The fastest way to do your literature review [Do it in SECONDS]

Andy Stapleton
29 Aug 202209:29

TLDRDiscover the fastest way to conduct a literature review with the aid of modern tools. The video introduces PaperDigest.org for automated literature summaries and Elicit.org for semantic search, guiding you through the process of quickly generating a foundational understanding of your research topic. Also highlighted are visualization tools like Lit Maps, Connected Papers, and Research Rabbit to explore and organize the research landscape, making the daunting task of literature review more manageable and insightful.

Takeaways

  • 😲 There are numerous advanced tools available today that were not present during the speaker's PhD days, which greatly enhance the efficiency of literature review.
  • 🔍 Paperdigest.org offers an automated machine learning tool that can quickly generate a literature review based on your search terms, such as 'water-based organic photovoltaics'.
  • 📚 The tool provides a summary of related work and citations, which can be filtered by time frame, helping to understand the progression and current state of research.
  • ⚠️ A caution is given not to copy and paste the generated review directly, as it requires the researcher to refine and focus on specific research questions.
  • 📝 The speaker suggests using the generated paragraphs as a starting point and seed for further exploration and refinement of the literature review.
  • 🌐 Elicit.org is introduced as a semantic search tool for science that can answer research questions using natural language and provide valuable insights.
  • 📉 The tool allows sorting by year and filtering options, such as including PDFs and exporting in various formats, to aid in literature review.
  • 📈 Visualization tools like Lit Maps, Connected Papers, and Research Rabbit are recommended to understand how research is interconnected and to identify key papers.
  • 🗺️ Lit Maps, in particular, is highlighted for its clean interface and user-friendly features that cater to researchers' needs.
  • 📑 The process involves reading papers, noting questions, and using semantic search to answer them, ultimately creating a narrative of existing research.
  • 🔗 The speaker also promotes their newsletter and resources for further academic support, such as tools, writing tips, and a daily schedule.

Q & A

  • What is the main purpose of the tool mentioned in the video script?

    -The main purpose of the tool mentioned in the video script is to assist in conducting a literature review quickly and efficiently using automated machine learning technology.

  • What website is highlighted as a starting point for conducting a literature review?

    -The website highlighted as a starting point for conducting a literature review is paperdigest.org.

  • How does the tool on paperdigest.org assist in creating a literature review?

    -The tool on paperdigest.org assists by generating a summary of related work based on the user's search query, providing ten citations and compiling them into a coherent paragraph.

  • What is the importance of choosing different time frames like 'all time', 'past five years', and 'past year' when using the tool?

    -Choosing different time frames helps the user understand the historical context, recent developments, and the current state of research in their topic of interest.

  • What is the warning given about using the tool for literature review?

    -The warning is not to just copy and paste the content generated by the tool, as it is not perfect and relies on the researcher to refine the literature review according to their specific research questions.

  • What is the second tool introduced in the script for semantic search in science?

    -The second tool introduced for semantic search in science is elicit.org.

  • How can elicit.org help in refining a literature review?

    -Elicit.org helps by allowing users to ask research questions in natural language and providing relevant scientific articles, including suggestions for different related questions and the ability to filter results.

  • What are the three visualization tools recommended for exploring the research domain?

    -The three visualization tools recommended are Lit Maps, Connected Papers, and Research Rabbit.

  • Why are visualization tools important in the context of a literature review?

    -Visualization tools are important as they help in understanding how research is interconnected, providing insights into which papers to explore next and how they reference each other.

  • What is the speaker's recommendation for the most user-friendly visualization tool among the three mentioned?

    -The speaker's recommendation for the most user-friendly visualization tool is Lit Maps, due to its clean interface and ease of navigation.

  • What is the final advice given by the speaker regarding the use of these tools for literature review?

    -The final advice is to use these tools to create a foundation for the literature review, explore the research environment, and then export the findings into a reference manager for further organization.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Automated Literature Review Tools

The speaker introduces the availability of advanced tools for conducting literature reviews, particularly highlighting the utility of 'paperdigest.org'. This tool uses machine learning to quickly generate literature summaries on specified topics, such as 'water-based organic photovoltaics'. The speaker demonstrates how to use the tool to obtain citations from different time frames and emphasizes the importance of not solely relying on the tool's output but using it as a starting point for further research and refinement of the literature review. The speaker also mentions a newsletter for further academic resources.

05:01

🔍 Semantic Search and Research Visualization

The speaker discusses the use of semantic search through 'elicit.org' to delve deeper into research questions and find relevant literature. They showcase how the tool can suggest related questions and filter results by criteria such as publication year. The speaker then recommends three tools for visualizing research connections: Lit Maps, Connected Papers, and Research Rabbit. Each tool is briefly explained, with a focus on their unique features for exploring and understanding the research landscape. The speaker concludes by expressing a preference for Lit Maps due to its user-friendly interface and features tailored to researchers' needs.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Literature Review

A literature review is a comprehensive examination of previously published research on a particular topic. It is a critical analysis of existing literature and serves to identify gaps in knowledge, inform research questions, and establish the context for new research. In the video, the literature review is the central process being discussed, with the focus on how to conduct it quickly and efficiently using various tools.

💡Automation

Automation refers to the use of technology to perform tasks with minimal human intervention. In the context of the video, automation is associated with the tools that facilitate the literature review process, making it faster and less labor-intensive. The script mentions the lack of such automation during the speaker's PhD days, contrasting it with the current availability of advanced tools.

💡Machine Learning

Machine learning is a subset of artificial intelligence that enables computers to learn from and make decisions based on data. The video script highlights a machine learning tool that automates the literature review process, providing a quick summary of relevant research by generating citations and organizing them into coherent paragraphs.

💡PaperDigest.org

PaperDigest.org is mentioned in the script as a platform hosting a tool that aids in the literature review process. It allows users to input search terms and generates a summary of related work, providing citations from different time frames such as the past year or five years, which is instrumental in quickly understanding the research landscape.

💡Semantic Search

Semantic search is a type of search that focuses on the intent and context behind a user's query rather than just the exact words. The video introduces elicit.org as a semantic search tool for science, which helps researchers find relevant studies by asking questions in natural language and receiving tailored results that include different aspects of the research.

💡Elicit.org

Elicit.org is presented in the script as a semantic search engine specifically designed for scientific research. It allows researchers to ask questions in plain language and receive a list of relevant studies, abstracts, and suggestions for further reading, which can be sorted by various criteria such as publication year.

💡Research Visualization

Research visualization involves the graphical representation of research data and connections to better understand the relationships and flow of information. The video mentions several tools that help visualize the domain of research, showing how papers are interconnected and suggesting which ones to explore next, which is crucial for a comprehensive literature review.

💡Litmaps

Litmaps is one of the research visualization tools recommended in the video. It allows users to create a map of connected papers, starting with a 'seed' paper and expanding to show related works, citations, and suggestions. It provides a user-friendly interface for navigating and understanding the research landscape.

💡Connected Papers

Connected Papers is another tool for visualizing research connections. It enables users to see both prior works that led to a particular paper and derivative works that followed, offering a clear view of the research trajectory and its evolution.

💡Research Rabbit

Research Rabbit is described as a powerful tool for exploring literature in a user-friendly way. It allows for the navigation of similar work and the exploration of papers related to a given seed paper, providing a navigable and interactive way to understand the research domain.

💡Academic Writing Toolkit

The Academic Writing Toolkit is mentioned in the video as a resource for researchers, likely containing guides, templates, and strategies to improve academic writing skills. It is part of the speaker's project at academiainsider.com, which aims to support researchers in their writing endeavors.

Highlights

Numerous tools are now available to expedite the literature review process.

Paperdigest.org offers an automated machine learning tool for rapid literature review generation.

The tool provides literature summaries and citations based on the user's topic and time frame selection.

Users can choose summaries from the past year, past five years, or a custom time frame.

The literature review generated by the tool should be used as a starting point and further refined by the researcher.

Elicit.org is introduced as a semantic search tool for scientific research.

Elicit allows users to ask research questions in natural language and provides relevant scientific information.

The tool can filter results by year, allowing users to track the evolution of research over time.

Litmaps, Connected Papers, and Research Rabbit are recommended for visualizing research connections and exploring the domain.

Litmaps provides a workspace to create a map of connected research papers and offers various tabs for notes, references, and citations.

Connected Papers shows both prior and derivative works related to a seed paper, aiding in understanding the research trajectory.

Research Rabbit offers a navigable interface to explore literature and find similar work.

Litmaps is praised for its clean interface and user-friendly features tailored for researchers.

The video emphasizes the importance of reading papers and jotting down questions for further exploration.

The author suggests using the generated literature review as a foundation and building upon it with semantic search.

Exporting findings into a reference manager is recommended for organization, but will be covered in a future video.

The author invites viewers to subscribe for upcoming content on reference management and writing literature reviews.

AcademiaInsider.com is mentioned as a resource for ebooks on academic writing and a PhD survival guide.

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