SKILL / Research
Plans: Pro & AgencyDeep Public Research
Combine relevant web, news, publication and directory evidence into a focused, cited investigation.
Read the step-by-step user guideDeep Public Research answers the question that a single lookup cannot: taken together, what does the public record establish about this subject in relation to a specific objective? Give Nexus the subject and the question you need answered, and this agentic OSINT Skill combines relevant web, news, publication and directory evidence into one cited report. Each statement links to the evidence that supports it, and the report separates what the evidence establishes from what it only suggests.
What you get
A cited research report that draws web, news, publication and directory evidence together.
Using Deep Public Research in an investigation
The objective can be a counterparty’s track record, a person’s professional history or an organization’s public conduct over a period. The report is structured the way an investigator writes one: established facts with their sources, an assessment of what they mean for the objective, contradictions between sources laid out rather than resolved by assumption, and a list of information gaps that remain open. Where the objective covers a period, pair the report with News and Adverse-Media Timeline for a sourced sequence of events. Open citations to inspect available evidence, save relevant findings, or add supported records to an Agency graph. Use the reviewed material for a BLUF brief or select case records for a structured PDF report.
Deep Public Research is the Skill to choose when the objective is defined and the answer has to hold up: pre-engagement due diligence, a background report a client will read, a reporter’s research file before an interview. It is deliberately focused rather than exhaustive — the report covers the public-source scope relevant to the objective, and it says where that scope ends. For a broad first look, start with Public-Source Research; for a question about one specific record type, use the dedicated Skill for it.
Example objectives
Run the Skill directly, or describe the objective in your own words — these are the kinds of questions it is built to answer.
Ask Nexus
“Produce a cited background report on this prospective distributor, covering its public track record over the last five years.”
Ask Nexus
“What does the public record establish about this executive’s professional history, and where do sources conflict?”
Ask Nexus
“Research this organization’s public conduct in relation to the dispute described in my notes and cite every source.”
How Deep Public Research fits the investigation
A Skill is one move inside a case. The findings stay in the case file, where the evidence behind them can be checked, graphed and reported.
- 01
Choose or describe
Pick the Skill from the Skill Library, or describe the objective in your own words and let Nexus work out which Skills fit the question.
- 02
Review the evidence
Open the evidence record behind any finding and read the original public source before you rely on what it says.
- 03
Add to the case graph
Promote the people, organizations and identifiers you accept into the case relationship graph, straight from their evidence records.
- 04
Brief and report
Turn the case into a BLUF situation brief and, on Pro and Agency, into a structured PDF report with chain of custody.
Evidence before conclusions
What Deep Public Research cannot establish
Nexus keeps supported findings, possible matches, contradictions and information gaps apart instead of blending them into one narrative. These are the boundaries Deep Public Research states up front.
- The report is bounded by the public-source scope relevant to the objective and reflects the public record at the time it is produced. Deep Public Research does not claim exhaustive coverage and does not track the subject afterward.
- An unsuccessful search does not establish that information is absent, and a source that names a matching person or company is not proof that it refers to your subject.
- The report supports an assessment; it does not declare identity, ownership or wrongdoing. Those conclusions remain with the investigator, working from the cited evidence.
Best for
Teams that reach for Deep Public Research most often.
Related OSINT concepts
The vocabulary this Skill works in, defined in the glossary.
Related Skills
Skills investigators commonly run next, in the same case.
Frequently asked questions
What does a Deep Public Research report contain?
A Deep Public Research report brings web, news, publication and directory evidence together around one objective. The report presents established facts with their sources, an assessment of what they mean, contradictions between sources and the information gaps that remain. Every statement links to an evidence record in the case, so any line can be traced back to the source that supports it.
When should I use Deep Public Research instead of Public-Source Research?
Public-Source Research is the broad first pass and is included in every Nexus plan; it is the right choice when the subject is new and the question is still general. Deep Public Research is for a defined objective where the answer has to hold up — pre-engagement due diligence, a client-facing background report or a reporter’s research file. It draws more kinds of evidence together and returns a fuller cited report.
Which Nexus plan includes Deep Public Research?
Deep Public Research is included on the Pro and Agency plans, which also include PDF investigation reports and chain of custody. It suits investigators who produce client-facing or court-facing reports, because Deep Public Research and the specialized registry, media and infrastructure Skills that a full report draws on are all on those plans. Pro includes 43 of the 47 investigative Skills; Agency includes all 47.
Can a Deep Public Research report support a case review?
A Deep Public Research report can support a case review when the investigator checks the cited evidence and records the limitations. Pro and Agency can export selected case records to a structured PDF, including available custody entries where enabled. Review the report’s completeness and retain original material. A PDF or hash does not establish source accuracy or legal admissibility; the investigator remains responsible for the assessment.