AI for Research and Literature Reviews: Faster Reading, Careful Checking

Research means finding, reading and synthesising a lot of material. AI can speed up each step, but accuracy depends on you.

• Scoping a topic: key concepts, terms and debates.
• Search strategies: keywords and synonyms.
• Summarising papers and extracting methods, findings and limitations.
• Comparing studies in a table.
• Spotting gaps and conflicting results.
• Explaining statistics and jargon.
• Organising notes and citations.
• Drafting structure for a review or report.

• Fabricated citations are a known problem. Always check that a paper exists and says what's claimed.
• Misread findings: summaries may miss nuance, sample size or caveats.
• Bias toward popular or English-language work.
• Paywalls and coverage: AI may not have read the full text.
• Academic integrity: follow your institution's and journal's AI policies, and disclose where required.

1. Use AI to map the topic and propose search terms.
2. Search proper databases and collect real sources.
3. Ask AI to summarise the actual papers you supply.
4. Read the key papers yourself, especially methods and limitations.
5. Verify every citation and quotation.
6. Write the argument in your own words, and cite the original sources.

• "What are the limitations of this study?"
• "How might the methodology bias the results?"
• "What would a critic say?"

AI is a fast research assistant, not a source. Verify, read and think for yourself, and cite the originals.