How Elicit Works in AI-driven Research

In the dynamic world of academic and independent research, finding efficient ways to navigate through vast amounts of literature is paramount. Elicit AI, a groundbreaking tool developed by Ought, a nonprofit machine learning research lab, is at the forefront of transforming how researchers approach their workflows. This blog post delves into the mechanics of Elicit AI, showcasing its capabilities and benefits for the research community.

Introduction to Elicit AI

Elicit is a free AI research assistant designed to automate and streamline parts of researchers’ workflows. By integrating advanced language models, it simplifies evidence synthesis and text extraction, enabling researchers to focus more on analysis and less on the tedious task of literature review.

How Elicit AI Works

The genius of Elicit AI lies in its simplicity and efficiency. Users begin by entering a research question into the search box. What sets it apart is its ability to identify papers in the field without relying solely on perfect keyword matching. Here’s a closer look at its functionality:

Literature Identification: Using Semantic Scholar, the AI scans through publications to find the most relevant papers, based on the research question provided.
Summarization and Extraction: The tool summarizes key takeaways from each paper and extracts critical information, such as interventions, outcomes, participant numbers, and more, into a research matrix.
Dynamic Updates: it then presents a continuously updated summary of top papers, allowing users to star and store references for later consultation.

Special Features of Elicit AI

Elicit AI is equipped with a host of unique features that enhance its utility for researchers:

SCImago Journal Rank Integration: This feature allows researchers to assess the prestige of journals, providing scores and quartile rankings to guide users in evaluating the quality of their sources.
Brainstorming Tools: it assists users in generating research questions and suggesting search terms, further simplifying the preliminary stages of research.
Abstract Summarization: For a quick overview, it offers abstract summarization, enabling researchers to grasp the essence of papers efficiently.

Who Can Benefit from Elicit AI?

Elicit AI is tailored for a broad audience within the research community, including:

Students: Whether undergraduate or postgraduate, students can leverage the service to streamline their literature review process.
Independent Researchers: Those working outside traditional academic institutions will find this service invaluable for accessing and synthesizing relevant literature.
Academic Researchers: Faculty and institutional researchers can utilize the AI to enhance their research workflows, making the evidence synthesis process more efficient.

for more on how to use Elicit AI check out this video

Strengths and Limitations

While Elicit AI is a powerful tool, it is crucial to acknowledge both its strengths and limitations:

Strengths: Elicit AI’s process-based ML system, dynamic updating of literature summaries, and integration of the SCImago Journal Rank stand out as major advantages.
Limitations: The reliance on Semantic Scholar means that some publications may be overlooked, especially those behind paywalls or not indexed.

Conclusion

Elicit AI represents a significant leap forward in the use of artificial intelligence to support and enhance research workflows. Automating laborious parts of the literature review process allows researchers to dedicate more time to analysis and discovery. As Elicit AI continues to evolve, its potential to revolutionize research practices across disciplines is undeniable. For researchers seeking a smarter, more efficient way to navigate the vast sea of academic literature, Elicit AI offers a compelling solution.