> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.antlect.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Building research briefs

> Turn findings into a research brief: a polished, shareable document with live charts and PDF export.

A **research brief** is where an investigation becomes a deliverable, and what the app calls a report. Each project can hold several, and every one autosaves as you write.

For how a brief fits into the wider arc from an open question to a grounded position, see the [Decision Intelligence Terminal](/platform/decision-intelligence-terminal).

## Creating a report

From the project workspace, open the **Reports** tab and create a new report. Reports open in a full-page editor with the document on a clean stage and formatting controls at hand.

## The editor

The report editor is a complete rich-text environment:

* **Structure**: headings, paragraphs, bulleted and numbered lists, task lists with checkboxes.
* **Tables**: full table support with header rows, and per-cell editing.
* **Media**: images and links inline in the document.
* **Emphasis**: bold, italic, underline, highlight, and text alignment.
* **Character count**: visible as you write, useful for length-constrained deliverables.

Everything autosaves; there is no save button to remember.

## Chart blocks

Reports can embed **live charts** rendered from your data, not screenshots. Charts are interactive in the editor and render crisply in the exported PDF.

<Card title="Working with charts" icon="chart-column" href="/guides/charts">
  Chart types, switching between them, and choosing the data field.
</Card>

## Bringing in artifacts

Artifacts saved from [results](/guides/results) (tables, charts, entity summaries) can be placed into a report, keeping the link back to the query that produced them. This is the fastest way to assemble a report: run queries, save artifacts, arrange them into a narrative.

## Exporting to PDF

When the report is ready, export it to PDF. Antlect renders the document server-side, including charts and tables, into a print-quality PDF, stored with the project so past versions remain retrievable.

<Tip>
  Draft the narrative in the Summary language of your queries: it's written to be lifted. Then add chart blocks where a number needs to be seen rather than read.
</Tip>