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AI Tools for Academic Literature Research

This guide includes examples of available AI-powered tools to assist with scholarly literature searches and reference management plus ethical considerations and warnings.

Open laptop on desk surrounded by stacks of paper journals. Drawn images appear to be emerging from screen in addition to a yellow lightbulb.

Laptop image generated using Adobe Firefly Model 3 and prompt: Open laptop on a desk surrounded by journal articles and other research references. Images of journal articles, book chapters, formulas, and diagrams emerge from the screen and appear to diffuse into the air around it. Also emerging from the laptop is a lightbulb as a metaphor for a significant idea or revelation. Use a surrealist style and blue and purple tones.

Six Ways Diagram

Integrating AI Tools Into the Research Process

Hexagon diagram showing six ways AI might be used in Academic Research

AI for Scholarly Literature Research diagram by Kimberly S. Grotewold is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0 

6 Ways that AI Can Support Your Academic Literature Research Process

  1. Identify general research topic ideas
  2. Refine research topic ideas and questions (relevant subtopics, topic intersections, etc.)
  3. Plan a search strategy (identify useful databases to search, formulate keyword and phrase searches)
  4. Search for sources and reveal relationships among sources and authors*
  5. Manage sources and notes
  6. Assist with writing mechanics 

Visit the pages of this guide to learn more.

*Many AI tools such as Perplexity, ChatGPT 4 and 4-o, Microsoft Copilot, Research Rabbit, Connected Papers, and more are limited in the content they can retrieve and reference when compared to what is available through the library's subscription-based databases.