The fastest way to do your literature review [Do it in SECONDS]

Andy Stapleton
29 Aug 202209:29

TLDRDiscover the fastest way to conduct a literature review using cutting-edge tools like PaperDigest.org for quick summaries and Elicit.org for semantic search. Enhance your research with visualization tools such as Lit Maps, Connected Papers, and Research Rabbit, which help explore the research landscape and identify key papers. These tools not only accelerate the literature review process but also assist in crafting a comprehensive understanding of the research domain.

Takeaways

  • 🚀 Utilize modern tools like PaperDigest.org for a quick literature review on your topic of interest.
  • 🔍 Choose specific time frames like the past year or five years for a more tailored literature review.
  • 📈 Generate a summary paragraph with citations to understand the research trends and developments.
  • 🌱 Start with broad research questions and narrow down based on the initial findings from automated tools.
  • ⚠️ Do not copy-paste the generated reviews; they are a starting point for your own research and analysis.
  • 💡 Use Elicit.org for semantic search to refine your research questions and find relevant studies.
  • 🎯 Filter results by year, abstract takeaways, and other parameters on Elicit.org for a focused search.
  • 📊 Explore research visualization tools like Lit Maps, Connected Papers, and Research Rabbit to understand the connections in the literature.
  • 🔗 Export findings to reference managers for further organization and citation in your work.
  • 📚 Supplement your research with additional resources like webinars and guides on academic writing and research.

Q & A

  • What is the main topic of the video?

    -The main topic of the video is about the fastest way to do a literature review using various online tools.

  • What is the first tool recommended in the video for literature review?

    -The first tool recommended in the video is PaperDigest.org, which provides automated literature reviews based on the user's search terms.

  • How does the PaperDigest tool work?

    -PaperDigest works by allowing users to type in a topic and it generates a literature review with citations from a specified time frame, summarizing the related work in a concise paragraph.

  • What is the warning given about using the PaperDigest tool?

    -The warning is that users should not just copy and paste the generated content, as it is not perfect and still requires the researcher to refine their specific research questions and literature review area.

  • What is the second tool introduced in the video for researchers?

    -The second tool introduced is Elicit.org, a semantic search for science that helps in refining research questions and suggesting related queries.

  • How does Elicit.org assist in the research process?

    -Elicit.org assists by providing different questions related to the user's research topic, offering a takeaway from the abstract, and allowing the user to filter and sort by various parameters such as year, intervention, outcome measured, and number of participants.

  • What are the three visualization tools recommended for exploring the research domain?

    -The three visualization tools recommended are Lit Maps, Connected Papers, and Research Rabbit.

  • How does Lit Maps help in the literature review process?

    -Lit Maps helps by creating a visual map of the research area, showing connections between different papers, and providing tabs for notes, references, citations, and other highly connected suggestions.

  • What is the main advantage of using visualization tools like Lit Maps, Connected Papers, and Research Rabbit?

    -The main advantage is that these tools help in visually exploring the domain, understanding how research is connected, and identifying the order in which literature was released, making it easier to navigate the research environment.

  • What is the speaker's favorite visualization tool and why?

    -The speaker's favorite visualization tool is Lit Maps because of its clean interface and user-friendly navigation, which they believe caters well to the needs of researchers.

  • What is the final recommendation for researchers after using these tools?

    -The final recommendation is to export all the findings into a reference manager and to use semantic search to answer questions that arise during the research process, which helps in producing a comprehensive summary of existing research.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Introducing Automated Literature Review Tools

The speaker begins by expressing amazement at the multitude of tools available for researchers today, contrasting with the limited resources during their PhD days. They introduce an automated machine learning tool for literature review, PaperDigest.org, which quickly generates a summary of relevant literature on a given topic. The tool is demonstrated with a search on 'water-based organic photovoltaics,' showing how it can produce a literature review spanning different time frames. The speaker emphasizes the utility of the tool for getting started on a literature review but also warns against solely relying on it, as it requires the researcher to refine their specific research questions. The video is sponsored by the speaker's newsletter, which offers exclusive content for subscribers.

05:01

🔍 Enhancing Research with Semantic Search and Visualization Tools

Continuing from the previous paragraph, the speaker discusses the next steps in research after using the initial tool. They introduce a semantic search tool, elicit.org, which helps in refining research questions and suggesting related queries. The tool is demonstrated with a search on the current state of water-based organic photovoltaics, highlighting its ability to provide different questions and filter results. The speaker then talks about three visualization tools - Lit Maps, Connected Papers, and Research Rabbit - that help in understanding the connections between various research papers and exploring the research landscape. Each tool is briefly explained, with Lit Maps being the speaker's favorite due to its user-friendly interface and comprehensive features. The paragraph concludes with the speaker encouraging viewers to explore these tools to enhance their literature review process and to look forward to future videos on reference management.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Literature Review

A literature review is a comprehensive analysis of previously published research on a specific topic. In the context of the video, it is the process of identifying, evaluating, and summarizing existing research to understand the current state of knowledge in the field of water-based organic photovoltaics. The video emphasizes the importance of a literature review in academic research and introduces tools to expedite the process.

💡Machine Learning Tool

A machine learning tool refers to software that utilizes machine learning algorithms to perform tasks, such as data analysis or prediction, without explicit programming. In the video, the tool from PaperDigest.org is highlighted as a way to automate the literature review process by generating a summary of related work based on a user's search query, thus saving time and effort for researchers.

💡Water-based Organic Photovoltaics

Water-based organic photovoltaics are a type of solar cell that uses organic materials dissolved in water as the active layer to convert sunlight into electricity. The video uses this as an example topic for demonstrating how to conduct a literature review, highlighting the importance of staying updated with the latest research in this rapidly evolving field.

💡Semantic Search

Semantic search is a method of searching for information that focuses on the meaning and intent behind the words used in a query, rather than just matching exact words or phrases. In the video, Elicit.org is introduced as a semantic search tool for science that helps researchers refine their questions and find relevant literature by suggesting related queries and providing insights from abstracts.

💡Research Questions

Research questions are specific, focused inquiries that guide an investigation or a study. In the video, the presenter emphasizes the need for researchers to formulate their own research questions and use the generated literature review as a starting point to explore further. The tool from Elicit.org assists in this process by providing different questions and information to consider.

💡Visualization Tools

Visualization tools are software applications that help users to graphically represent and explore data or information. In the video, three tools—Lit Maps, Connected Papers, and Research Rabbit—are recommended for visualizing the connections between different research papers, aiding researchers in understanding the flow and structure of academic discourse in their field.

💡Abstract

An abstract is a brief summary of a research paper or article that presents the main findings, conclusions, and implications of the work. The video mentions using abstracts from Elicit.org to quickly scan and select relevant papers for the literature review, emphasizing the utility of abstracts in identifying key research papers.

💡Reference Manager

A reference manager is software used to store, organize, and format citations and bibliographies. The video suggests that the findings from the literature review, including the generated summaries and selected papers, should be exported into a reference manager for further organization and use in academic writing. This process is mentioned as a future topic for discussion in the video series.

💡PhD

A PhD (Doctor of Philosophy) is the highest academic degree that can be earned in many fields. In the video, the presenter reflects on their own PhD experience and how the process of conducting a literature review has evolved with the introduction of new tools, making it faster and more efficient for current PhD students and researchers.

💡Research Environment

The research environment refers to the context, conditions, and resources available for conducting research. In the video, the presenter discusses using visualization tools to explore the research environment, particularly the connections and references between different papers, to gain a deeper understanding of the field and identify potential areas for further study.

Highlights

Numerous powerful tools are now available to greatly expedite the literature review process.

During the speaker's PhD, there was not the same level of automation in search quality that exists today.

PaperDigest.org offers an automated machine learning tool for quickly generating literature reviews.

By simply typing a topic like 'water-based organic photovoltaics', the tool provides a summary with citations.

The tool can generate literature reviews from different time frames, such as the past year or the past five years.

It's important not to just copy and paste the generated literature review, as it still requires refinement and specific research questions.

Elicit.org is a semantic search tool for science that can help researchers ask questions in normal language and receive relevant results.

Elicit provides different questions and various filters, such as takeaways from abstracts and outcomes measured, to aid in literature review.

Lit Maps, Connected Papers, and Research Rabbit are recommended tools for visually exploring the research domain and understanding how studies connect.

Lit Maps allows users to create a map starting from a seed paper and explore connected papers, notes, references, and citations.

Connected Papers shows both prior works and derivative works, giving a clear view of the research lineage.

Research Rabbit offers a navigatable interface to explore similar work and provides a user-friendly exploration experience.

The speaker's favorite tool is Lit Maps due to its clean interface and ease of navigation from a researcher's perspective.

These tools can significantly speed up the literature review process and help in identifying appropriate papers, reviews, and theses.

Exporting findings into a reference manager is a next step that will be covered in future videos.

The speaker encourages viewers to explore his videos on writing a research literature review and shares resources on academiainsider.com.

The availability of such tools is making research more exciting and accessible in various fields.

The speaker invites comments on additional tools that researchers find useful for their specific fields.