows how to perform a basic search using the academic filter.
Combining Academic Mode with Other Parameters
You can combine the academic filter with other parameters for more refined searches:
Recommended Use Cases
The academic filter is particularly valuable for:
- Research Literature Reviews: When you need to gather scholarly information on a specific topic
- Technical and Scientific Queries: For questions requiring scientifically accurate, peer-reviewed answers
- Academic Writing Assistance: When working on papers, theses, or dissertations that require scholarly sources
- Educational Support: For students and educators requiring academically rigorous information
Best Practices
Optimizing Academic Searches
- Be Specific: Formulate clear, focused questions to receive more precise academic responses
- Use Technical Terminology: Include field-specific terms to better target relevant academic literature
- Combine with Date Filters: For the most recent research, combine with
search_after_date_filter
- Adjust Context Size: Use higher
search_context_size
values for more comprehensive academic responses
Performance Considerations
- Academic searches may sometimes take slightly longer due to the specialized nature of scholarly databases
- Consider using models like
sonar-deep-research
for particularly complex academic inquiries - For more comprehensive literature reviews, set
stream: false
to receive complete responses
Limitations
- Availability of academic sources varies by field and topic
- Very recent research (published within the last few months) may not always be included
- Some paywalled or subscription-only academic content may not be fully accessible
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