# An AI research assistant that shows its sources

By the SelGPT team. Updated October 1, 2026. Source: https://selgpt.app/ai-for-research

Ask a research question and SelGPT searches the web, reads what it finds and brings it together into one answer, with the sources listed so you can check them.

> SelGPT works as an AI research assistant. Every model can search the web and show the sources it used, and Sel-Rigel, its reasoning model, works through questions that need several sources compared step by step. Upload papers or reports and ask about them, and SelGPT answers from what they say.

## What it is good for

- Getting up to speed on a topic, with the sources to read next.
- Comparing products, studies or arguments and recommending one, with reasons.
- Summarising papers, reports and long PDFs you upload.
- Questions about recent events: SelGPT knows today’s date and searches when it needs to.

## Which model to use

- [Sel-Rigel](https://selgpt.app/models/sel-rigel): multi-step research and analysis.
- [Sel-Sirius](https://selgpt.app/models/sel-sirius): research where a missed detail is costly.
- [Sel-Vega](https://selgpt.app/models/sel-vega): quick look-ups and summaries.

Always check important facts against the sources it shows. AI can still make mistakes.

[See plans](https://selgpt.app/pricing)

## Questions

### Does SelGPT show sources?

Yes. When a model searches the web, the answer lists the sources it used, so you can open and check them.

### Can SelGPT read research papers?

Yes. Upload a PDF and ask questions about it, or ask for a summary of its methods and findings.

## Related

- [Sel-Rigel](https://selgpt.app/models/sel-rigel): Sel-Rigel is SelGPT’s reasoning model: it works through analysis, research and hard problems step by step. Included in Plus and Pro.
- [AI with web search](https://selgpt.app/ai-web-search): Every SelGPT model can search the web when a question needs current information, and shows the sources it used. Knows today’s date too.
- [AI for coding](https://selgpt.app/ai-for-coding): Use SelGPT as your AI coding assistant: write functions, explain errors, review pull requests and look up current docs, with a model built for code.
- [AI for writing](https://selgpt.app/ai-for-writing): Draft, rewrite and polish emails, essays, posts and reports with SelGPT, an AI writing assistant with four models, web search and no ads.
- [AI for students](https://selgpt.app/ai-for-students): Use SelGPT to understand hard topics, check your working, summarise readings and plan revision. Free to start, with no ads.
- [AI for math](https://selgpt.app/ai-for-math): Solve and understand maths problems step by step with SelGPT’s reasoning model, from algebra and statistics to proofs and word problems.