Research guides: 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.