Searching for Literature with AI Tools
Introduction
The ever-changing market offers a variety of AI tools that can be used in a useful and complementary way in the context of literature research.
When using AI tools in research, it is important to distinguish between two types of AI tools: the finder and the connector.
Finders work similarly to databases, where you can enter search terms, phrases and questions to get search results.
A connector, on the other hand, is used to enter existing literature or its metadata (e.g. the DOI). On this basis, related and cited texts are listed.
When searching literature, you should consider these two ways of using AI tools so that their use supports your research in a meaningful way.
In general, the following points should be considered when using AI tools in the context of academic work:
- For some tools, the underlying data is not transparent and in some cases incomplete.
- Many tools can only be fully used for a fee, or the basic version can only be used for free by creating a user account.
- The majority of AI tools are suitable for scientific disciplines, while connector tools are particularly suitable for the humanities.
- The majority of AI tools are suitable for English-language research (only).
- The sources listed are not subject to a peer-review process. Privacy policies are unclear and non-transparent for almost all tools. Most servers are located outside the EU.
Chatbots and Literature Research: Pros and Cons
Chatbots, such as OpenAI's "ChatGPT", are not suitable for literature searching, but can be used for research preparation or text generation. Chatbots can be used to generate search strings or to identify search terms through targeted prompting. It is not advisable to use chatbots for a dedicated literature search on a topic or text, as the list of results generated in this way is remarkably error-prone. In particular, so-called hallucinated literature does not make work easier, but rather increases the need for quality control.
Members of Bielefeld University are recommended to use the AI portal BIKI, which is programmed and hosted by BITS at Bielefeld University. In BIKI, the data entered is processed in accordance with data protection regulations and is not passed on to third parties.
Specific AI tools and Research Platforms with AI Support
Below you will find an overview of specific AI tools that can help you with your literature searches in different application areas.
Before using any AI tool, please check its privacy policy on its website.
| What am I looking for? | These AI tools can help you identify topics and formulate precise research questions at the start of your literature search. | |
| Where do I search? | If you have already developed a research question or defined a specific topic for your research, you can use the following tools as search tools to search the academic literature. | |
| How do I search? | If you want to refine your search results or extend your literature search, you can use 'mapping' to link existing literature to other works in a thematic classification. Some tools also allow you to create abstracts from existing literature. |