Haven’t We Been Here Before?: The Rapid Proliferation of AI-Assisted Research Discovery Tools

Abstract

Coming soon to a reference desk or consultation near you: LitMaps, Keenious, Scite, Elicit,
Consensus, Connected Papers, Research Rabbit...It seems that weekly I receive an email notice or a
tip from a colleague about a “new” research tool that will help me “do research better and faster.”
Artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted research tools are rapidly proliferating and are already starting
to be mentioned by students and faculty in reference interactions, but a closer look reveals several
things