Lens

Best Practices

Maximize your productivity and research quality with these expert tips.

Pro Tips for Better Queries

The "Current State" Trick

Use phrases like "Current state of..." to trigger results for the most recent developments. Example: "Current state of global AI regulation as of 2024".

Focus on "Why" and "How"

Asking "How" or "Why" triggers more detailed academic and technical results than simple keyword searches.

Organizing Your Research

Lens creates timestamped folders, but you can organize them further:

  • Rename Folders: After a session, rename the workspace folder to something descriptive.
  • Central Workspace: Keep your workspace/ directory in a cloud-synced folder to access research across devices.

Evaluate Information Quality

While Lens gathers information, you should always critically evaluate it:

  • Academic vs. Social: Papers from ArXiv/OpenAlex are peer-reviewed; Reddit comments are community opinions.
  • Check Dates: AI evolves fast. A paper from 2021 might be "ancient history" in some fields.