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ChatGPT and Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI): AI tools for research

Comparison of AI tools for research

 Important things to know before getting started:

  • These tables are not intended as an endorsement of the tools presented, but a sample of tools that Librarians and Library co-op students have tested to learn more about their capabilities and limitations. In some cases, the Library team only had access to information provided on the tool's website, without proper access to the tool itself (for example, due to account or paid membership requirements).
  • If you intend to use any of these tools for course projects or thesis research, make sure you consult with your instructor or research supervisor beforehand.
  • At the University of Waterloo, Microsoft Copilot is the Information Systems & Technology (IST) recommended GenAI tool. University accounts can be used to log into Microsoft Copilot which can be used for experimentation and to boost productivity. Accessing this service with your UWaterloo account will automatically provide you with personal and company data protection. Non-UWaterloo accounts should never be used in conjunction with University data.
  • Some of these tools allow for the end-user to load their own files (.pdf, Word, etc.) into their platform. Please read their terms of service and make sure you understand if/how they will retain the files that you add onto their platform, and whether or not they will be used for further training of the service. This is especially important when you are working with private and/or other sensitive data or information.

Discovery tools

Tool name Data source Cost Use case Literature searching Interactive citation network map Full-text analyzing and summarizing Generating answers to research questions Integration with referencing software Additional features
Connected Papers Semantic scholar Free with paid tiers Literature mapping Yes, found via similarity and citation chain Yes No, it analyzes abstracts in its corpus to offer similar papers No Import and export reference files
  • Visual overview of similar papers;
  • Recommends additions to your bibliography;
  • ‘Prior Works’ feature notes important ancestor works;
  • ‘Derivative Works’ feature finds literature reviews.
Consensus GPT-3.5, GPT-4, Semantic Scholar Free with paid upgrades Academic search tool Yes No Yes Yes Reference manager software integration and can export citation.
  • Consensus meter;
  • Quick analysis;
  • Scientifically verified results;
  • ChatGPT 4 summary.
Elicit Semantic Scholar, user may upload own documents. Trained with GPT3 model. Free with paid upgrades Academic search tool Yes, found via similarity and citation chain. Can generate literature matrix. No Yes Yes Reference manager software integration and can import and export reference files
  • Search for research papers;
  • Receive abstract summaries;
  • Relevant recommendations;
  • Extract details into an organized table;
  • Find concepts across papers.
Enago Read User-provided documents Free with paid upgrades Smart Research Assistant Yes No Yes Yes Reference management software integration and can import and export reference files
  • Explore relevant materials;
  • Generate summaries and key insights;
  • Compare and contrast with related sections in the literature list;
  • Customizable critique template.
Inciteful Semantic Scholar Free Literature mapping Yes, found via similarity and citation chain Yes No No Reference manager software integration and can import and export reference files
  • Paper Discovery, which creates a network of papers based on citations, similar papers, important authors and institutions;
  • Literature Connector visualizes the connection between two papers through existing literature.
Iris AI Connects to open access data such as PubMed, allows uploading of own documents Tiered model Systematic Literature Review platform Yes, found via similarity and citation chain; content-based search No Yes Yes Import and export reference files
  • Content based search;
  • Context filtering;
  • Data filtering;
  • Extracting and systematizing data;
  • Document set analysis;
  • Summarization;
  • Chatting with dataset.
Keenious OpenAlex Free with paid tiers Academic Search Tool Yes. Analyzes text, and recommends papers with similar topics. No Yes No Export reference files
  • Highlight search;
  • Recommends articles by topic;
  • Advanced filtering, instant citations;
  • AI recommendation tool shows related articles;
  • Smart bookmarks are sorted by relevance.
Lateral LIP API, Unpaywall, accepts PDF upload Free with paid upgrades Literature Review and Analysis Tools Yes No No, but pdf reader highlights sections you might need No Export reference files
  • Auto-generated table;
  • AI-powered concepts;
  • Super search;
  • Smart PDF reader;
  • Export your findings;
  • Find 30m+ research papers;
  • Digitize scanned PDFs;
  • Collaborate in your workspace.
Nested Knowledge Retireved open access articles through many databases, can upload additional PDFs Free with paid tiers Systematic Literature Review platform Yes No Yes No Import and export reference files
  • Use AutoLit to search, screen (with PICO highlighting, an Inclusion Prediction AI, and dual screening), create tag hierarchies and perform meta-analytical data extraction;
  • Use synthesis to create qualitative, quantitative visualizations, and to update your manuscript.
Perplexity.ai Crawls the internet for sources to information, option to limit to academic literature. Can search user-uploaded literature with paid version. Free with paid tiers Conversational search engine, AI Chatbot, AI Research Assistant Uses natural language predictive test, generating answers from the web No Yes Yes No
  • Chat-bot style search engine;
  • Generates content with natural language processing and machine learning;
  • Large language models and extensive datasets ensure accuracy;
  • Offers multilingual mobile app;
  • All returned information comes with citations.
PICO Portal N/A Free with paid tiers Systematic Literature Review platform Yes, upon searching, AI assesses and sorts results based on inclusion criteria No No No Import and export reference files
  • Machine learning, front-loaded relevant citations and highlighted keywords can increase speed of screening;
  • Flexible citation review;
  • Team collaboration;
  • Cohesive design with custom query-based reporting.
ResearchRabbit PubMed and Semantic Scholar Free Literature mapping Yes, found via similarity and citation chains Yes, by early work, later work and similar work No No Reference manager software integration and export reference files
  • Add papers to collections to improve recommendations;
  • receive personalized email digests;
  • interactive visualization of paper and co-author networks;
  • collaborative collections.
Scite Semantic Scholar, PubMed, and various publishers Free trial then paid Smart citation index Yes, found via similarity and citation chain Yes, by supporting and contrasting papers Yes Yes Reference manager software integration and can import and export citation files
  • Search citation statements;
  • Create custom dashboards;
  • Reference check; Journal metrics;
  • Large language model assistant.
Semantic Scholar Over 50 partnerships with publishers, data providers, and aggregators. Free Academic search tool Yes No Yes No Reference manager software integration and can export citation
  • Limits search results to only those directly relevant;
  • Citation analytics visualization feature;
  • Minimal search refinement tools for simplicity of interface.

 

Workflow tools

Tool Name Data Source Cost Use Case Literature Searching Interactive citation network map Full text analyzing and summarizing Generating answers to research questions Integration with referencing software Additional features
Catchii User-uploaded files Free Systematic Literature Review platform Yes No No, does check for duplicates No Reference manager software integration and can import and export reference files.
  • Multiple user support;
  • Duplicate detection;
  • Distinct phases;
  • Keyword highlighting;
  • Offline screening.
ChatPDF User provides documents. Uses GPT 3.5 Free with paid upgrades AI Chatbot No No It finds the relevant paragraphs to your question, and only summarizes/analyzes those Yes, if the research question can be answered by the PDF you uploaded. No
  • Create folders to chat with multiple PDFs in a single conversation;
  • Chat answers contain references;
  • Accepts PDFs and can chat in any language.
Iris AI Connects to open access data such as PubMed, allows uploading of own documents Tiered model Systematic Literature Review platform Yes, found via similarity and citation chain; content-based search No Yes Yes Import and export reference files
  • Content based search;
  • Context filtering;
  • Data filtering;
  • Extracting and systematizing data;
  • Document set analysis;
  • Summarization;
  • Chatting with dataset.
Scholarcy Can find open-access PDFs using Unpaywall API Free with paid upgrades AI-Powered Article Summarizer Yes No Yes, can rewrite summaries for easier citing No Reference manager software integration and can import and export reference files
  • Suggests background reading;
  • Highlights important points;
  • Creates a referenced summary;
  • Finds the references;
  • Extracts tables and figures.
SciSpace Accepts PDF uploads. Additional sources not identified based on information on their website. Free with paid upgrades Systematic Literature Review Platform Yes No Yes in structured table (literature matrix) Yes Reference manager software integration and can import and export reference files
  • Literature Review;
  • Copilot – read with AI;
  • Citation generator;
  • Paraphraser;
  • AI detector.

 

Writing tools

Tool Name Data Source Cost Use Case Literature Searching Interactive citation network map Full text analyzing and summarizing Generating answers to research questions Integration with referencing software Additional features
Rephrase Paraphrases user provided document using "advanced libraries and algorithms" Free with paid upgrades Paraphrasing Tool No No Yes, with paid upgrades No No
  • Content writing with unlimited unique responses.
Trinka Unclear from website at time of testing Free with paid upgrades AI Writing Assistant You can search and Trinka will recommend journal publications based on concepts in your work. No Paraphrases small sections No No
  • LaTeX Proofreader;
  • Publication Readiness Checks;
  • Inclusive Language Checks;
  • Journal Finder;
  • Proofread File;
  • Citation Checker;
  • Personal Dictionary;
  • Legal Writing;
  • Consistency Check.

 

Further reference