Research Rewards Guide
The three kinds of Research in Pokémon GO, how each one works, and where to find the current tasks and encounters.
Field Research
Spinning a PokéStop or Gym Photo Disc has a chance to hand you a Field Research task alongside items. Each task offers a small reward — Stardust, Candy, an item, or a guaranteed encounter with a specific species — for completing a simple in-game action like catching a certain type or making Nice Throws. You can hold one task per PokéStop/Gym and complete up to a set number per day; completing seven days of tasks (tracked with stamps) unlocks a bonus encounter, usually with a Mythical or otherwise notable Pokémon.
Special Research
Special Research is a fixed, story-driven questline (like the original "A Mysterious Discovery" line) delivered directly to your account rather than picked up from a PokéStop. It's usually tied to introducing a specific Mythical Pokémon or a major in-game character, unlocks in ordered steps, and often can't be skipped or reset once started.
Timed Research
Timed Research is a limited-window questline tied to a specific event — it has a hard deadline, and unlike Special Research, everyone who opts in during the window gets the same tasks and rewards.
Where to find current tasks and rewards
Exact Field Research task pools and encounter rewards change frequently and aren't published in one official, verifiable source, so rather than list a task table that would go stale within days, we cover new Special and Timed Research questlines as news articles as soon as they're announced — check our News section for the latest ones.