About the Project
ResearchPlex is a tool I built to help students, researchers, and academics scan, analyze, and visualize research papers more efficiently. My goal was to create something that makes it easier to uncover connections between studies and gain deeper insights—without getting lost in endless PDFs.
What Inspired Me
I was inspired by my own struggles with academic research. Facing mountains of papers and struggling to see how they all fit together, I realized that most tools only scratch the surface. I wanted to build a solution that truly helps people make sense of complex research landscapes.
What I Learned
Building ResearchPlex gave me hands-on experience with integrating advanced AI APIs into real-world applications. I explored Streamlit for building interactive web interfaces, processed academic documents, and visualized data as knowledge graphs. I also learned the importance of designing for both beginners and advanced users, ensuring the tool is accessible and useful for everyone.
How I Built It
- I developed the frontend using Streamlit, which allowed me to create a clean, user-friendly interface quickly.
- I wrote the backend in Python, handling everything from processing research papers to building interactive graphs.
- I integrated the Perplexity Sonar API to enable advanced research analysis and discovery features.
- I implemented knowledge graph visualization to clearly show how different papers connect.
- I added feature gating so the app provides basic analysis by default and unlocks advanced features when the Perplexity Sonar API is available.
Challenges I Faced
- API integration required careful error handling and session management to ensure a smooth user experience.
- Visualizing complex relationships between papers was challenging, and I spent a lot of time making the graph clear and intuitive.
- Balancing features and simplicity was tricky—I wanted the tool to be powerful but not overwhelming.
- The hackathon’s tight deadline pushed me to work efficiently and make smart compromises.
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