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A Consensus result has two halves: the answer on the left and the papers behind it on the right. Learning to read both is what turns an AI summary into something you understand and can defend.
A Consensus search about endometriosis pain treatments, with the written answer on the left and a list of reference papers on the right

The answer on the left, the References panel on the right.

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1. The search trace

The lines at the top of the answer (for example, Pro · 3 steps) show what Consensus actually did: what it searched for, how many papers matched, and how many it read. Click a step to see more.
The steps at the top of a Consensus answer: Pro, 3 steps, a search for treatments reduce pain in endometriosis with 20.5M results, and Read abstracts and PDFs, 20

One search that matched 20.5M papers, then 20 papers read from their abstracts and PDFs.

Check this first. If Consensus searched for something different from what you meant, rephrase your question before reading the answer.

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2. The answer

The answer summarizes what the research says. Look for:
  • Citations. The grey tags in the text (like Sun 2026) link each statement to a paper. A small document icon with a tick next to a citation means Consensus read the full paper; without it, Consensus read only the abstract. Hover any citation to see the exact quote; see Check a claim against the paper.
  • Hedged language. Words like “mixed”, “limited”, or “some studies” are the answer telling you the evidence isn’t settled. Don’t skip past them.
  • Visuals, depending on your question: tables and figures comparing studies, a Claims & Evidence table rating how well each claim is supported, a Research Gaps map, or a timeline.

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The Consensus Meter

For a yes/no question, the answer opens with the Consensus Meter: how many of the papers lean Yes, Possibly, Mixed, or No. N is the number of papers counted.
The Consensus Meter for the question Do treatments reduce pain in endometriosis, N = 20: Yes 90%, Possibly 5%, Mixed 5%, No 0%

18 of 20 papers say yes, treatments reduce endometriosis pain.

A meter that’s mostly one color means the research broadly agrees. A split meter is a sign to read Find where studies disagree.

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3. The References panel

Each paper in the panel shows:
A reference card for a randomized trial in the Lancet: its key takeaway, a 6 Supporting Quotes chip and an RCT badge highlighted, a Rigorous Journal badge, then the year, citation count, authors, journal, and a PDF link

The supporting quotes and the study type are the two things to check first.

Switch between the default list, a compact list, and a Table view with the buttons at the top of the panel. The table view adds columns like the paper’s answer to your question and the population studied, so you can compare papers at a glance.
The References panel in table view with Paper, Answer, and Population columns, and the table view button highlighted

Table view: one row per paper, with columns you can compare.

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Study types, in plain English

Consensus is able to extract a number of different study types from papers, which you can use in filters or see on the References tab. To search for only certain study types, see Filter for strong, recent studies.
Consensus study type badges grouped into Experimental, Observational, Evidence Synthesis, and Other
Not all study types are equally strong:
  1. Systematic review / meta-analysis: combines many studies on the same question. A great place to start.
  2. RCT (randomized controlled trial): people are randomly assigned to a treatment or a comparison group. The best single study for cause and effect.
  3. Cohort, case-control, cross-sectional: observational studies that track or compare groups without assigning treatments. Useful, but they show links, not proof of cause.
  4. Case study / case report: one person or a small group. Good for rare situations and new ideas.
The list above runs roughly from strongest to weakest evidence for a “does X cause Y?” question. Other types, like literature reviews and commentaries, summarize or discuss research without new data. See Research terms in plain English for more.

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Try it on your topic

Run a search on your topic, expand the search trace, and look through the References panel.
You should now have: 3 papers you’d read first, and a reason for each. For example: “the most recent meta-analysis”, “the most cited RCT”, “the only study in my population”.