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Elicit
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Introduction
Elicit functions primarily as an AI research assistant that harnesses language models. The platform is specifically designed to address one of the most time-consuming aspects of academic research: the literature review process. When researchers input a question into Elicit, the system works to identify the most relevant papers from its vast database and presents key information extracted from these sources in organized format. The system achieves this efficiency by pulling publications from Semantic Scholar, allowing it to search across an impressive database of approximately 126 million academic papers. Elicit's primary strength lies in its capacity to serve empirical research domains that involve concrete experiments and quantifiable results. The platform performs particularly well in fields such as biomedicine, where research typically follows structured methodologies and produces measurable outcomes. The system excels at addressing questions framed as 'What are the effects of x on y?' or 'Does x affect y?'—formulations that align with the experimental paradigms common in empirical research. This orientation makes Elicit an invaluable resource for researchers working in fields characterized by data-driven approaches and experimental design. The platform's accessibility, combined with its sophistication, makes it appropriate for researchers at various stages of their careers, from novices to experienced investigators seeking to optimize their research processes.
Key Features
- Literature Search and Discovery: Uses natural language processing to search a database of over 125 million academic papers. The semantic search capability identifies relevant studies based on the contextual meaning of a query, not just exact keyword matches.
- Automated Data Extraction: Extracts specific data points from multiple academic papers and organises them into a structured, customisable table. Users can add columns based on suggested fields or create their own to systematically compare information such as methodologies, populations, or outcomes.
- Systematic Review Automation: Provides a dedicated workflow to streamline the systematic review process by automating search, screening, and data extraction stages. The tool can generate and apply consistent screening criteria across all papers to reduce manual effort.
- Chat with Uploaded Documents: Allows users to upload their own collection of papers as PDF, BIB, or RIS files for direct interaction. This feature enables researchers to ask specific questions about their own curated literature and receive targeted answers from within those documents.
- Literature Search and Discovery: Uses natural language processing to search a database of over 125 million academic papers. The semantic search capability identifies relevant studies based on the contextual meaning of a query, not just exact keyword matches.
- Automated Data Extraction: Extracts specific data points from multiple academic papers and organises them into a structured, customisable table. Users can add columns based on suggested fields or create their own to systematically compare information such as methodologies, populations, or outcomes.
- Systematic Review Automation: Provides a dedicated workflow to streamline the systematic review process by automating search, screening, and data extraction stages. The tool can generate and apply consistent screening criteria across all papers to reduce manual effort.
- Chat with Uploaded Documents: Allows users to upload their own collection of papers as PDF, BIB, or RIS files for direct interaction. This feature enables researchers to ask specific questions about their own curated literature and receive targeted answers from within those documents.
Uniqueness
Elicit's research report function represents the core of its capabilities, offering researchers a powerful tool for identifying relevant academic papers without requiring perfect keyword matching. The system moves beyond traditional search methodologies by understanding the conceptual underpinnings of research questions, enabling it to locate papers that address the researcher's query even when specific terminology differs. Elicit's information extraction capabilities extend well beyond basic bibliographic data, offering researchers detailed insights into paper content through AI-powered analysis. The system can identify and extract key methodological elements, including interventions, outcomes measured, participant numbers, and study design details. This automated extraction creates a customizable research matrix that allows for quick comparison across multiple papers, significantly reducing the time researchers would traditionally spend manually cataloging this information. The platform's summarization capabilities extend beyond individual papers to synthesize findings across multiple sources. Elicit can generate a 'Summary of the top papers' feature. This function provides researchers with a rapid overview of the current state of knowledge in their field of inquiry.
Frequently Asked Questions
Open-Source?
No
Registration Needed?
Yes
Installation Required?
No
AI-empowered?
NLP
Specifications
E
URL:
Country or Region:
United State
Author(s):
Elicit Research, PBC
License:
Freemium
Operating System(s):
Web
Language(s):
English
Registration Needed:
Yes
Installation Required:
No
Video Demonstration
User Guide
This guide outlines how to use Elicit to find academic papers, summarise them into tables, and extract structured data from your own PDF documents.
Access Elicit Website
| a. | Navigate to the website: https://elicit.com/; |
| b. | Click Sign In or Sign Up to log in or register. |
Generate Research Report
| a. | Ensure the Research report mode is selected on the main dashboard; |
| b. | Enter a research question into the search bar; |
| c. | Click the Send button and then select Generate report (Note: The free plan provides a research report of 10 source papers at a time, with a monthly total of 20 sources); |
| d. | View the generated report; |
| e. | Click the asterisk icon to view the source quote; |
| f. | Scroll to the end of the report; |
| g. | Click Download BIB, Download RIS, or Download TXT to export the references; |
| h. | Click the Research report button in the top menu; |
| i. | Select a tab from the dropdown list to view different sections, including Paper sources, Screening criteria, Screening recommendations, Extraction definition, and Extraction results. |
Chat with Papers
| a. | Click the Chat with papers button from the main dashboard; |
| b. | Drag and drop BIB, RIS, or PDF files into the upload area; |
| c. | Tick the uploaded papers for analysis and click the Send button to proceed (Note: The free plan allows you to chat with four papers at a time); |
| d. | Enter a query into the text field and press Enter; |
| e. | Click Add a new step and select Extract data from uploaded papers; |
| f. | Locate the Manage Columns section and click Add Column to see a list of suggested column fields; |
| g. | Click a suggested column field to add it to the table; |
| h. | Enter a custom column field and click Add Column to add it to the table (Note: The free plan allows you to add two columns per data extraction table); |
| i. | Click on any cell within the table to view the source quote. |
Educational Scenarios
Educators' Perspectives
Learners' Perspectives
Assessment Design
Elicit can aid teachers in designing assessments by providing access to a wide range of academic resources. By giving a question to Elicit, educators can receive relevant articles that can be used as learning resources. This approach aligns with constructivist learning theory, which emphasizes the importance of students actively constructing knowledge through reflection and interaction with resources. By integrating diverse academic resources, teachers can design assessments that require students to analyze, synthesize, and evaluate information, fostering higher-order cognitive skills. Additionally, a summary of top papers is displayed, allowing for comparison to student work. The comparison feature of Elicit also supports formative assessment practices. Educators can use the summaries of top papers to create rubrics or exemplars, providing students with clear expectations and models of high-quality work. This transparency in assessment criteria can lead to improved student performance and a better understanding of academic standards.
Research Supervision Support
A research supervisor guiding multiple graduate students can use Elicit to efficiently assist with literature searches across various topics. When students propose research ideas, the supervisor can quickly use Elicit to check the feasibility of the topic and suggest additional areas for the students to explore. This helps the supervisor provide more informed guidance and saves time in the initial stages of research planning. By automating literature searches, supervisors can quickly access relevant academic resources, ensuring that students are building their research on a solid foundation of existing knowledge. This accelerates the research process and allows students to focus on developing their unique contributions to the field. Elicit also enhances the supervisor's ability to provide informed guidance by offering insights into emerging trends and gaps in the literature. This enables supervisors to suggest innovative research directions and encourage students to explore interdisciplinary approaches, fostering creativity and innovation in research.
Literature Review Exemplar
In a classroom setting, Elicit can transform the way literature reviews are conducted and understood. By uploading multiple PDF files, educators can demonstrate to students how Elicit generates a summarized table that includes key elements such as limitations, methodologies, and results. This exercise can be extended to teach meta-analysis techniques, showing students how to synthesize findings across multiple studies. This visualization of the literature review process not only aids students in grasping the complexities involved but also equips them with the skills to conduct their own reviews efficiently. This demonstration also serves as a platform to discuss the importance of evaluating source credibility and the limitations of AI-generated summaries, thereby promoting digital literacy skills. By incorporating collaborative learning exercises and using this demonstration as a starting point to create a visual map of the entire research process, educators can help students develop a comprehensive understanding of academic research, from initial literature review to final publication.________________________________________
Assessment Design
Elicit can aid teachers in designing assessments by providing access to a wide range of academic resources. By giving a question to Elicit, educators can receive relevant articles that can be used as learning resources. This approach aligns with constructivist learning theory, which emphasizes the importance of students actively constructing knowledge through reflection and interaction with resources. By integrating diverse academic resources, teachers can design assessments that require students to analyze, synthesize, and evaluate information, fostering higher-order cognitive skills. Additionally, a summary of top papers is displayed, allowing for comparison to student work. The comparison feature of Elicit also supports formative assessment practices. Educators can use the summaries of top papers to create rubrics or exemplars, providing students with clear expectations and models of high-quality work. This transparency in assessment criteria can lead to improved student performance and a better understanding of academic standards.
Research Supervision Support
A research supervisor guiding multiple graduate students can use Elicit to efficiently assist with literature searches across various topics. When students propose research ideas, the supervisor can quickly use Elicit to check the feasibility of the topic and suggest additional areas for the students to explore. This helps the supervisor provide more informed guidance and saves time in the initial stages of research planning. By automating literature searches, supervisors can quickly access relevant academic resources, ensuring that students are building their research on a solid foundation of existing knowledge. This accelerates the research process and allows students to focus on developing their unique contributions to the field. Elicit also enhances the supervisor's ability to provide informed guidance by offering insights into emerging trends and gaps in the literature. This enables supervisors to suggest innovative research directions and encourage students to explore interdisciplinary approaches, fostering creativity and innovation in research.
Literature Review Exemplar
In a classroom setting, Elicit can transform the way literature reviews are conducted and understood. By uploading multiple PDF files, educators can demonstrate to students how Elicit generates a summarized table that includes key elements such as limitations, methodologies, and results. This exercise can be extended to teach meta-analysis techniques, showing students how to synthesize findings across multiple studies. This visualization of the literature review process not only aids students in grasping the complexities involved but also equips them with the skills to conduct their own reviews efficiently. This demonstration also serves as a platform to discuss the importance of evaluating source credibility and the limitations of AI-generated summaries, thereby promoting digital literacy skills. By incorporating collaborative learning exercises and using this demonstration as a starting point to create a visual map of the entire research process, educators can help students develop a comprehensive understanding of academic research, from initial literature review to final publication.________________________________________
Literature Review Assistance
A graduate student working on their thesis can use Elicit to quickly gather and summarize relevant research papers in their field. By inputting their research question into Elicit, the student can receive a list of pertinent studies, along with summaries of key findings. The tool's ability to rapidly scan and synthesize large volumes of academic literature saves valuable time and energy, allowing students to focus more on critical analysis and interpretation of the findings. By providing summaries, Elicit helps students navigate complex academic landscapes more efficiently, promoting a broader and more holistic understanding of their research area. This targeted approach helps students build a strong theoretical foundation for their thesis, ensuring that their work is grounded in current and credible scholarship. Additionally, by exposing students to a wide range of studies, Elicit encourages a more comprehensive understanding of the field, fostering critical thinking and analytical skills.
Data Extraction
When working on a literature review, Elicit can assist in organizing and synthesizing information, allowing students to construct a comprehensive and coherent review of existing literature. By extracting key data points and findings from multiple studies, Elicit helps students identify patterns, trends, and gaps in the research. This organized approach to data extraction supports the development of a well-structured literature review, which is essential for demonstrating a thorough understanding of the topic. By synthesizing information from various sources, students can create a cohesive narrative that highlights the significance of their research question and situates their work within the broader academic context. This process not only enhances the quality of the literature review but also prepares students for future research endeavors by honing their ability to critically evaluate and integrate diverse sources of information.
Research Question Refinement
An undergraduate student preparing for a term paper can use Elicit to explore different angles of their chosen topic. By inputting various research questions into Elicit, the student can see what kind of studies exist for each question. Elicit facilitates this exploration efficiently, allowing students to quickly assess the potential of various research directions without spending excessive time on preliminary searches. This process helps the student refine their research question based on the available literature, ensuring they choose a topic with sufficient academic resources. Elicit's ability to provide insights into existing research helps students avoid overly broad or narrow research questions, guiding them toward a more focused and feasible topic. By understanding the scope of available literature, students can identify areas that are well-researched and those that may require further exploration. Moreover, the process of refining research questions with Elicit encourages students to engage in reflective and strategic thinking. By considering different perspectives and evaluating the depth of existing research, students develop a more nuanced understanding of their topic, which can lead to more insightful analysis and discussion in their final paper.
Literature Review Assistance
A graduate student working on their thesis can use Elicit to quickly gather and summarize relevant research papers in their field. By inputting their research question into Elicit, the student can receive a list of pertinent studies, along with summaries of key findings. The tool's ability to rapidly scan and synthesize large volumes of academic literature saves valuable time and energy, allowing students to focus more on critical analysis and interpretation of the findings. By providing summaries, Elicit helps students navigate complex academic landscapes more efficiently, promoting a broader and more holistic understanding of their research area. This targeted approach helps students build a strong theoretical foundation for their thesis, ensuring that their work is grounded in current and credible scholarship. Additionally, by exposing students to a wide range of studies, Elicit encourages a more comprehensive understanding of the field, fostering critical thinking and analytical skills.
Data Extraction
When working on a literature review, Elicit can assist in organizing and synthesizing information, allowing students to construct a comprehensive and coherent review of existing literature. By extracting key data points and findings from multiple studies, Elicit helps students identify patterns, trends, and gaps in the research. This organized approach to data extraction supports the development of a well-structured literature review, which is essential for demonstrating a thorough understanding of the topic. By synthesizing information from various sources, students can create a cohesive narrative that highlights the significance of their research question and situates their work within the broader academic context. This process not only enhances the quality of the literature review but also prepares students for future research endeavors by honing their ability to critically evaluate and integrate diverse sources of information.
Research Question Refinement
An undergraduate student preparing for a term paper can use Elicit to explore different angles of their chosen topic. By inputting various research questions into Elicit, the student can see what kind of studies exist for each question. Elicit facilitates this exploration efficiently, allowing students to quickly assess the potential of various research directions without spending excessive time on preliminary searches. This process helps the student refine their research question based on the available literature, ensuring they choose a topic with sufficient academic resources. Elicit's ability to provide insights into existing research helps students avoid overly broad or narrow research questions, guiding them toward a more focused and feasible topic. By understanding the scope of available literature, students can identify areas that are well-researched and those that may require further exploration. Moreover, the process of refining research questions with Elicit encourages students to engage in reflective and strategic thinking. By considering different perspectives and evaluating the depth of existing research, students develop a more nuanced understanding of their topic, which can lead to more insightful analysis and discussion in their final paper.