research ai tools

Analyze research papers at superhuman speed

Search for research papers, get one sentence abstract summaries, select relevant papers and search for more like them, extract details from papers into an organized table.

Find themes and concepts across many papers

Don't just take our word for it.

Tons of features to speed up your research

Upload your own pdfs, orient with a quick summary, view sources for every answer, ask questions to papers, research for the machine intelligence age, pick a plan that's right for you, get in touch, enterprise and institutions, common questions. great answers., how do researchers use elicit.

Over 2 million researchers have used Elicit. Researchers commonly use Elicit to:

• Speed up literature review
• Find papers they couldn’t find elsewhere
• Automate systematic reviews and meta-analyses
• Learn about a new domain

Elicit tends to work best for empirical domains that involve experiments and concrete results. This type of research is common in biomedicine and machine learning.

What is Elicit not a good fit for?

Elicit does not currently answer questions or surface information that is not written about in an academic paper. It tends to work less well for identifying facts (e.g. "How many cars were sold in Malaysia last year?") and in theoretical or non-empirical domains.

What types of data can Elicit search over?

Elicit searches across 125 million academic papers from the Semantic Scholar corpus, which covers all academic disciplines. When you extract data from papers in Elicit, Elicit will use the full text if available or the abstract if not.

How accurate are the answers in Elicit?

A good rule of thumb is to assume that around 90% of the information you see in Elicit is accurate. While we do our best to increase accuracy without skyrocketing costs, it’s very important for you to check the work in Elicit closely. We try to make this easier for you by identifying all of the sources for information generated with language models.

How can you get in contact with the team?

You can email us at [email protected] or post in our Slack community ! We log and incorporate all user comments, and will do our best to reply to every inquiry as soon as possible.

What happens to papers uploaded to Elicit?

When you upload papers to analyze in Elicit, those papers will remain private to you and will not be shared with anyone else.

How accurate is Elicit?

Training our models on specific tasks, searching over academic papers, making it easy to double-check answers, save time, think more. try elicit for free..

AI for Research

Ask our AI Assistant or search the literature to transform the way you discover, evaluate, and understand research on any topic.

Trusted by leading Universities, Publishers, and Corporations

What sets Scite apart?

Scite goes far beyond just open-access articles. We've built the world's largest citation statement database by continually monitoring 200 million scholarly sources and analyzing 1.2B+ citations to create Smart Citations – which provide context and classify citations as supporting or contrasting evidence. This database also powers our AI Assistant and our literature search engine and gives researchers unmatched insight into any topic.

Extracted citations in a report page

Never waste time looking for and evaluating research again.

Our innovative index of Smart Citations powers new features built to make research intuitive and trustworthy for anyone engaging with research.

Find information by searching across a mix of metadata (like titles & abstracts) as well as Citation Statements we indexed from the full-text of research articles.

Build and manage collections of articles of interest -- from a manual list, systematic review, or a search -- and get aggregate insights, notifications, and more.

Evaluate how references from your manuscript were used by you or your co-authors to ensure you properly cite high quality references.

Explore pre-built journal dashboards to find their publications, top authors, compare yearly scite Index rankings in subject areas, and more.

Large Language Model (LLM) Experience for Researchers

Assistant by scite gives you the power of large language models backed by our unique database of Smart Citations to minimize the risk of hallucinations and improve the quality of information and real references.

Use it to get ideas for search strategies, build reference lists for a new topic you're exploring, get help writing marketing and blog posts, and more.

Assistant is built with observability in mind to help you make more informed decisions about AI generated content.

Here are a few examples to try:

"How many rats live in NYC?"

"How does the structure of a protein affect its function?"

Awards & Press

Trusted by researchers and organizations around the world

Over 969,000 students, researchers, and industry experts use scite

See what they're saying

scite is an incredibly clever tool. The feature that classifies papers on whether they find supporting or contrasting evidence for a particular publication saves so much time. It has become indispensable to me when writing papers and finding related work to cite and read.

Emir Efendić, Ph.D

Maastricht University

As a PhD student, I'm so glad that this exists for my literature searches and papers. Being able to assess what is disputed or affirmed in the literature is how the scientific process is supposed to work, and scite helps me do this more efficiently.

Kathleen C McCormick, Ph.D Student

scite is such an awesome tool! It’s never been easier to place a scientific paper in the context of the wider literature.

Mark Mikkelsen, Ph.D

The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

This is a really cool tool. I just tried it out on a paper we wrote on flu/pneumococcal seasonality... really interesting to see the results were affirmed by other studies. I had no idea.

David N. Fisman, Ph.D

University of Toronto

Do better research

Join scite to be a part of a community dedicated to making science more reliable.

scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.

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The best AI tools for research papers and academic research (Literature review, grants, PDFs and more)

As our collective understanding and application of artificial intelligence (AI) continues to evolve, so too does the realm of academic research. Some people are scared by it while others are openly embracing the change. 

Make no mistake, AI is here to stay!

Instead of tirelessly scrolling through hundreds of PDFs, a powerful AI tool comes to your rescue, summarizing key information in your research papers. Instead of manually combing through citations and conducting literature reviews, an AI research assistant proficiently handles these tasks.

These aren’t futuristic dreams, but today’s reality. Welcome to the transformative world of AI-powered research tools!

This blog post will dive deeper into these tools, providing a detailed review of how AI is revolutionizing academic research. We’ll look at the tools that can make your literature review process less tedious, your search for relevant papers more precise, and your overall research process more efficient and fruitful.

I know that I wish these were around during my time in academia. It can be quite confronting when trying to work out what ones you should and shouldn’t use. A new one seems to be coming out every day!

Here is everything you need to know about AI for academic research and the ones I have personally trialed on my YouTube channel.

My Top AI Tools for Researchers and Academics – Tested and Reviewed!

There are many different tools now available on the market but there are only a handful that are specifically designed with researchers and academics as their primary user.

These are my recommendations that’ll cover almost everything that you’ll want to do:

Want to find out all of the tools that you could use?

Here they are, below:

AI literature search and mapping – best AI tools for a literature review – elicit and more

Harnessing AI tools for literature reviews and mapping brings a new level of efficiency and precision to academic research. No longer do you have to spend hours looking in obscure research databases to find what you need!

AI-powered tools like Semantic Scholar and elicit.org use sophisticated search engines to quickly identify relevant papers.

They can mine key information from countless PDFs, drastically reducing research time. You can even search with semantic questions, rather than having to deal with key words etc.

With AI as your research assistant, you can navigate the vast sea of scientific research with ease, uncovering citations and focusing on academic writing. It’s a revolutionary way to take on literature reviews.

• Elicit –  https://elicit.org
• Litmaps –  https://www.litmaps.com
• Research rabbit – https://www.researchrabbit.ai/
• Connected Papers –  https://www.connectedpapers.com/
• Supersymmetry.ai: https://www.supersymmetry.ai
• Semantic Scholar: https://www.semanticscholar.org
• Laser AI –  https://laser.ai/
• Inciteful –  https://inciteful.xyz/
• Scite –  https://scite.ai/
• System –  https://www.system.com

If you like AI tools you may want to check out this article:

• How to get ChatGPT to write an essay [The prompts you need]

AI-powered research tools and AI for academic research

AI research tools, like Concensus, offer immense benefits in scientific research. Here are the general AI-powered tools for academic research. 

These AI-powered tools can efficiently summarize PDFs, extract key information, and perform AI-powered searches, and much more. Some are even working towards adding your own data base of files to ask questions from. 

Tools like scite even analyze citations in depth, while AI models like ChatGPT elicit new perspectives.

The result? The research process, previously a grueling endeavor, becomes significantly streamlined, offering you time for deeper exploration and understanding. Say goodbye to traditional struggles, and hello to your new AI research assistant!

• Consensus –  https://consensus.app/
• Iris AI –  https://iris.ai/
• Research Buddy –  https://researchbuddy.app/
• Mirror Think – https://mirrorthink.ai

AI for reading peer-reviewed papers easily

Using AI tools like Explain paper and Humata can significantly enhance your engagement with peer-reviewed papers. I always used to skip over the details of the papers because I had reached saturation point with the information coming in. 

These AI-powered research tools provide succinct summaries, saving you from sifting through extensive PDFs – no more boring nights trying to figure out which papers are the most important ones for you to read!

They not only facilitate efficient literature reviews by presenting key information, but also find overlooked insights.

With AI, deciphering complex citations and accelerating research has never been easier.

• Aetherbrain – https://aetherbrain.ai
• Explain Paper – https://www.explainpaper.com
• Chat PDF – https://www.chatpdf.com
• Humata – https://www.humata.ai/
• Lateral AI –  https://www.lateral.io/
• Paper Brain –  https://www.paperbrain.study/
• Scholarcy – https://www.scholarcy.com/
• SciSpace Copilot –  https://typeset.io/
• Unriddle – https://www.unriddle.ai/
• Sharly.ai – https://www.sharly.ai/
• Open Read –  https://www.openread.academy

AI for scientific writing and research papers

In the ever-evolving realm of academic research, AI tools are increasingly taking center stage.

Enter Paper Wizard, Jenny.AI, and Wisio – these groundbreaking platforms are set to revolutionize the way we approach scientific writing.

Together, these AI tools are pioneering a new era of efficient, streamlined scientific writing.

• Jenny.AI – https://jenni.ai/ (20% off with code ANDY20)
• Yomu – https://www.yomu.ai
• Wisio – https://www.wisio.app

AI academic editing tools

In the realm of scientific writing and editing, artificial intelligence (AI) tools are making a world of difference, offering precision and efficiency like never before. Consider tools such as Paper Pal, Writefull, and Trinka.

Together, these tools usher in a new era of scientific writing, where AI is your dedicated partner in the quest for impeccable composition.

• PaperPal –  https://paperpal.com/
• Writefull –  https://www.writefull.com/
• Trinka –  https://www.trinka.ai/

AI tools for grant writing

In the challenging realm of science grant writing, two innovative AI tools are making waves: Granted AI and Grantable.

These platforms are game-changers, leveraging the power of artificial intelligence to streamline and enhance the grant application process.

Granted AI, an intelligent tool, uses AI algorithms to simplify the process of finding, applying, and managing grants. Meanwhile, Grantable offers a platform that automates and organizes grant application processes, making it easier than ever to secure funding.

Together, these tools are transforming the way we approach grant writing, using the power of AI to turn a complex, often arduous task into a more manageable, efficient, and successful endeavor.

• Granted AI – https://grantedai.com/
• Grantable – https://grantable.co/

Best free AI research tools

There are many different tools online that are emerging for researchers to be able to streamline their research processes. There’s no need for convience to come at a massive cost and break the bank.

The best free ones at time of writing are:

• Elicit – https://elicit.org
• Connected Papers – https://www.connectedpapers.com/
• Litmaps – https://www.litmaps.com ( 10% off Pro subscription using the code “STAPLETON” )
• Consensus – https://consensus.app/

Wrapping up

The integration of artificial intelligence in the world of academic research is nothing short of revolutionary.

With the array of AI tools we’ve explored today – from research and mapping, literature review, peer-reviewed papers reading, scientific writing, to academic editing and grant writing – the landscape of research is significantly transformed.

The advantages that AI-powered research tools bring to the table – efficiency, precision, time saving, and a more streamlined process – cannot be overstated.

These AI research tools aren’t just about convenience; they are transforming the way we conduct and comprehend research.

They liberate researchers from the clutches of tedium and overwhelm, allowing for more space for deep exploration, innovative thinking, and in-depth comprehension.

Whether you’re an experienced academic researcher or a student just starting out, these tools provide indispensable aid in your research journey.

And with a suite of free AI tools also available, there is no reason to not explore and embrace this AI revolution in academic research.

We are on the precipice of a new era of academic research, one where AI and human ingenuity work in tandem for richer, more profound scientific exploration. The future of research is here, and it is smart, efficient, and AI-powered.

Before we get too excited however, let us remember that AI tools are meant to be our assistants, not our masters. As we engage with these advanced technologies, let’s not lose sight of the human intellect, intuition, and imagination that form the heart of all meaningful research. Happy researching!

Thank you to Ivan Aguilar – Ph.D. Student at SFU (Simon Fraser University), for starting this list for me!

Dr Andrew Stapleton has a Masters and PhD in Chemistry from the UK and Australia. He has many years of research experience and has worked as a Postdoctoral Fellow and Associate at a number of Universities. Although having secured funding for his own research, he left academia to help others with his YouTube channel all about the inner workings of academia and how to make it work for you.

Thank you for visiting Academia Insider.

We are here to help you navigate Academia as painlessly as possible. We are supported by our readers and by visiting you are helping us earn a small amount through ads and affiliate revenue - Thank you!

2024 © Academia Insider

10 Best AI Tools for Academic Research in 2024 (Free and Paid)

Ayush Chaturvedi

20 min read

Research can be a time-consuming endeavour. Sifting through mountains of literature, analyzing data, and crafting clear arguments can feel overwhelming. 

However, you can streamline much of this research process with Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools, some of which are the best for research.

These AI-powered assistants can search vast databases in seconds, pinpoint relevant studies, and customize data to your specific research question. 

They can also recommend key research articles and highlight emerging trends within your field, saving you time.

Additionally, with the help of the best AI tools for research, you can improve your writing and streamline your workflow with real-time grammar and punctuation checks, stylistic suggestions, and clear explanations of complex concepts.

But how do you choose?

Don't worry; we've got you covered. 

We have created a list of all the best AI tools for research on the internet, filtering based on various factors and handpicked the top 10. 

These research AI tools not only assist you in research but also integrate with your workflow and reduce your overall workload. 

So let's get started.

Best AI Tools for Research at a Glance

What are research ai tools, benefits of using ai tools for research, factors to consider when choosing the best ai tools for research, top 10 best ai tools for research, key features of elephas , elephas pricing , elepahs reviews, chatgpt key features , chatgpt pricing , chatgpt reviews , typeset.io features:, typeset.io pricing , typeset.io reviews , quillbot key features , quillbot pricing , quillbot review , wordvice.ai features:, wordvice.ai pricing , wordvice.ai reviews , consensus ai key features , consensus ai pricing , consensus ai reviews , scite.ai features , scite.ai pricing , scite.ai reviews , scholarly key features, scholarcy pricing , scholarcy reviews , proofhub key features , proofhub pricing , proofhub reviews , research rabbit key features , research rabbit pricing , research rabbit reviews , limitations of ai tools for research, case study: how a professor used elephas in his lesson research process.

• Conclusion 

1. Which AI is better for research?

2. is chatgpt good for research, 3. how can ai be used for research, 4. what is the best ai for phd.

Elephas: Summarize research, rewrite content in different styles, and organize summaries in a central "Super Brain" for easy access.

ChatGPT: Summarize news articles and answer research questions

Typeset.io: Streamline academic writing with templates and citation management. 

Quillbot: Rephrase text and summarize complex materials for research. 

Wordvice.ai : Ensure clarity, grammar, and originality in your academic writing.

Consensus AI: Search vast databases and filter research papers for quality.

Scite.ai: Get real citations and measure the credibility of research claims.

Scholarcy: Summarize complex articles and build a searchable research library.

ProofHub: Manage research projects with tasks, collaboration tools, and scheduling.

ResearchRabbit: Build a research library and get recommendations for new papers. 

Research AI tools are game-changers for students, academics, and researchers, streamlining the entire research process. 

With the help of the best AI tools for research as your personal research assistant, they help you find relevant articles, analyze information, and even improve your writing!

Imagine being able to find hundreds of relevant research papers in minutes,  or getting a clear summary of a complex article with the click of a button. That's the magic of AI research assistants.

Some specialize in specific areas, like grammar and plagiarism checking, while others focus on broader tasks like literature review and research question development.  

No matter your research needs, there's an AI tool out there to help you save time, improve your work, and produce higher-quality research. 

Let's look closer at the features that a research AI tool offers 

These AI-powered tools offer a variety of features such as:

• Effortless searching: Quickly find high-quality research papers by entering your topic.
• Smarter literature reviews: Get suggestions for key studies, authors, and research trends.
• Enhanced writing: Improve your writing with grammar checks, stylistic suggestions, and help with complex concepts.
• Citation management: Easily manage and format your citations to avoid plagiarism.
• Research organization: Build your research library and organize articles for easy access.

These are just a few examples of how AI research tools can save you time and effort, allowing you to focus on the analysis and critical thinking that truly matters. 

Some tools even go beyond and offer a complete suite of AI features that cut down more than half of the research time.

Research can be a time-consuming endeavour. Sifting through mountains of literature, analyzing data, and crafting clear arguments can feel overwhelming. However, you can streamline much of this research process with Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools like Research AI tools. 

Here are some benefits you can gain with Research AI tools:

Effortless Information Retrieval: AI tools can search vast databases in seconds, pinpointing relevant studies and data tailored to your specific research question.

Smarter Literature Reviews: No more wading through mountains of papers. AI can recommend key research articles, and influential authors, and highlight emerging trends within your field, saving you time and ensuring a comprehensive review.

Idea Generation: If you struggle to spark new research ideas, then AI can help you. It can brainstorm fresh research questions, and hypotheses, and even suggest innovative experiment designs to propel your research forward.

Writing Assistant & Editor:  You can improve your writing and streamline your workflow with AI's editing prowess. Get real-time grammar and punctuation checks , stylistic suggestions, and clear explanations of complex concepts, all designed to elevate the quality of your research writing.

Enhanced Efficiency: AI automates tedious tasks like citation management and formatting, freeing you to focus on the analysis and interpretation of your research findings.

Personalized Research Assistant: AI tools can adapt to your research interests, suggesting relevant articles, recommending new avenues for exploration, and even summarizing complex research papers for a clearer understanding.

There are different AI tools present on the internet for different needs. So with the vast array of AI-powered research assistants available, selecting the most suitable tool can be problematic. 

Here are some key factors to consider, when you choosing the best AI Tools for Research:

Your Research Needs: Identify your specific needs. Are you searching for literature, summarizing complex papers, or improving your writing? Different tools excel in various areas.

Features Offered: Align the tool's features with your needs. Do you require real-time citation suggestions or plagiarism checkers?

Data Accuracy and Credibility: Ensure the tool retrieves information from reliable sources. Scite.ai stands out for highlighting the credibility of research claims.

Ease of Use: Consider the platform's user-friendliness. Look for intuitive interfaces and clear instructions.

Cost: AI tools often have varying pricing structures. Some offer free trials or basic plans, while others require subscriptions. Determine your budget and choose a tool that aligns with it.

Integration Capabilities: Does the tool integrate with your existing workflow? Look for options that seamlessly connect with your preferred reference managers or writing platforms.

Most importantly, remember that AI research assistants are only there to increase your productivity in the research process, not to replace it .

1. Elephas  

Elephas is an innovative AI tool designed to supercharge your research and writing efficiency. It utilizes advanced technology to break down complex research papers, YouTube videos, and other content, extracting the key points and saving you valuable time.

Additionally, Elephas goes beyond summarizing – it can seamlessly integrate with your workflow and rewrite content in various tones, making it a versatile companion for all your writing needs. 

Elephas doesn't just summarize research papers; it extracts key points and integrates seamlessly with your workflow. Whether you're a student, researcher, or content creator, Elephas helps you achieve more in less time.

Effortless Sum marization: Extract key points from research papers and YouTube videos with ease.

Centralized Hub: Keep all your research summaries organized in one place with Elephas Super Brain .

Seamless Content Creation: Create professional emails, engaging social media posts, and documents in just a few clicks.

Multiple Rewrite Modes: Choose from a variety of writing styles to make your content more engaging.

Super-Command Bar: Increase your productivity with features like article summarization and data extraction.

Elephas is also one of the best AI Tools for Summarizing Research Papers in the market right now. And it bundles up with a powerful iOS app as well.

It works locally and it's 100% privacy friendly!

If you own a Mac, you should definitely try it out.

ChatGPT , the tool behind the existence of many AI tools, is undeniably one of the best AI tools for research. With the right prompts, you can easily summarize any news articles , long notes, etc., in seconds. You can also ask ChatGPT research-related questions to gain a better understanding of research papers. Furthermore, you can improve your writing and avoid any grammar and punctuation mistakes. With the help of ChatGPT, the number of things you can do is endless.

Effortless Information Retrieval: Find the studies and data you need in a flash.

Smarter Literature Reviews: Get suggestions for key papers, authors, and research trends.

Idea Generation on Demand: Spark new research questions, hypotheses, and experiment designs.

Writing Assistant: Improve your writing with grammar checks, stylistic suggestions, and simplified explanations of complex concepts.

• Premium Plan Starts at $20/month 

Some users have reported false money deductions and low-quality service provided in the premium subscription.

3. Typeset.io

Typeset.io streamlines the entire academic writing process, saving you time and frustration.  This user-friendly platform offers a variety of features to help you write, collaborate, and publish top-notch research. From predefined templates to AI-powered writing assistance, Typeset.io empowers researchers of all levels to achieve their scholarly goals.

Effortless Formatting: Predefined templates ensure your paper meets journal requirements.

Citation Breeze: Manage citations and references effortlessly, with automatic generation.

Seamless Collaboration: Work together on research papers in real time.

Smart Journal Selection: Find the perfect fit for your research with a built-in journal database.

Premium Plan Starts at $7.78/month

Users have reported that the tool doesn't notify at the end of the free trial and sneakily charges for the premium plan. Additionally, once the plan is purchased, the money is non-refundable. Some have claimed that even after cancelling the subscription, the customer service did not cancel it and still charged their cards.

4. Quillbot 

Quillbot is your AI research companion, offering several time-saving features to streamline your workflow. It is designed to assist researchers of all levels. This tool utilizes advanced learning algorithms to enhance your writing and comprehension skills. With Quillbot, you can confidently paraphrase text, summarize complex materials, and ensure clear, plagiarism-free writing. Additionally, you can perform citations with high accuracy. Quillbot streamlines your workflow and strengthens your writing.

Paraphrasing & Summarizing: Quillbot rewrites sentences and condenses lengthy passages, saving you time and effort.

Language Enhancement & Learning: Improve your writing with advanced suggestions and explanations, perfect for non-native speakers.

Research Brainstorming: Generate fresh ideas from just a few keywords, overcoming writer's block.

Academic Accuracy & Citation Help: Ensure your writing matches specific citation styles and uses precise academic language.

• Premium Plan starts at $4.17/month 

Users have reported that the tool is working slowly when used in Microsoft Word, and it often uses complex words while paraphrasing. Some have also reported that the rephrased content on Quillbot is detected as AI-generated content on various AI detection tools.

5. Wordvice.ai

Wordvice AI is one of the best AI tools for research, it is your one-stop shop for powerful writing assistance. This AI-powered tool uses cutting-edge technology to streamline your research workflow, saving you time and effort. From basic grammar and clarity checks to advanced plagiarism detection, Wordvice AI helps you to write with confidence and produce polished, original academic content.

All-in-one editing: Grammar, style, clarity, and fluency checks with real-time feedback.

Vocabulary booster: Get suggestions for synonyms and alternative phrasing to diversify your writing.

Academic writing companion: Ensures proper citation format, maintains a scholarly tone, and adheres to research conventions.

Originality assured: Scans millions of sources to prevent plagiarism in your work.

Premium Plan starts at $9.95/month 

Users have reported that certain sentence patterns generated by AI are already found on existing web pages, which has led to an increase in plagiarism within content.

6. Consensus AI

Consensus AI is an innovative platform that uses artificial intelligence to simplify your search process. In just minutes, Consensus AI can search through vast databases and deliver hundreds of relevant, high-quality research papers directly to you. Also, Consensus AI filters results by date, study type, and journal quality, ensuring you find high-quality, credible sources to strengthen your research.

AI-powered Search Engine: Enter your research question and let Consensus AI scour vast databases to find relevant papers.

Time-Saving Efficiency: Gather hundreds of papers in minutes, freeing you up to focus on analysis and writing.

Comprehensive Results: Access a diverse range of studies, including randomized trials, reviews, and observational studies.

High-Quality Papers: Filter results by journal quality to ensure the credibility of your sources.

• Premium Plan Starts at $8.99/month 

Users have reported that when we try to share the live demo over Zoom, the tool becomes slow and hangs. They think it is a hassle to jump between the browser and Zoom. They suggest introducing some integration features in the tool as a good solution.

7. Scite.ai 

Scite.ai is one of the best for reliable research assistance powered by Artificial Intelligence.  Scite.ai tackles a common problem with AI research tools – unreliable citations.  Unlike others, Scite.ai provides you with real citations to published papers,  so you can be confident in the information you use. Even better, Scite.ai can analyze the research and tell you how many studies support or challenge a specific claim. 

Create Dashboards: Organize your research findings in a user-friendly format.

Journal and Institution Metrics: Gain insights into the reputation of academic sources.

Interactive Visualizations: You can see research trends and connections come through visualizations of the tool. 

Measure Claim Credibility: Scite.ai analyzes the strength of a claim by showing you how many studies support or refute it.

Premium Plan starts at $20/month 

Users have noticed that sometimes the tool produces inaccurate citations, which can be problematic for researchers who rely on its accuracy. Additionally, some users believe that the tool's pricing is significantly higher compared to its competitors.

8. Scholarcy

Scholarcy is an AI-powered tool that acts like a personal research assistant, summarizing complex articles, reports, and even book chapters for you.  Scholarcy quickly helps you understand the key points of any document and assess its relevance to your work, saving you precious time and effort. Whether you're a researcher, student, or just curious about the latest advancements, Scholarcy helps you quickly grasp key findings and identify relevant sources

Key Points at a Glance: Scholarcy extracts crucial information and organizes it into clear categories, making it easy to grasp the main ideas.

Seamless Integration: Scholarcy offers handy Chrome and Edge browser extensions, allowing you to summarize research directly from your web browser.

Visual Aids: Scholarcy can extract figures, tables, and images from articles, providing a more comprehensive understanding of the research.

Organized Knowledge: Build your searchable database of summarized research, making it easy to revisit key information later.

• Premium Plan Starts at $4.99/month 

Some users are not satisfied with the complete summaries produced by Scholarcy, as some of the sentences are not actual sentences and need to be corrected. Additionally, some sentences do not make any sense. Other users have claimed that the quality of the tool has significantly dropped in recent months and it feels glitchy while using it.

9. ProofHub

ProofHub is one of the best AI tools for research to streamline research projects. It's an all-in-one project management tool designed specifically to make research teams more efficient and effective. ProofHub centralizes everything your team needs in a single platform, allowing seamless collaboration and communication.  Save valuable time and avoid confusion by ditching the scattered emails, documents, and endless meetings.

Effortless Task & Project Management: Organize your research projects with ease using powerful tools like Kanban boards and Gantt charts.

Centralized Hub for Collaboration: Keep your team on the same page with a central platform for file sharing, discussions, and real-time feedback.

Streamlined Time Tracking & Scheduling: Never miss a deadline again! ProofHub's time tracking and scheduling features help you stay on top of your research project's progress.

Automated Workflows: Save even more time by automating repetitive tasks and creating custom workflows perfectly suited to your research needs.

• Premium Plan Starts at $45/month 

Users have expressed dissatisfaction with the user interface and email notifications of the tool, stating that they are not up to par. In addition, some have reported that certain features in Proofhub are not as impressive as those of its competitors.

10. Research Rabbit

ResearchRabbit is another best AI tools for research, it helps you navigate through the vast world of scientific literature. Nicknamed the "Spotify for Papers," this innovative tool lets you explore research like never before. Build collections of articles you find interesting, and ResearchRabbit will cleverly suggest new papers that align with your specific interests. No more endless searches – ResearchRabbit becomes your personalized research assistant, saving you time and frustration.

Build your research library: Collect and organize articles you find interesting, all in one place.

Smart recommendations: Never miss a groundbreaking study! ResearchRabbit suggests new papers based on your interests, saving you valuable time.

Visualize connections: See how different research areas, authors, and ideas are linked together.

Collaboration made easy: Share your research collections with colleagues to work together more effectively.

Free Forever 

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Many best AI tools for research suit different types of people, and these research AI tools have streamlined tasks and uncovered connections. However, they still have many limitations compared to manual research processes. Here's a closer look.

1. Accuracy and Bias: AI tools rely on the data they're trained on. If the data is biased or inaccurate, the results can be misleading. It's crucial to critically evaluate AI outputs and not rely solely on them.

2. Depth vs. Breadth: AI tools can efficiently scan vast amounts of literature, but they may miss nuances or subtleties within research papers. In-depth analysis and critical thinking remain essential for a comprehensive understanding.

3. Overreliance on Automation: AI shouldn't replace the core research process. Researchers should use AI to streamline tasks, not eliminate critical steps like evaluating source credibility and understanding research context.

4. Black Box Problem:  Sometimes, AI won't explain its reasoning behind results. This lack of transparency can make it difficult to assess the trustworthiness of findings or suggestions.

5. Limited Scope: AI tools might not cover all relevant sources, especially niche or emerging research areas. Supplement your search with traditional methods like library databases and expert consultations.

In our community, we have found Elephas being used by some professors at a university, and they have shared their experiences on how they used it in their lesson research process. Here is how they did it:

1. Summarization: The professor utilized Elephas' ability to generate concise summaries of different textbooks and research papers. This allowed him to quickly grasp the core arguments and findings of numerous studies, saving him hours of dedicated reading time.

2. Video Research: Then the professor had to gather more knowledge to create a lesson plan, so he searched for some of the best lengthy video lectures. Packed with historical insights, these videos were no longer a trouble because Elephas efficiently summarized key points from them, enabling our professor to include this valuable information in his lessons without spending hours glued to the screen.

3. Building Knowledge Base: Finally, the professor used Elephas Super Brain to create a centralized hub for all his research summaries. This eliminated the need to sift through countless folders and documents, allowing him to access critical information instantly. Additionally, he utilized the Super Brain to better understand the lesson plan through the Super Brain chat feature of Elephas.

Let's see what Elephas was able to do for our professor who is striving to teach his students in-depth subject knowledge:

1. Increased Efficiency: The professor has seen a significant reduction in research time, freeing up valuable hours for lesson planning and development.

2. Deeper Lesson Understanding: With more time at his disposal, our professor was able to delve into the research he found most compelling, leading to a deeper understanding of historical topics.

3. Engaging Lectures: By using key insights from research summaries provided by Elephas, the professor's lectures became more informative and engaging for his students, helping in their understanding of the topic faster than before.

The professor's experience explains how Elephas can revolutionize the research process for academics. By saving time and streamlining workflows, Elephas helps researchers get deeper into their respective fields and create truly impactful learning experiences and also cut their research process to more than half.

Conclusion  

In summary, AI research assistants are transforming how researchers approach their work. These tools can summarize complex information, find relevant studies, and even suggest new research ideas. Top choices include Elephas (which summarizes research papers and YouTube videos), ChatGPT (which summarizes articles and answers questions), and Typeset.io (which streamlines academic writing).

However, make sure to pick the best AI tool for research based on your requirements. Also, remember that while AI offers significant time savings and improved efficiency, it shouldn't replace critical thinking and human expertise in research because AI has several limitations that can degrade your research quality.

Elephas is the best AI tool for research, offering key features for researchers such as summarizing research papers, articles, and YouTube videos. Additionally, you can upload data to a "super brain" for retrieval and chat with uploaded PDFs for deeper understanding. This makes Elephas a strong AI tool for research tasks

Yes, ChatGPT can be a helpful tool for initial research exploration. It can brainstorm ideas, summarize complex topics, and even find relevant sources. However, for in-depth research, specialized academic databases and citation tools are better suited. These resources provide more reliable and accurate information, often with features like peer-reviewed content and advanced search options.

AI is revolutionizing research by summarizing complex information and assisting with content creation. AI tools can analyze research papers, articles, and even videos to extract key findings, saving researchers time and effort. AI can also rewrite content in different tones, making it a valuable asset for researchers who need to communicate their findings to various audiences.

Elephas is an AI tool designed to boost research and writing efficiency for PhD students and researchers. It summarizes complex research papers, YouTube videos, and other content, saving you time. Elephas also integrates with your workflow and rewrites content in various tones, making it a versatile PhD buddy.

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Everyone’s talking about AI tools for research.

But guess what? They’re not all created equal.

Sure, AI has become the shiny new assistant in research, but here’s the truth: not all tools fit every researcher’s needs. If you’re like me—juggling papers, analyzing data, and hunting for that next great insight—you need something that works with you, not just for you.

So, let’s break it down.

Whether you’re looking for something smarter, more intuitive, or just a fresh approach to managing research—I’ve got you covered. Before we dive into the specifics, let’s take a step back and look at the bigger picture. Why are AI tools so valuable in academic research?

In academic circles, time is precious. The ability to quickly gather, analyze, and synthesize information can make or break a research project. But more than that, AI tools allow you to focus on what truly matters: asking the right questions, finding new insights, and contributing original ideas to your field.

What AI offers is the ability to handle some of the heavy lifting, so you’re not bogged down by repetitive tasks like formatting citations or endlessly searching for relevant papers. It’s about giving you the time and space to focus on the human side of research—the creativity, the curiosity, and the critical thinking.

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• NEWS EXPLAINER
• 10 October 2024

How AI-powered science search engines can speed up your research

• Helena Kudiabor

You can also search for this author in PubMed   Google Scholar

Tasks such as literature review can be made easier with AI tools, but the tools must be used with caution. Credit: Olena Hromova/Alamy

Artificial-intelligence (AI) tools are transforming the way we work. Many products attempt to make scientific research more efficient by helping researchers to sort through large volumes of literature.

These scientific search engines are based on large language models (LLMs) and are designed to sift through existing research papers and summarize the key findings. AI firms are constantly updating their models’ features and new tools are regularly being released.

Nature spoke to developers of these tools and researchers who use them to garner tips on how to apply them — and pitfalls to watch out for.

What tools are available?

Some of the most popular LLM-based tools are Elicit, Consensus and You, which offer various ways to speed up literature review.

When users input a research question into Elicit, it returns lists of relevant papers and summaries of their key findings. Users can ask further questions about specific papers, or filter by journal or study type.

AI science search engines are exploding in number — are they any good?

Consensus helps researchers to understand the variety of scientific information on a topic. Users can input questions such as ‘Can ketamine treat depression?’, and the tool provides a ‘consensus meter’ showing where scientific agreement lies. Researchers can read summaries of papers that agree, disagree or are unsure about the hypothesis. Eric Olson, the chief executive of Consensus in Boston, Massachusetts, says that the AI tool doesn’t replace in-depth interrogation of papers, but it is useful for high-level scanning of studies.

You, a software development company in Palo Alto, California, says that You was the first search engine to incorporate AI search with up-to-date citation data for studies. The tool offers users different ways to explore research questions, for instance its ‘genius mode’ offers answers in charts. Last month, You launched a ‘multiplayer tool’ that allows colleagues to collaborate and share custom AI chats that can automate specific tasks, such as fact checking.

Consensus can give some idea of where scientific agreement lies on a particular topic or question. Credit: Consensus

Clarivate, a research analytics company headquartered in London, released its AI-powered research assistant in September, which allows users to quickly search through the Web of Science database. Scientists can input a research question and view relevant abstract summaries, related topics and citation maps, which show the papers that each study cites and can help researchers to identify key literature, Clarivate says.

And although papers in the Web of Science are in English, Clarivate’s AI tool can also summarize paper abstracts in different languages. “Language translation baked into large language models has huge potential to even out scientific literature around the world,” says Francesca Buckland, vice-president of product at Clarivate, who is based in London.

BioloGPT is one of a growing number of subject-specific AI tools and produces summary and in-depth answers to biological questions.

Which tools suit which tasks?

“I always say that it depends on what you really want to do,” says Razia Aliani, an epidemiologist in Calgary, Canada, when asked about the best AI search-engine tools to use.

When she needs to understand the consensus or diversity of opinion on a topic, Aliani gravitates towards Consensus.

Aliani, who also works at the systematic-review company Covidence, uses other AI tools when reviewing large databases. For example, she has used Elicit to fine-tune her research interests. After inputting an initial research question, Aliani uses Elicit to exclude irrelevant papers and delve deeper into more-relevant ones.

Aliani says that AI search tools don’t just save time, they can help with “enhancing the quality of work, sparking creativity and even finding ways to make tasks less stressful”.

Clarivate’s AI tool produces citation maps showing the papers cited by each study. Credit: Web of Science, Clarivate

Anna Mills teaches introductory writing classes at the College of Marin in San Francisco, California, including lessons on the research process. She says that it’s tempting to introduce her students to these tools, but she’s concerned that they could hinder the students’ understanding of scholarly research. Instead, she’s keen to teach students how AI search tools make mistakes, so they can develop the skills to “critically assess what these AI systems are giving them”.

“Part of being a good scientist is being sceptical about everything, including your own methods,” says Conner Lambden, BiologGPT’s founder, who is based in Golden, Colorado.

What about inaccurate answers and misinformation?

Concerns abound about the accuracy of the outputs of major AI chatbots, such as ChatGPT, which can ‘hallucinate’ false information and invent references.

Three ways ChatGPT helps me in my academic writing

That’s led to some scepticism about science search engines — and researchers should be cautious, say users. Common errors that AI research tools face include making up statistics, misrepresenting cited papers and biases based on these tools’ training systems.

The issues that sports scientist Alec Thomas has experienced when using AI tools have led him to abandon their use. Thomas, who is at the University of Lausanne in Switzerland, previously appreciated AI search tools, but stopped using them after finding “some very serious, basic errors”. For instance, when researching how people with eating disorders are affected if they take up a sport, an AI tool summarized a paper that it said was relevant, but in reality “it had nothing to do with the original query”, he says. “We wouldn’t trust a human that is known to hallucinate, so why would we trust an AI?” he says.

How are developers addressing inaccurate answers?

The developers that Nature spoke to say they have implemented safeguards to improve accuracy. James Brady, head of engineering at Elicit in Oakland, California, says that the firm takes accuracy seriously, and it is using several safety systems to check for errors in answers.

Buckland says that the Web of Science AI tool has “robust safeguards”, to prevent the inclusion of fraudulent and problematic content. During beta-testing, the team worked with around 12,000 researchers to incorporate feedback, she says.

AI chatbots are coming to search engines — can you trust the results?

Although such feedback improves user experience, Olson says that this, too, could influence hallucinations. AI search tools are “trained on human feedback, they want to provide a good answer to humans”, says Olson. So “they’ll fill in gaps of things that aren’t there”.

Andrew Hoblitzell, a generative-AI researcher in Indianapolis, Indiana, who lectures at universities through a programme called AI4All, thinks that AI search tools can support the research process, providing that scientists verify the information generated. “Right now, these tools should be used in a hybrid manner rather than a definitive source.”

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-024-02942-0

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