Much like writing, research processes and styles vary from discipline to discipline and person to person, though some iteration of the Scientific Method is generally followed to some degree. The capabilities of this technology may prove to be a paradigm shift in research and academia as a whole. In this section, you will see resources that discuss guidelines for how Artificial Intelligence can be used to maximize efficiency of traditional research methods.
Depending solely on AI may discourage students from developing critical thinking skills, such as evaluating sources, assessing credibility, and forming independent conclusions.
The limited contextual understanding in AI means it may miss subtle connections, fail to grasp the significance of findings, and struggle with ambiguity, hindering its ability to synthesize information accurately.
This can lead to incomplete or misleading research conclusions, emphasizing the importance of human judgment and critical thinking in academic research.
The reliance solely on AI for academic research can reduce creativity by limiting students to patterns and trends in existing data without fostering original thought or innovative approaches.
This dependence may hinder the exploration of unique perspectives or novel ideas, which are essential for advancing knowledge and scholarship in various fields.
AI systems are not infallible and can produce errors, especially when dealing with complex or ambiguous information. Depending solely on AI without human oversight can result in inaccurate research findings.
Also a factor are recurrent hallucinations. AI hallucinations occur when the AI generates seemingly relevant but inaccurate results, especially common with scholarly articles due to their concise and sometimes ambiguous nature. Books offer more comprehensive and context-rich information, reducing the likelihood of such inaccuracies.
Missed learning opportunities occur when students rely solely on AI for research, depriving themselves of the chance to engage deeply with the material, develop critical thinking skills, and foster a genuine understanding of the subject matter.
Artificial Intelligence can simplify
complex concepts by breaking them down into easier-to-understand components, much like a
skilled teacher who tailors explanations to their student's level of understanding.
A.I. can analyze vast amounts of information quickly, identify core principles, and present them in a concise and accessible manner.
A.I. can help orchestrate those "Eureka moments" by presenting information in a way that clicks for the learner.
Even as academic librarians, we are occasionally confronted with questions that we don't immediately grasp.
How much of this question do you comprehend? Do you grasp its overall meaning?"
As you can see, with generative AI tools like Chat GPT, complex questions with unfamiliar words and jargon can often be more easily understood.
Now that we know what the question means, before searching, it might be helpful to brainstorm some keywords or synonyms that would allow you to search more strategically.
You may be familiar enough with the concepts to develop your own, but there is nothing wrong with asking for help.
In the left column, you will see logical keywords associated with the research question presented.
More specifically, A.I., in this case Chat GPT, can also create synonyms for words or concepts. Note the keywords is suggests for the concept "Direct Instruction"
Sometimes even when we use the correct keywords, we may not find anything. In some cases that might be because no one has researched all of the elements together.
In those cases, it might be better to search the individual concepts or pairings of the concepts and then merge the research.
AI can suggest combinatons of concepts to search as well as how to strategically approach the research process.