Online research often involves taking handwritten paper notes or cut and paste information into separate documents. In a move to automatically take notes when people research online, Yahoo! has unveiled Search Pad, a new search feature to let users capture, organise, save and share their search results.

According to Yahoo!, the new Search Pad automatically detects when people are conducting research and allows them to capture information and websites found in their search results.

The company said that the new feature automatically saves recent items into a document for reference, with capabilities such as free form note entry, drag and drop, auto-attribution of the URL for pasted notes, and save/delete notes and documents. The Search Pad enables users to share their work with others via print, email, and social networks.

Larry Cornett, vice president of consumer products for Yahoo! Search, said: “At Yahoo! Search we are committed to understanding people’s intent and building the right tools to help them complete their most important tasks online.

“With Search Pad, Yahoo! is providing an elegant solution that understands when valuable research is being conducted and offers a way to effortlessly gather information in one place. Yahoo! Search Pad helps people make decisions, save their work, and share the best with friends and colleagues.”

The Yahoo! Search Pad is opened up as beta to people in the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, the UK, France, Spain, Italy, Germany, Brazil, Mexico, and Argentina.