Consensus is a search engine that pulls articles from open access journals. You can ask Consensus direct questions, and it will include a one-sentence quote or summary of the article that may help answer your question. Consensus has free and paid tiers.
Upload an article to ExplainPaper and highlight a section that is confusing. ExplainPaper will define terms and give plain-language explanations. ExplainPaper is free and powered by ChatGPT.
Keep Up With New Tools
These YouTubers create content based around AI Research tools:
You've probably heard about the many ways AI can help (or hinder) your research. No AI tool can replace discussing and learning about research from experts, including librarians. These tools require varying levels of background knowledge, subject expertise, and technical skill. Use them, like all research tools, with a healthy level of skepticism. AI Rule #1: Verify, then trust!
Contact Reference and Instruction librarian Aine O'Connor (aine.oconnor@sdstate.edu) or your subject librarian to set up a consultation to find AI tools that will work best for you.
Tips for using AI Tools
Have a goal in mind. What do you want your AI tool to do for you? Remember, AI is best at recognizing patterns, seeing errors, and bringing together different pieces of information. It is not very good at being creative or identifying how the patterns it finds might be relevant to you.
When in doubt, cite cite cite. AI is at the center of discussions surrounding copyright, algorithmic bias, and how to correctly complete attribution to the correct source. If you use writing done by AI tools like ChatGPT, or if you're just not sure, err on the side of citing everything.
Start with a "seed" paper. Most AI tools work best for researchers who already have some subject expertise in their field. Before using a tool, identify either a single paper, or a set, that can act as a "seed" for finding additional research. Bonus: check the AI's searches to make sure those articles that you know are relevant actually appear.
Don't abandon your bona fides. Exploring new AI tools can be a fun way to learn about AI and shake up your research life. However, don't abandon the things you know are effective, and know will be maintained for the foreseeable future. Always ask your advisor or a librarian if you're not sure if an AI tool could be useful.
With permission from all parties, Parrot AI will record and transcribe meetings, summarize the main points, and suggest action items. Parrot AI has free and paid tiers.
ResearchRabbit uses a "seed" paper to build a web of related and relevant papers for you to look at. ResearchRabbit is committed to being free forever.
ConnectedPapers builds a web and table out of a seed paper. Easily find prior works and derivative works based off of that paper. ConnectedPapers has free and paid tiers.
Canva's new Magic Design tool will create and refine presentation templates based off your content. It is currently free, although it integrates with Canva's paid, premium design options.
