LibGuides: CTVA 315: New Directions in Electronic Media: AI Research Tools

Academic Search and Summary Tools

NOTE: Always defer to your instructor's policies on the use of AI, before using it to assist you with coursework.

The selected list of tools below provide search and summary of research articles and data. Resources identified by the tools may or may not be available through the University Library catalog.

Consensus (free/paid)
Modeled on the Semantic Scholar Open Research Corpus of over 200 million academic papers covering all academic disciplines. Best with specific questions, and yes/no questions. Has FAQ.
Elicit (free/paid)
Modeled on the Semantic Scholar Open Research Corpus. Works best for empirical domains with concrete results, less so for specific data questions. Has FAQ.
ExplainPaper
Upload a paper, highlight confusing text, get an explanation. We make research papers easy to read.
LitMaps
This is NOT primarily an AI tool, but does have one algorithmic option that is AI powered. LitMaps allows you to search for articles on a topic using citation networks and creates visuals of the network of papers around a topic. LitMaps' corpus draws from Semantic Scholar, OpenAlex, and Crossref.
Perplexity.ai
This is a generative AI tool that gives links to its sources! Perplexity can answer a wide range of questions, from simple factual queries to complex open-ended questions. It can also generate different creative text formats of text content. I can summarize articles and web pages or explore topics in depth with guided AI searches.
Research Rabbit (free)
Modeled on multiple databases but does not currently specify them. In addition to providing a scholarly search service, it utilizes data visualizations to demonstrate relationships between scholarly papers and researchers. Has FAQ.
Scite (paid)
Indexes publishers content and preprint servers for millions of research articles. Offers Chrome browser extension and Assistant. Has FAQ.
Semantic Scholar (free)
Modeled on the Semantic Scholar Open Research Corpus of over 200 million academic papers covering all academic disciplines. Has FAQ.

NOTE: AI content can be inaccurate, misleading, or biased. Please review all sources and data referenced by AI tools before using them in your work.

Writing Effective AI Prompts

NOTE: AI tools will collect data on you. Please do not share personal information that you do not want collected.

Below is a prompt to obtain guidance on writing prompts for use with AI. The prompt was submitted to the AI chat service, You.com on January 31, 2024. Try the links provided in the generated text at the end of each listed item to obtain more in-depth information.

Prompt: I need tips for writing effective prompts for use with generative AI tools.

Generated answer:

"Tips for Writing Effective Prompts for Generative AI Tools

Writing effective prompts is crucial for getting the desired output from generative AI tools. Here are some tips to help you craft effective prompts:

Be specific: Provide as much detail as possible about the topic you want the AI model to generate content on. This includes contextualizing the topic with information about the audience, tone, and timeframe 1.
Contextualize the prompt: Clearly define the context in which you want the AI model to generate content. This helps guide the AI model's output and influences its tone, style, and quality 2.
Use descriptive language: Use descriptive language in your prompts to provide the AI model with more information and improve the quality of the generated outputs 3.
Include subject and descriptors: When writing prompts for AI image generation, include a subject (person, object, or location) and descriptors (adverbs and adjectives that describe the subject). This helps the AI model understand what type of visual you want to generate 4.
Avoid abstract concepts: Abstract concepts can lead to inconsistent results when generating content. Instead, use concrete nouns that are easier for the AI model to understand 4.
Experiment and iterate: Writing effective prompts may require some trial and error. Don't be afraid to experiment with different prompts and iterate until you get the desired output.

Remember, the quality of the outputs you receive from generative AI tools is heavily influenced by the prompts you provide. By following these tips, you can improve the effectiveness of your prompts and enhance the results you get from generative AI tools."