The sheer volume of current scientific information, while necessary, can be overwhelming when researchers begin searching for papers. The overload can be very real. There are so many articles, journals, and data points that simply finding the initial information can be exhausting.
If you've landed here, it's because you know there are ways to automate these tasks. And yes, the answer is AI. Artificial intelligence helps you filter, organize, and prioritize. This allows you to focus on analyzing and interpreting the data, what matters (and what you enjoy).
Information overload
The volume of scientific articles doubles every few years. It's no wonder researchers are overwhelmed. Literature reviews can become endless, and we may overlook important studies. To alleviate this burden, "scientific AI" has emerged.
We will never have the capacity that this tool has to read, understand, and filter information in seconds (something that would take a person months).
Uses of AI in scientific research
Let's see how AI can make it easier to find articles:
Filtered, what do we care?
It will analyze hundreds of papers and select only those relevant to our research topic. I think that alone makes it worth trying, but let's continue.
Summary and key information
It not only filters articles that might interest you, but it can also generate summaries and give you an outline of the hypotheses and results presented. Your personal assistant.
Detects trends and connections
You might overlook some industry trends, which is normal; we can't keep track of everything. But AI can. It might uncover research or authors you weren't aware of, providing a valuable starting point for more up-to-date references.
Bibliography organization
And what about the bibliography? Double-check the APA style, make sure the authors are listed correctly… a necessary task, but one that takes up too much time. Leave it to the AI and just double-check that it's accurate.
Limitations of using AI in paper searches
Although it may seem so far, not everything is perfect, and it is important to be aware of the limitations of AI:
- AI can overlook lesser-known papers.
- You can prioritize studies from more cited journals.
- There will always be results that require human review.
Always keep this in mind: AI is an assistant, not a replacement. You still make the final decisions about what to read, analyze, and cite, but you certainly start from a good foundation.
You'll still have to dedicate hours and hours to your article, but it will definitely be a great help and will make your research much easier.
If you want to learn using AI in a practical way, from searching to writing and automating tasks, in Maxymia You will find courses designed for researchers who want work smarter, not harder.
Biotechnologist and biostatistician specializing in data analysis and artificial intelligence applied to research. Founder of Maxymia, combines science and technology to develop solutions and training in automation for the scientific field.
