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Understand a study or research paper in plain English
Upload a study and get a plain-language explanation of what was tested, what was found, how strong the evidence is and what it doesn't show.
When to use it
When a headline cites a study you want to understand
Step by step
Find the original paper
Follow the link in the news article to the study itself. Many papers are free to read; download the PDF if you can.
Upload it and ask for a plain explanation
Attach the PDF to ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini and paste this prompt.
Prompt to copyExplain this research paper to a non-expert. Cover: 1) the question it asked, 2) who or what was studied and how many, 3) what they did, 4) the main findings in plain numbers, 5) how strong the evidence is (study type, size, limitations the authors mention), 6) what it does NOT show, 7) any funding or conflicts of interest declared. Quote the page or section for each point. If something isn't in the paper, say so.Compare with the headline
Ask: 'Does this headline fairly describe the study? [paste headline]'. Then check one or two of the quoted sections yourself.
What you get
Question: does a daily 20-minute walk improve sleep? Studied: 120 adults for 8 weeks. Finding: walkers fell asleep about 9 minutes faster on average. Strength: small, short study; sleep was self-reported (Limitations, p.11). Doesn't show: that walking cures insomnia.
Tips
- For health studies, use this to understand the research, not to change treatment. Talk to your GP or pharmacist before acting on it.