# Start your first research project

Create a literature project and run one iteration.

## Before you start

Write one question that names the population or system, the comparison, and the outcome you care about. For example:

> In adults with chronic insomnia, how does cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia compare with sleep medication for long-term sleep quality?

Have the names or locations of any papers, datasets, or prior work ready if they should shape the plan.

## 1. Create the project

1. Select **New Project**.
2. Answer **What should we call this project?**, then select **Send**.
3. Answer **What are you investigating? Include any specific hypotheses you want tested.**, then select **Send**.
4. In the optional prompt, name any files, datasets, or prior work Marvin should consider. Select **Send**, or select **Skip** if you have none.

Marvin prepares an initial research plan from your answers.

## 2. Review the plan

Read the proposed question, goals, and approach before accepting it.

- Select **Refine with Marvin** to discuss a change. Review the revised plan before proceeding.
- Select **Approve and launch** when the plan reflects the work you want.
- Confirm **Launch project?** to open the project.

Approval opens the project; it does not start autonomous research. You inspect its setup and choose run settings separately.

## 3. Start one literature iteration

1. Select **Start Marvin** in the project header.
2. Choose **Literature**.
3. Choose **Balanced** thoroughness.
4. Use one iteration. The Free plan shows **1 iteration** automatically. On plans with iteration controls, set **Number of iterations** to `1`.
5. Review the settings, then select **Start Marvin**. If the dialog warns that the run may stop before completing one iteration, the button reads **Start anyway**; a stopped run can be resumed after you add credits.

Literature runs do not use the experiment compute controls. For the other run types, review compute and budget settings before starting. See [Plan and start research](/docs/plan-research).

## 4. Follow the run

Use **Overview** for the current objectives and items that need review. Use **Activity** to switch between the live event stream and earlier run history.

You can continue chatting while the run is active. Use **Send** for a question. Use **Add work** only when you want Marvin to consider additional autonomous work. **Add to plan**, then **Queue work**, leaves it pending until Marvin adopts it. **Run now** asks Marvin to start it at its next step, alongside its plan.

See [Chat with Marvin and guide research](/docs/guide-research) for attention states, stopping, and continuing later.

## 5. Review the output

When the run ends:

1. Open **Overview** and read the assessment and review items.
2. Open **Reports**. With **Time Machine** set to **all**, this shows the final report if one has been written. Selecting an iteration shows that iteration's summary instead.
3. Open **Project Explorer**, then **Findings**. Select a finding to read its claim, confidence, full text, and available source links.
4. Open **Literature** to inspect the papers in the project and the findings that cite them.

Next, use [Review research and export results](/docs/review-results) to inspect evidence and available exports. If the first iteration leaves an open question, use [Chat with Marvin and guide research](/docs/guide-research) to discuss it or queue focused follow-up work.