Six Essential AI Tools for Streamlined Literature Reviews

Andy Stapleton
14 Aug 202414:12

TLDRThis video explores six AI tools that can enhance the literature review process for researchers. Microsoft Co-pilot is highlighted for its ability to summarize web pages and PDFs, extracting key information swiftly. Lens.org is praised for offering free access to scholarly work, including patents, providing insights into research fields and company interests. Semantic Scholar is noted for its comprehensive search capabilities, aiding in the discovery of relevant research papers. Research Rabbit is introduced as a free tool for mapping literature, allowing users to expand their research through connected papers. Consensus offers a platform to find general agreement on research questions, with a summary and consensus meter. Lastly, Perplexity and Sidspace are recommended for their AI-generated literature insights and table format summaries, respectively.

Takeaways

  • 🔍 Microsoft Co-Pilot is a powerful tool for literature reviews, integrating with Edge browser to assist with academic research.
  • 💡 Co-Pilot's chat feature on Google Scholar allows users to interact with an AI bot for help in understanding and summarizing academic papers.
  • 📄 The 'generate page summary' feature in Co-Pilot extracts key information from web pages, aiding in quick literature review.
  • 📚 Co-Pilot also works with PDFs, providing summaries and highlighting important data for researchers.
  • 🆓 Lens.org offers free public access to search and analyze scholarly work, including patents, which can be underutilized in literature reviews.
  • 📊 Lens.org provides insights into research trends, funding, and institutional focus, which are valuable for understanding a research field.
  • 🔎 Semantic Scholar is a free AI search engine widely used for literature reviews, offering granular search filters.
  • 🐰 Research Rabbit is a free literature mapping tool that helps in organizing and exploring academic papers through various methods of input.
  • 🤔 Consensus is a tool that provides a broad view of research questions by synthesizing information from multiple papers, with some features available for free.
  • 🌐 Perplexity allows free searching in academic papers and offers Pro search for more in-depth literature exploration.
  • 📊 Sidspace is a literature review tool that presents information in a table format, including AI-generated insights and the ability to add custom columns.

Q & A

  • What is the first AI tool mentioned for literature reviews?

    -The first AI tool mentioned for literature reviews is Microsoft co-pilot, which is integrated into the Microsoft Edge browser.

  • How does Microsoft co-pilot assist with literature review on Google Scholar?

    -Microsoft co-pilot assists with literature review on Google Scholar by providing a chat and compose feature, allowing users to extract the most important information from a page with the 'generate page summary' option.

  • What is the benefit of using co-pilot with PDFs?

    -Using co-pilot with PDFs allows users to generate a document summary that extracts the most important information, such as properties, applications, and key findings, making it easier for researchers to quickly understand the content.

  • What does lens.org offer for literature review research?

    -Lens.org offers free public access to search and analyze scholarly work, including patents, providing insights into what is valued and protected in a research field, and showing the most cited works and institutions.

  • How does semantic scholar differ from other AI search engines for literature reviews?

    -Semantic scholar is considered 'old school' in the AI world and is often used as a backend by other AI search engines. It allows users to find research with simple questions and offers granular filtering options.

  • What is Research Rabbit and how does it assist with literature mapping?

    -Research Rabbit is a free literature mapping tool that allows users to create collections, add papers, and explore similar work, references, and citations to expand their literature review.

  • What is the main feature of Consensus that helps with literature review?

    -Consensus provides a summary and consensus meter from various papers on a particular research question, offering a broad view of the current state of the literature.

  • How does Perplexity assist in searching academic papers?

    -Perplexity allows users to search published academic papers and offers a Pro search feature that provides sources, AI-generated answers, and a list of recommended readings.

  • What unique feature does Sid space offer for literature review?

    -Sid space offers a literature review tab that presents papers in a table format with insights, and the ability to add custom columns for tailored analysis, such as practical implications.

  • What is the significance of the 'generate page summary' feature in Microsoft co-pilot?

    -The 'generate page summary' feature in Microsoft co-pilot is significant because it allows users to quickly extract key information from academic pages, which is particularly useful for initial literature review and research exploration.

Outlines

00:00

🔍 Exploring Academic Research with Microsoft Co-Pilot

The speaker introduces Microsoft Co-Pilot as a powerful tool for literature review, highlighting its integration with Microsoft Edge browser and Google Scholar. They demonstrate how to use Co-Pilot's chat feature to extract key information from academic pages, such as generating summaries and focusing on the most relevant data. The speaker praises the tool's ability to improve since their last use and its utility in quickly accessing research snapshots, which is particularly helpful during the initial stages of literature review.

05:02

📚 Deep Dive into Research Tools: Lens.org and Semantic Scholar

The speaker discusses Lens.org as a free, open-access platform for scholarly work, emphasizing its detailed search filters and the ability to analyze patterns in academic research. They also touch on the importance of patents in understanding research fields and the insights provided by company interests. Moving on to Semantic Scholar, the speaker describes it as a foundational AI tool used by many literature review engines, praising its simplicity and effectiveness in finding research papers. They also mention the tool's advanced filtering options and the ability to sort by recency, which is crucial for staying current in research.

10:03

📈 Research Mapping and Consensus Building with Research Rabbit and Consensus

The speaker introduces Research Rabbit as a free literature mapping tool that allows users to start with a seed paper and explore related literature extensively. They highlight the tool's ability to provide similar work, references, and citations, which can be overwhelming but also powerful for in-depth research. The speaker also discusses Consensus, a tool that offers a broad view of research questions by synthesizing studies into a consensus meter. They mention the tool's co-pilot feature, which provides a snapshot of research findings, and recommend using it for quick literature review insights.

💬 Advanced AI Research Assistance with Perplexity and Sidspace

The speaker recommends Perplexity for its Pro search feature, which offers AI-generated answers and a list of essential readings, making it a preferred choice over other AI search engines. They also discuss Sidspace, particularly its literature review tab, which presents research in a table format with AI-generated insights and the option to add custom columns. The speaker appreciates the tool's ability to provide an easy start into literature review and encourages checking it out for its user-friendly presentation of research data.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Microsoft co-pilot

Microsoft co-pilot is an AI-powered tool integrated within the Microsoft Edge browser. It assists users by providing a chat and compose feature, which can be used to generate summaries of web pages or documents. In the context of the video, it is used to streamline literature reviews by extracting key information from academic papers found on Google Scholar. The tool's ability to summarize and reference academic content is highlighted as a significant timesaver for researchers.

💡Literature Review

A literature review is a comprehensive analysis of existing literature on a particular topic. It is a critical process in academic research that helps establish the state of knowledge within a field. The video emphasizes the utility of various AI tools in expediting this process, allowing researchers to quickly identify, summarize, and synthesize key findings from a broad range of scholarly works.

💡Google Scholar

Google Scholar is a widely used search engine for academic literature. It indexes scholarly articles across many publishing formats and disciplines. The video script mentions using Google Scholar in conjunction with Microsoft co-pilot to find and summarize academic papers, underscoring its role as a primary source for literature review research.

💡AI Bot

An AI bot, or artificial intelligence bot, is a software application that can perform tasks automatically or assist users in various tasks, like searching or data extraction. In the video, the AI bot within Microsoft co-pilot is described as a constant companion that aids in literature review by providing explanations and summaries on demand, enhancing the efficiency of academic research.

💡Generate Page Summary

The 'Generate Page Summary' feature is a functionality within Microsoft co-pilot that automates the creation of concise summaries from web pages. The video illustrates how this feature is instrumental in a literature review by quickly providing the essential points of an academic paper, which is invaluable for researchers needing to process large volumes of information.

💡PDF

PDF, or Portable Document Format, is a file format used to present documents in a manner independent of application software, hardware, and operating systems. In the script, PDFs are mentioned as a common format for academic papers. The AI tools discussed can process PDFs to extract summaries and key data, showcasing their versatility in handling different types of scholarly content.

💡Lens.org

Lens.org is introduced in the video as a free tool for searching and analyzing scholarly work and patents. It provides a public access platform for researchers to explore patterns and trends within academic literature. The tool is highlighted for its ability to offer insights into the most cited works and the institutions contributing significantly to a field, which is beneficial for a comprehensive literature review.

💡Semantic Scholar

Semantic Scholar is an AI-powered research tool that indexes scientific literature and makes it searchable. It is noted in the video for its backend use in various AI search engines and its utility in finding research papers through simple queries. The tool is praised for its granular filtering options and its role in aiding literature reviews by surfacing the most relevant and recent academic papers.

💡Research Rabbit

Research Rabbit is described as a free literature mapping tool that allows users to create collections of papers and explore related literature. The video script highlights its ability to 'snowball' research by starting with a seed paper and expanding outwards to find similar works, citations, and references, which is a valuable feature for building a thorough understanding of a research area.

💡Consensus

Consensus, as mentioned in the video, is a tool that provides a broad view of the current state of literature around a particular question or field. It offers a summary and a consensus meter based on the analysis of multiple papers, which can help researchers quickly gauge the general agreement or disagreement within the scholarly community on specific topics.

💡Perplexity AI

Perplexity AI is a tool that allows users to ask questions and receive answers based on published academic papers. The video emphasizes its Pro search feature, which provides a list of sources and AI-generated answers along with a reading list. This tool is appreciated for its ability to deliver literature search results in a straightforward manner, making it easier for researchers to find relevant academic content.

💡Sid Space

Sid Space is presented as a tool for conducting literature reviews, with a focus on its table format presentation of research findings. It allows users to add their own insights and columns, such as practical implications, to the AI-generated summaries of papers. The tool is appreciated for its user-friendly interface and the ability to customize the review process according to individual research needs.

Highlights

Microsoft co-pilot is a powerful AI tool for literature reviews in Microsoft Edge browser.

Co-pilot offers a chat feature that acts as an AI bot for assistance in academic research.

The tool can generate summaries of web pages, aiding in extracting important information efficiently.

Co-pilot has significantly improved since its last use, offering more powerful features.

Co-pilot works with PDFs, extracting key information and providing document summaries.

Lens.org is a free tool for searching and analyzing scholarly work and patents.

Lens.org provides insights into the most valuable patents and scholarly works in a field.

The tool allows for granular filtering of search results, enhancing literature review processes.

Semantic Scholar is a widely used AI search engine for literature reviews, offering simple search queries.

Research Rabbit is a free literature mapping tool that helps in exploring and snowballing research.

Consensus is a tool for finding the general agreement within a research field, with powerful free features.

Perplexity AI allows for free academic searches and provides AI-generated answers and literature lists.

Sid space is a literature review tool that presents information in a table format, with options to add custom insights.

Sid space offers a free tier with limited features, suitable for starting literature reviews.

The video also recommends other AI tools for academics and researchers, promising hours of saved research time.