Artificial Intelligence: AI and Literature Reviews

Literature reviews play a crucial role in academic research. They provide a detailed overview of what is already known about a specific topic, helping to identify gaps in knowledge and areas for further exploration.

How AI Can Help

AI can significantly improve the efficiency and depth of your literature reviews. Don't forget to check with your lecturer to see if the use of AI platforms is permitted in your coursework. It is also important to refer to page 6 of the IADT Academic Integrity Policy which provides information on the ethical use of AI. A list of AI platforms is available here. Useful AI tools for preparing literature reviews include Connected Papers and Elicit. Prioritise searching of IADT Library's online and print collections however to ensure the comprehensive retrieval of high-quality academic information. 

A Balanced Approach

It's important to remember that while AI can be a valuable resource, it should not replace your own critical thinking and analysis. Your independent work is essential for crafting a meaningful literature review.  Use AI to enhance not replace your research and preparation process, ensuring that your unique insights and interpretations shine through in your final work.

Benefits of Using AI for Literature Reviews

AI tools can significantly accelerate the literature review process by automating several time-consuming tasks, including:

• Searching for Relevant Literature: AI algorithms can swiftly navigate extensive databases to identify pertinent articles, papers, and studies based on specific keywords or topics.
• Summarising Findings: Numerous AI tools are capable of summarising lengthy articles, extracting key points and findings, thereby saving researchers valuable time. AI tools such as Connected Papers will also provide visual maps of key studies pertaining to a research topic. Remember that article summaries should be used as a starting point and not a replacement for reading the article in full. It is also important to search IADT Library databases to ensure that you have a comprehensive overview of the literature including articles behind paywalls.

AI can also improve the organisation of literature in several ways:

• Citation Management: Tools such as Zotero AI streamline citation management, making it easier for you to track your references
• Thematic Analysis: AI can assist you in identifying themes and trends across multiple studies.

Limitations

• Limited Literature Coverage: AI tools often rely on sources like Semantic Scholar and open repositories, which may not include sources behind paywalls, leading to incomplete literature coverage. Consequently, it is important to search IADT Library databases to ensure that your search of the literature is comprehensive. 
• Uncertainty in Search Algorithms: The algorithms used by AI tools may not always yield accurate results. AI can also 'hallucinate' producing fake academic references as an example.
• Creativity vs. Evidence-Based Approach: AI tools use logic to predict text, which might differ from the evidence-based approach in scientific research, potentially affecting the accuracy of the generated content.
• Quality Assessment: AI tools do not inherently identify good research or bad research, and the information generated can be based on poor research containing errors.

Suggestions for Overcoming Limitations

1. Seed Papers: Start with quality articles from library databases and use these as seed papers for further exploration.
2. Validation: Always check the reputation and accuracy of the academic references generated by AI sources against IADT Library databases or Google Scholar.
3. Critical Analysis: Critically analyse AI generated academic articles ensuring that the content is accurate and reliable.

Conclusion

By being aware of these limitations and following best practices, you can ensure that your literature review is comprehensive, accurate, and reliable.

Andy Stapleton (2024) What Is A Literature Review? Youtube. https://youtu.be/oopE9DfRuwQ?si=EIyTmhF9bpyJDrTr