You have a research question and more papers than you can read today. An AI assistant can help suggest search terms or organize your notes. The evidence still comes from the papers, datasets and reports you inspect.
Begin with a question that keeps the search open.
What search terms could help me investigate this question? Suggest alternative explanations and tell me what evidence would distinguish them.
Separate a summary from evidence
When you provide a paper, ask for its question, method, sample, finding and limitations. Compare the summary with the original. A missing caveat can change what a result means.
Keep your interpretation in a separate note. That makes it easier to tell what the authors found, what the assistant suggested and what you concluded.
A first pass through the literature
- Ask for search terms, related ideas and alternative explanations.
- Find the original publications yourself.
- Use AI to organize the material you have collected.
- Check every number, quotation and reference in its source.
- Record what remains uncertain.
AI can fabricate citations. NIST describes these errors. A plausible title or journal name does not prove that a paper exists.
Check what you are allowed to share
Unpublished findings, participant records and confidential peer reviews need particular care. Follow your institution's rules before uploading them. UNESCO's guidance for education and research discusses privacy and responsible use.
Start with one published paper you already know. Compare an AI summary with your own notes. The differences will show you what to watch for when the material is less familiar.