Why use AI tools: Faster synthesis, brainstorming keywords, comparing study designs, summarizing findings.
Why be cautious: Hallucinations, fake citations, bias, incomplete coverage.
AI tools can help you:
Generate keywords and related terms
Discover clusters of research or connections between articles
Summarize findings across multiple studies
Organize and visualize literature
But: they do not replace traditional databases. AI tools often miss important articles or generate incomplete/inaccurate results. Always verify sources in PsycINFO, Sociological Abstracts, etc.
Quick Tips for AI use:
DO: Use AI to brainstorm, organize, and compare studies.
DON’T: Rely on AI to find all your sources or provide accurate citations.
ALWAYS: Verify and synthesize using scholarly databases.
| Tool | What It Does | Strengths | Limitations |
| Elicit | Finds and extracts data from published papers (esp. methods, sample sizes, outcomes) | Saves time summarizing empirical studies; structured data; transparency | Limited coverage (not comprehensive); works best for quantitative questions |
| ResearchRabbit | Builds networks of related papers/authors; visualizes connections | Great for discovery and mapping a field; can surface overlooked but relevant articles | Can be overwhelming; not a replacement for systematic searching |
| ChatGPT | Generates text, brainstorms keywords, summarizes, drafts outlines | Flexible, can “translate” research questions into search terms, helps organize ideas | Can hallucinate citations; not connected to comprehensive scholarly databases |
| *created with the help of ChatGPT |
Start with a clear, researchable question (“What is the effect of social media on political participation among young adults?”)
Elicit searches Semantic Scholar’s database to find studies.
It creates a table view with columns like: study title, year, intervention, sample size, outcome.
You can customize columns to compare methods, measures, and populations.
Best for: quickly reviewing empirical evidence and organizing it into themes or methods.
Begin with a “seed” paper you already know is relevant.
ResearchRabbit generates visual maps of related articles, authors, or citation patterns.
You can track research groups, build collections, and get alerts when new papers appear.
Best for: exploring the “research landscape,” spotting influential works, and finding related scholars.
Use it to brainstorm keywords, synonyms, and search strategies (e.g., “Suggest alternate terms for ‘racial identity formation’ in sociology”).
Draft possible outlines for your literature review organized by theme or method.
Best for: refining your search language or stucturing your review
Start with databases (PsycINFO, Sociological Abstracts) → get peer-reviewed, verifiable sources.
Use ResearchRabbit → to expand your search and discover connections or related authors.
Use Elicit → to extract and compare study details across multiple articles.
Use ChatGPT → to refine keywords and organize your review.
Always cross-check → verify every article and citation in a scholarly database before using it in your review.