Q. Is it OK to use AI for a literature search?

Artificial Intelligence tools like ChatGPT, Research Rabbit or Elicit can be useful for preliminary literature searches. They can help you find some topics and articles to kick start your review. However, AI tools are not comprehensive or reliable enough to be the only tool you use for your search.

Here are a few best practices when using AI tools for literature searching:

Review results for accuracy

Some AI tools have been known to create false references. Make sure you can verify each reference by reviewing the full-text paper. 

Review article summaries for accuracy

There are AI article summary tools like ResearchRabbit or SciSpace. These summaries may be misleading or incomplete so review the full text of the article. If you can't find the full text, request the article for free through the library's interlibrary loan service. 

Write your own literature review (or revise your AI written review)

Literature reviews written by ChatGPT are often short, vague, and can be biased. If you are going to use an AI tool for creating text, be sure to modify the text into your own words. Publishers are now able to review manuscripts for use of AI so be sure to review the author guidelines for your journal to make sure you are following the publisher's guidelines. In addition, MD Anderson employees should not share any confidential or patient information to open AI tools. 

If you need help editing your manuscript or have a writing question, contact the library's Scientific Editors.

Use Academic Databases as well as AI Tools

AI tools don't tell you which journals they do or don't have access to. Be sure to check databases like PubMed, Scopus or others to confirm that you've found all of the relevant literature on your topic. AI tools often don't search so far back in time and may miss the most highly cited articles. 

Do Not Use AI Tools for Systematic Review Searches

AI tools do not provide the proper transparency or reproducibility required for a systematic review search. Work with an expert searcher to learn the proper methodology for systematic reviews. 

*Note: The library provides Covidence for screening systematic review search results. Covidence has an AI predictive tool which helps to streamline the screening process and save you time. Ask a librarian for more information. 

Ask a Librarian

If you have questions about literature searching or using AI tools for literature searching, contact a librarian for a consultation or customized literature search. 

*Note: The Research Medical Library does not endorse the tools mentioned in this post, except for Covidence. Covidence has been approved for use at MD Anderson by Information Security. However, our librarians and editors are open to exploring new AI tools with you!