There are several AI (artificial intelligence)-based tools that can assist you in your search. However, there are several important factors to consider when using AI to find information:
AI search tools use language models that generate responses based on linguistic probability rather than necessarily providing factually accurate information. For relatively well-established knowledge, the main points in the responses are often correct, but when it comes to details, AI may "fill in the gaps" and fabricate facts when there is no clear answer. You must always verify claims with primary sources (scientific articles), and you can never cite AI as a factual source. Some AI tools may also invent references, so you must always check that they actually exist (and read them if you plan to cite them!).
AI does not necessarily present all viewpoints and perspectives on a topic in its responses. There is also a risk that responses contain bias and prejudices. Since language models are fundamentally trained on human texts, human ignorance and biases may be reflected in the answers to some extent.
Because AI sometimes fabricates information and the sources of its data are unclear, you cannot cite AI as a factual source. Additionally, you cannot simply copy well-worded sentences from the response, as there is a risk that the text originates verbatim from another source, which would constitute plagiarism.
There are no general university rules stating that you may use AI for X but not for Y or Z. Which tools are permitted depends on the nature of the assignment and what you are expected to learn. You must always check with your course instructor whether AI use is allowed for a particular assignment. If it is permitted, you should always be transparent and specify in the methodology section that you have used AI, state the name of the tool, and explain how you used it.
Here are some examples of how AI can be useful in the search process:
There are many different AI chatbots (so-called generative AI) that you can use for a variety of tasks, such as constructing a search. One example of a prompt you can use in either ChatGPT or Microsoft Copilot is:
Provide me with relevant keywords, synonyms, and concept relations for the following research question: '[Insert your research question here]'. I plan on searching literature for a narrative review on the topic mainly focusing on literature in English. I will conduct the information search in Web of Science, so I need advice on how to create the perfect Boolean operator search string with the keyword combinations you provide me with.
Note! The suggested search that is generated is far from perfect and needs to be refined before it can be used. However, it can be a good starting point if you're having trouble coming up with good search terms or finding synonyms.
Do not use ChatGPT or Microsoft Copilot to find relevant sources for your research topic. These tools often fabricate publications and do not always have access to newer research or articles behind paywalls.
Scopus AI is an add-on tool for the scientific database Scopus. You input your research question in natural language and get a response with links to (real) sources. This response can be used to get an overview of the research and tips on reading. You always need to double-check individual claims using scientific articles. It is also not guaranteed that the claims are sourced from the references listed, so you always need to read the articles yourself if you want to cite them.
Scopus AI also provides a suggestion for a block search. Note! This search is often quite poor and should not be used as is. However, you can look at it to get suggestions for additional synonyms to include in your own search. You can find it by expanding the "Show Copilot steps" heading. Scopus AI uses both this keyword search and a so-called vector search against a large language model (LLM) to generate the answer.
Scopus AI should not be used as the main search tool but rather as a complement to a traditional keyword search.