How To Write A Strong Literature Review Using AI | Write In 4 Easy Steps

Dr Amina Yonis
7 Nov 202311:07

TLDRThe video script outlines a method for efficiently writing a literature review using various AI platforms. It introduces five steps, recommending specific AI tools for each: Our Discovery for automated literature search, Chat PDF for in-depth analysis of papers, Elicit for identifying themes and gaps, Jenny for generating outlines, and Men for citation management. The script emphasizes the ease of use and interconnectedness of these tools, highlighting how they can save time and improve the literature review process.

Takeaways

  • 🔍 Start by finding appropriate literature using platforms like PubMed or Google Scholar, or use the Our Discovery app for automated research paper delivery.
  • 📚 Customize your research feed by following topics and journals of interest on the Our Discovery app to receive relevant updates.
  • 📰 Evaluate and select sources by reading the papers thoroughly, using AI platforms like Chat PDF to ask questions and gain a deeper understanding of the content.
  • 🔎 Identify themes, gaps, and debates in the literature using platforms such as Elicit, which can extract data from multiple PDFs and suggest research gaps based on your selected papers.
  • 📈 Use Elicit to find papers and generate a list of concepts, refining your search with specific filters like publication date and paper type.
  • 🖋️ Generate an outline for your literature review with Jenny.ai, providing detailed information about your topic to receive a structured outline.
  • 📝 Begin writing your literature review using the outline as a guide, incorporating your research and analysis into a cohesive narrative.
  • ✍️ Consider using Microsoft Word with Mendeley add-in for seamless citation management and cross-referencing during the writing process.
  • 🤖 AI platforms like Chat PDF and Elicit are particularly beneficial for academic writing as they provide references and are tailored for an academic audience.
  • 🌐 Ensure the most recent papers are included in your review by setting up notifications for new publications in your field of interest.
  • 🎧 Utilize audio features of research platforms to listen to papers and translations for easier comprehension and accessibility.

Q & A

  • What is the main challenge students face when selecting AI tools for writing assistance?

    -The main challenge students face is the overwhelming number of AI products available, making it difficult to decide which ones to use, which are worth paying for, and which will provide the best results in the shortest amount of time without extensive effort in figuring them out.

  • How does the AI platform 'Discovery' help in the literature search process?

    -Discovery streamlines the literature search process by allowing users to set up a feed with specific topics of interest and receive automated notifications about recent research papers published in those areas, directly to their inbox.

  • What is the benefit of following specific journals in the Discovery platform?

    -Following specific journals ensures that users receive relevant and important research papers published within those journals, which can significantly aid in staying updated with the latest findings in their field of study.

  • How does the 'Chat PDF' AI platform assist in understanding research papers?

    -Chat PDF allows users to upload a research paper and ask questions about it, providing explanations, summarizing content, and interpreting figures, which aids in gaining a better understanding of the paper's content.

  • What is the role of the 'Elicit' platform in the literature review process?

    -Elicit helps in identifying themes, gaps, and debates within the literature by extracting data from multiple PDFs, finding relevant papers, and suggesting research areas based on the user's uploaded papers.

  • How can the 'Jenny' platform aid in generating an outline for a literature review?

    -Jenny prompts users to provide details about their topic and then generates a suggested outline based on that information, which can be used as a starting point for organizing the literature review.

  • What are some ways to refine the search results on the Elicit platform?

    -Users can refine their search results on Elicit by specifying filters such as only considering papers published after a certain year, only review papers, or only papers with abstracts containing specific words.

  • How does the Microsoft Word add-in for Mendeley facilitate the writing process?

    -The Mendeley add-in for Microsoft Word allows for seamless integration of citations and references directly into the document, making it easier for writers to cite their sources and maintain proper academic formatting.

  • What is the significance of using multiple AI platforms in the literature review process?

    -Using multiple AI platforms throughout the literature review process can enhance efficiency and effectiveness by automating tasks such as literature search, source evaluation, theme identification, and outline generation, ultimately saving time and improving the quality of the review.

  • Why is it important to stay updated with the most recently published papers when writing a literature review?

    -Staying updated with the most recently published papers ensures that the literature review remains relevant and accurate, reflecting the current state of research and avoiding the inclusion of outdated or superseded information.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Streamlining Research with AI Platforms

This paragraph discusses the challenges of navigating the multitude of AI tools available for student writing assistance and introduces a video guide on selecting the most effective platforms. The speaker outlines a five-step process using different AI platforms to aid in writing a literature review, starting with the discovery of appropriate literature through a platform called 'Our Discovery', which automates the delivery of recent research papers based on user-selected topics and preferences.

05:01

🤖 Enhancing Comprehension with AI

The speaker delves into the second step of the literature review process, which involves evaluating and selecting sources. They recommend an AI platform called 'Chat PDF' that allows users to upload research papers and ask questions about the content. This platform provides answers, summaries, and explanations of figures, facilitating a deeper understanding of the material. It also offers features like audio narration and translation, enhancing accessibility and comprehension.

10:03

🔍 Identifying Gaps and Themes with AI

The third paragraph focuses on identifying themes, gaps, and debates within the literature. The speaker suggests using a platform called 'Elicit', which can extract data from multiple PDFs and identify gaps in research based on a set of uploaded papers. This tool provides a refined answer by analyzing the content of the papers and suggesting further relevant research, thus aiding in the organization and direction of the literature review.

📈 Generating an Outline with AI Assistance

The speaker moves on to the fourth step of the literature review process, which is generating an outline. They recommend the platform 'Jenny' for this task, as it prompts users for details about their topic and then constructs a preliminary outline based on the provided information. This outline can be cross-referenced with the user's research and serves as a starting point for organizing the review, including suggestions for sections and potential content.

✍️ Seamless Writing with Integrated AI Tools

In the final paragraph, the speaker discusses the actual writing of the literature review. They suggest using platforms like 'Jenny' or 'Paper Palal' for drafting the review, which offer seamless integration with citation management tools like Mendeley and Microsoft Word. The paragraph emphasizes the ease of use and interconnectedness of these tools, allowing for a smooth writing process without the need to switch between multiple platforms.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡AI platforms

AI platforms refer to artificial intelligence-based tools or applications designed to assist with specific tasks. In the context of the video, these platforms are utilized to aid students in the research writing process, particularly for writing literature reviews. The video mentions various AI platforms such as Our Discovery, Chat PDF, and Jenny, each serving different purposes like automated research paper delivery, source evaluation, and outline generation.

💡Literature review

A literature review is a scholarly paper or article that discusses and evaluates previous research related to a specific topic. It is a critical assessment of existing literature and often forms part of a larger research project or thesis. In the video, the main theme revolves around using AI to streamline the process of writing a literature review, making it more efficient and less time-consuming for students.

💡Research writing

Research writing refers to the process of producing written work based on original research or analysis. It typically involves the synthesis of information from various sources to build an argument or contribute new knowledge to a field. The video focuses on the challenges students face in research writing, particularly in managing the overwhelming amount of information and resources available.

💡Our Discovery

Our Discovery is an AI platform mentioned in the video that automates the process of finding and delivering relevant research papers to users based on their interests and preferences. It is a tool designed to streamline the initial phase of literature review by providing recent publications directly to the user's inbox, thus saving time and effort that would otherwise be spent on manual literature searches.

💡Chat PDF

Chat PDF is an AI platform mentioned in the video that enables users to upload a research paper and ask questions about its content. The platform provides answers, summaries, and explanations, particularly useful for understanding complex concepts or figures within the paper. It facilitates a deeper comprehension of the literature, which is essential for a thorough literature review.

💡Elicit

Elicit is an AI platform that the video recommends for identifying themes, gaps, and debates within the literature. It can extract data from multiple PDFs, find relevant papers, and list concepts based on the user's research focus. This tool is particularly useful for narrowing down research areas and pinpointing gaps in the existing literature, which is a critical step in crafting a literature review.

💡Jenny

Jenny is an AI platform that the video describes as useful for generating outlines for writing tasks. It prompts users to input details about their writing topic and then constructs an outline based on that information. This tool can help students organize their thoughts and structure their literature review in a logical and coherent manner, making the writing process more efficient.

💡Reference manager

A reference manager is a software tool used to store, organize, and format citations and bibliographies. It helps researchers and students manage their sources and ensures that their references are correctly formatted according to specific citation styles. In the video, the reference manager mentioned is Mendeley, which can be used in conjunction with the AI platforms to streamline the citation process during the writing of a literature review.

💡Citations

Citations are references to the sources of information used in a piece of writing, such as a research paper or a literature review. Proper citation gives credit to the original authors and allows readers to locate the sources for further reading. In the context of the video, citations are an essential part of writing a literature review, and the use of AI platforms and reference managers helps to organize and format these citations correctly.

💡Microsoft Word add-in

A Microsoft Word add-in is a software extension that adds additional features or tools to the Word application. These add-ins can enhance the functionality of Word, making it more suitable for specific tasks such as writing, editing, and formatting documents. In the video, the mention of a Microsoft Word add-in for Mendeley indicates the integration of citation management directly within the Word interface, facilitating seamless citation and reference management while writing a literature review.

Highlights

In the last 6 to 12 months, there has been a huge increase in AI products aimed at helping students with writing essays, assignments, and research.

The challenge lies in deciding which AI tools to use, whether they are worth paying for, and which will yield the best results in the shortest time.

The video presents five quick and easy steps using five different AI platforms to assist in writing a literature review.

The first step is to find appropriate literature through a literature search, traditionally done on platforms like PubMed or Google Scholar.

The AI platform 'Our Discovery' is recommended for automating the process of receiving recent research papers based on set topics and preferences.

The platform allows users to set their feed, follow specific topics, and even rank the importance of each topic for a tailored research experience.

Users can follow certain journals to receive notifications about newly published papers relevant to their research interests.

The second step is to evaluate and select sources by reading the papers in detail, not just the abstracts.

The AI platform 'Chat PDF' is recommended for understanding the content of research papers by asking questions and getting explanations.

Chat PDF can also explain figures and summarize papers, aiding in a deeper understanding of the research material.

The third step involves identifying themes, gaps in literature, and debates using the AI platform 'Elicit'.

Elicit can extract data from multiple PDFs, find papers, and list concepts to help in narrowing down research gaps.

The fourth step is to generate an outline for the literature review using the platform 'Jenny'.

Jenny helps in creating a structured outline based on the input provided by the user, aiding in organizing the literature review.

The final step is to start writing the literature review, which can be done on platforms like Jenny, Paper Palal, or Microsoft Word with Mendeley add-in for seamless citation management.

Different tools suit different people, and the video encourages viewers to explore these AI platforms to find the ones that best fit their research needs.