# Deep Research (/use-cases/deep-research)

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Related: [AI Platforms](/use-cases/ai-platforms.md), [Lead Enrichment](/use-cases/lead-enrichment.md), [Use Cases](/use-cases/overview.md), [SEO Platforms](/use-cases/seo-platforms.md)

Build automated research agents that search the web, scrape full-page content, and synthesize findings with an LLM. Firecrawl handles source discovery and content extraction so you can focus on analysis, not parsing HTML.

<Note>
  This is the current recommended Deep Research workflow. It is built from Firecrawl Search and Scrape. If you are maintaining the legacy v1 Deep Research API, use the [v1 Deep Research endpoint](/api-reference/v1-endpoint/deep-research) and plan migration to the Search-based workflow.
</Note>

## Start with a Template [#start-with-a-template]

<CardGroup>
  <Card title="Fireplexity" icon="<svg xmlns=&#x22;http://www.w3.org/2000/svg&#x22; viewBox=&#x22;0 0 24 24&#x22; fill=&#x22;none&#x22;><path d=&#x22;M8 7L16 7&#x22; stroke=&#x22;currentColor&#x22; stroke-linecap=&#x22;round&#x22; stroke-linejoin=&#x22;round&#x22; stroke-width=&#x22;1.5&#x22;/><path d=&#x22;M8 11L12 11&#x22; stroke=&#x22;currentColor&#x22; stroke-linecap=&#x22;round&#x22; stroke-linejoin=&#x22;round&#x22; stroke-width=&#x22;1.5&#x22;/><path d=&#x22;M13 21.5V21C13 18.1716 13 16.7574 13.8787 15.8787C14.7574 15 16.1716 15 19 15H19.5M20 13.3431V10C20 6.22876 20 4.34315 18.8284 3.17157C17.6569 2 15.7712 2 12 2C8.22877 2 6.34315 2 5.17157 3.17157C4 4.34314 4 6.22876 4 10L4 14.5442C4 17.7892 4 19.4117 4.88607 20.5107C5.06508 20.7327 5.26731 20.9349 5.48933 21.1139C6.58831 22 8.21082 22 11.4558 22C12.1614 22 12.5141 22 12.8372 21.886C12.9044 21.8623 12.9702 21.835 13.0345 21.8043C13.3436 21.6564 13.593 21.407 14.0919 20.9081L18.8284 16.1716C19.4065 15.5935 19.6955 15.3045 19.8478 14.9369C20 14.5694 20 14.1606 20 13.3431Z&#x22; stroke=&#x22;currentColor&#x22; stroke-linecap=&#x22;round&#x22; stroke-linejoin=&#x22;round&#x22; stroke-width=&#x22;1.5&#x22;/></svg>" href="https://github.com/firecrawl/fireplexity">
    Blazing-fast AI search with real-time citations
  </Card>

  <Card title="Firesearch" icon="<svg xmlns=&#x22;http://www.w3.org/2000/svg&#x22; viewBox=&#x22;0 0 24 24&#x22; fill=&#x22;none&#x22;><path d=&#x22;M8 7L16 7&#x22; stroke=&#x22;currentColor&#x22; stroke-linecap=&#x22;round&#x22; stroke-linejoin=&#x22;round&#x22; stroke-width=&#x22;1.5&#x22;/><path d=&#x22;M8 11L12 11&#x22; stroke=&#x22;currentColor&#x22; stroke-linecap=&#x22;round&#x22; stroke-linejoin=&#x22;round&#x22; stroke-width=&#x22;1.5&#x22;/><path d=&#x22;M13 21.5V21C13 18.1716 13 16.7574 13.8787 15.8787C14.7574 15 16.1716 15 19 15H19.5M20 13.3431V10C20 6.22876 20 4.34315 18.8284 3.17157C17.6569 2 15.7712 2 12 2C8.22877 2 6.34315 2 5.17157 3.17157C4 4.34314 4 6.22876 4 10L4 14.5442C4 17.7892 4 19.4117 4.88607 20.5107C5.06508 20.7327 5.26731 20.9349 5.48933 21.1139C6.58831 22 8.21082 22 11.4558 22C12.1614 22 12.5141 22 12.8372 21.886C12.9044 21.8623 12.9702 21.835 13.0345 21.8043C13.3436 21.6564 13.593 21.407 14.0919 20.9081L18.8284 16.1716C19.4065 15.5935 19.6955 15.3045 19.8478 14.9369C20 14.5694 20 14.1606 20 13.3431Z&#x22; stroke=&#x22;currentColor&#x22; stroke-linecap=&#x22;round&#x22; stroke-linejoin=&#x22;round&#x22; stroke-width=&#x22;1.5&#x22;/></svg>" href="https://github.com/firecrawl/firesearch">
    Deep research agent with LangGraph and answer validation
  </Card>

  <Card title="Open Researcher" icon="<svg xmlns=&#x22;http://www.w3.org/2000/svg&#x22; viewBox=&#x22;0 0 24 24&#x22; fill=&#x22;none&#x22;><path d=&#x22;M8 7L16 7&#x22; stroke=&#x22;currentColor&#x22; stroke-linecap=&#x22;round&#x22; stroke-linejoin=&#x22;round&#x22; stroke-width=&#x22;1.5&#x22;/><path d=&#x22;M8 11L12 11&#x22; stroke=&#x22;currentColor&#x22; stroke-linecap=&#x22;round&#x22; stroke-linejoin=&#x22;round&#x22; stroke-width=&#x22;1.5&#x22;/><path d=&#x22;M13 21.5V21C13 18.1716 13 16.7574 13.8787 15.8787C14.7574 15 16.1716 15 19 15H19.5M20 13.3431V10C20 6.22876 20 4.34315 18.8284 3.17157C17.6569 2 15.7712 2 12 2C8.22877 2 6.34315 2 5.17157 3.17157C4 4.34314 4 6.22876 4 10L4 14.5442C4 17.7892 4 19.4117 4.88607 20.5107C5.06508 20.7327 5.26731 20.9349 5.48933 21.1139C6.58831 22 8.21082 22 11.4558 22C12.1614 22 12.5141 22 12.8372 21.886C12.9044 21.8623 12.9702 21.835 13.0345 21.8043C13.3436 21.6564 13.593 21.407 14.0919 20.9081L18.8284 16.1716C19.4065 15.5935 19.6955 15.3045 19.8478 14.9369C20 14.5694 20 14.1606 20 13.3431Z&#x22; stroke=&#x22;currentColor&#x22; stroke-linecap=&#x22;round&#x22; stroke-linejoin=&#x22;round&#x22; stroke-width=&#x22;1.5&#x22;/></svg>" href="https://github.com/firecrawl/open-researcher">
    Visual AI research assistant for comprehensive analysis
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

<Note>
  **Choose from multiple research templates.** Clone, configure your API key, and start researching.
</Note>

## How It Works [#how-it-works]

Build powerful research tools that transform scattered web data into comprehensive insights. The core pattern is a **search → scrape → analyze → repeat** loop: use Firecrawl's search API to discover relevant sources, scrape each source for full content, then feed the results into an LLM to synthesize findings and identify follow-up queries.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Search for sources">
    Use the `/search` endpoint to find relevant pages for your research topic.

    <CodeGroup>
      <CodeBlockTabs defaultValue="Python" groupId="node-js+python">
        <CodeBlockTabsList>
          <CodeBlockTabsTrigger value="Python">
            Python
          </CodeBlockTabsTrigger>

          <CodeBlockTabsTrigger value="Node.js">
            Node.js
          </CodeBlockTabsTrigger>
        </CodeBlockTabsList>

        <CodeBlockTab value="Python">
          ```python  
          from firecrawl import Firecrawl

          firecrawl = Firecrawl(api_key="fc-YOUR-API-KEY")

          results = firecrawl.search(
              "recent advances in quantum computing",
              limit=5,
              scrape_options={"formats": ["markdown", "links"]}
          )
          ```
        </CodeBlockTab>

        <CodeBlockTab value="Node.js">
          ```js  
          import { Firecrawl } from 'firecrawl';

          const firecrawl = new Firecrawl({ apiKey: "fc-YOUR-API-KEY" });

          const results = await firecrawl.search(
            'recent advances in quantum computing',
            { limit: 5, scrapeOptions: { formats: ['markdown', 'links'] } }
          );
          ```
        </CodeBlockTab>
      </CodeBlockTabs>
    </CodeGroup>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Scrape discovered pages">
    Extract full content from each result to get detailed information with citations.

    <CodeGroup>
      <CodeBlockTabs defaultValue="Python" groupId="node-js+python">
        <CodeBlockTabsList>
          <CodeBlockTabsTrigger value="Python">
            Python
          </CodeBlockTabsTrigger>

          <CodeBlockTabsTrigger value="Node.js">
            Node.js
          </CodeBlockTabsTrigger>
        </CodeBlockTabsList>

        <CodeBlockTab value="Python">
          ```python  
          for result in results:
              doc = firecrawl.scrape(result["url"], formats=["markdown"])
              # Feed doc content into your LLM for analysis
          ```
        </CodeBlockTab>

        <CodeBlockTab value="Node.js">
          ```js  
          for (const result of results) {
            const doc = await firecrawl.scrape(result.url, { formats: ['markdown'] });
            // Feed doc content into your LLM for analysis
          }
          ```
        </CodeBlockTab>
      </CodeBlockTabs>
    </CodeGroup>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Analyze and iterate">
    Use an LLM to synthesize findings, identify gaps, and generate follow-up queries. Repeat the loop until your research question is fully answered.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Why Researchers Choose Firecrawl [#why-researchers-choose-firecrawl]

### Accelerate Research from Weeks to Hours [#accelerate-research-from-weeks-to-hours]

Build automated research systems that discover, read, and synthesize information from across the web. Create tools that deliver comprehensive reports with full citations, eliminating manual searching through hundreds of sources.

### Ensure Research Completeness [#ensure-research-completeness]

Reduce the risk of missing critical information. Build systems that follow citation chains, discover related sources, and surface insights that traditional search methods miss.

## Research Tool Capabilities [#research-tool-capabilities]

* **Iterative Exploration**: Build tools that automatically discover related topics and sources
* **Multi-Source Synthesis**: Combine information from hundreds of websites
* **Citation Preservation**: Maintain full source attribution in your research outputs
* **Intelligent Summarization**: Extract key findings and insights for analysis
* **Trend Detection**: Identify patterns across multiple sources

## FAQs [#faqs]

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="How can I build research tools with Firecrawl?">
    Use Firecrawl's crawl and search APIs to build iterative research systems. Start with search results, extract content from relevant pages, follow citation links, and aggregate findings. Combine with LLMs to synthesize comprehensive research reports.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can Firecrawl handle academic and scientific websites?">
    Yes. Firecrawl can extract data from open-access research papers, academic websites, and publicly available scientific publications. It preserves formatting, citations, and technical content critical for research work.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="How do I ensure research data accuracy?">
    Firecrawl maintains source attribution and extracts content exactly as presented on websites. All data includes source URLs and timestamps, ensuring full traceability for research purposes.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I use Firecrawl for longitudinal studies?">
    Yes. Set up scheduled crawls to track how information changes over time. This is perfect for monitoring trends, policy changes, or any research requiring temporal data analysis.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="How does Firecrawl handle large-scale research projects?">
    Our crawling infrastructure scales to handle thousands of sources simultaneously. Whether you're analyzing entire industries or tracking global trends, Firecrawl provides the data pipeline you need.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Related Use Cases [#related-use-cases]

* [AI Platforms](/use-cases/ai-platforms) - Build AI research assistants
* [Content Generation](/use-cases/content-generation) - Research-based content
* [Competitive Intelligence](/use-cases/competitive-intelligence) - Market research
