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AI Tools for Literature Searches
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The AI tools listed below can accelerate literature searches by identifying relevant manuscripts and summarizing key findings. However, it is crucial to critically evaluate AI-generated outputs and always review the original research manuscripts to ensure accuracy, context, and scientific rigor.

 

Tools for Identifying Literature

Consensus

  • Overview: identify and summarize literature
  • Where to Start: review “how to search & best practices” prior to your first search.
  • How to Search: enter clear, plain language research question and generate list of relevant peer reviewed manuscripts.
  • View Summarized Findings: AI extracts and summarizes key findings from selected manuscripts.
  • Consensus Meter: visual indicator to show level of agreement across multiple studies related to the research question.
  • Advanced Filtering: narrow results by field of study, methodology, sample size, duration of study, etc.
  • Interactive Chat with Manuscripts: use AI chat to ask questions and explore content in manuscripts.
  • Subscription Details: free option with limits; premium subscriptions available

 

Semantic Scholar

  • Overview: identify literature
  • Where to Start: review “our product” prior to first search.
  • How to Search: enter keywords, paper titles, author names, or a research question
  • One Sentence Summaries: AI generated summary describes core idea or finings of a paper.
  • Advanced Filtering: narrow results by field of study, publication date, author, or journal.
  • Citation Lists: easily identify additional manuscripts using the citation list.
  • Create Alerts: receive notifications for new citations, papers for a specific author, or recommended papers.
  • Subscription Details: free; can login via UMB to save searchers and receive notifications 

 

Elicit

  • Overview: identify and summarize literature
  • Where to Start: review “getting started” and “tips and best practices” prior to first search.
  • How to Search: enter clear, plain language research question and generate list of relevant peer reviewed manuscripts.
  • View Summarized Findings: AI extracts and summarizes key findings from selected manuscripts in a table format.
  • Advanced Filtering: narrow results by study, study design, population type, sample size, etc.
  • Subscription Details: free option with limits; premium subscriptions available

 

Litmaps

  • Overview: literature mapping and identifying citation networks
  • Where to Start: how to use Litmaps, find research gaps & monitor
  • How to search: enter a source paper to generate a list of related papers based on citations
  • Visual Citation Map: see how papers are connected to identify related manuscripts and influential work.
  • Create Alerts: track new and related work by creating customized alerts.
  • Subscription details: free option with limits; premium subscription available

 

Research Rabbit

  • Overview: literature mapping and identifying citation networks
  • Where to Start: step by step guide
  • How to search: enter a source paper to generate a list of related papers based on citations.
  • Interactive visualization: explore related papers by relevance, date, author, and citations.
  • Create Alerts: receive email updates for related work by creating collections.
  • Subscription details: free

 

Tools for Summarizing Literature

SciSpace

  • Overview: identify, summarize, and chat with literature
  • Where to start: Literature Searches, Chat with PDF, & Live Workshops
  • How to search: enter research question or keywords to identify literature.
  • Summarize and compare: AI generates concise summaries of papers and allows side by side comparison (up to 5 for free account). Podcast button provides audio description of papers.
  • Advanced filtering: narrow results by field, study, publication date, etc.
  • Chat with papers: AI assistant allows for detailed summary of key concepts in manuscripts.
  • Notebook and export tools: save searches, citations, and summaries to personal notebook.
  • Subscription details: free option with limits; premium subscription available.

 

ChatPDF

  • Overview: summarize and chat with literature
  • Where to start: ChatPDF in a Nutshell & Fast & Simple AI PDF Summaries
  • How to search: Upload PDFs, Word documents, and PowerPoint slides.
  • Summarize and chat with papers: AI assistant generates detailed summaries of a document, including linked references to navigate to sections in the document.
  • Advanced features: “read aloud” option to listen to summaries and PowerPoint slides of key concepts.
  • Subscription details: free option with limits; premium subscription available.

 

Google NotebookLM

  • Overview: summarize and chat with literature
  • Where to start: Getting Started with NotebookLM
  • How to search: Upload up to 50 PDFs, Word documents, PowerPoint slides, or links.
  • Summarize and chat with papers: AI assistant generates detailed summaries of a document, including linked references to navigate to sections in the document.
  • Advanced features: create audio summaries, PowerPoint slides, and mind maps of key concepts
  • Subscription details: free option with limits; premium subscription available.

 

 

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