This page provides a list of GenAI tools and how they can aid research. GenAI tools can have multiple uses in research. This list arranges the tools with the best or primary use in mind.
Use this list to make informed decisions about if, when, and how GenAI tools can be used during academic research, and to give you ideas that you might not have considered.
GenAI tools should only be used as an assistant and not as a substitute for expert disciplinary knowledge. Human critical analysis is required to ensure that gen AI outputs are accurate, interpretable, and relevant to your specific research need.
Copyright and ethical considerations also need to be considered when using GenAI tools. Confidential or copyright-protected material or data should not be loaded to a GenAI tool. The way that you can use GenAI generated responses might also be restricted. Check the GenAI and copyright page for further information.
GenAI is an emerging and rapidly evolving technology, so we don't consider this page to be complete, but rather an ongoing work in progress. We recommend that you stay up to the date with the latest guidelines for the use of Gen AI tools, including updates with new tools and limitations that we add to this page.
Discipline-specific GenAI tools have not been included in the table. For more AI tools see https://www.futurepedia.io/
For 'Systematic reviews and GenAI' consult this page. For a broader summary take a look at the Top 10 tips for using GenAI in research created by the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA, 2024).
| Workflow | Tools | Use | Limitations | Alternatives |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brainstorm ideas, idea generation | Brainstorm topics, generate lists of keywords, narrow topics, provide summaries of works |
Collects information from across the web, not restricted to academic, peer-reviewed outputs Be aware of copyright |
||
| Summarise and analyse large amounts of text |
Reads research articles, reports and book chapters in seconds and breaks them into bite-sized sections, extracts key figures, tables, images and references | Inaccuracies in complex or niche research areas | ||
| Identify research gaps | Inciteful | Finds connections, if they exist, between papers | ChatGPT 4.0 | |
| Highlight key findings from existing research | Research Rabbit | Displays literature search results as collections and shows author networks | Consensus | |
| Search for relevant research data | Dimensions | Link research data from idea to impact | Semantic Scholar |
| Workflow | Tools | Use | Limitations | Alternatives |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Identify relevant research methods |
ChatPDF | Analyse and extract relevant sections from PDFs |
Handles specific questions, not aggregate questions Be aware of copyright |
PDFgear |
| Visualisation of datasets | ATLAS.ti | Analyse, organise and visualise qualitative research data | ThoughtSpot | |
| Generate code | Github Copilot | Code faster and drive impact | Current code generating AI often outperformed by ChatGPT 4.0 | ChatGPT 4.0 |
| Virtual research collaboration spaces | Bit.ai | Create, collaborate, and organize all your knowledge in one place |
| Workflow | Tools | Use | Limitations | Alternatives |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Writing | Gemini | Write rough drafts using prompts, refine draft paragraphs | Current text generating AI often outperformed by ChatGPT 4.0 | Trinka |
| Publishing | B!son | Find potential journals for publication | Only open access journals are identified | ChatGPT 4.0 |
| Conferences | ChatGPT 4.0 | Find potential conferences | Collects information from across the web, not restricted to academic, peer-reviewed outputs | Copilot |
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