Generative AI can be an aid for a variety of steps in the research process, from supporting undergraduate students learning core academic research methods, to enhancing more complex and specialized practices for advanced, comprehensive research for publication.  Many library databases now also incorporate Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) into their search results through custom “Research Assistants,” which can augment many common steps in the research process.

However, because generative AI is prone to bias and hallucinations (as described in the Ethical Considerations section of this guide), any information received from generative AI should be double-checked and confirmed for accuracy.  This is especially true of citations to articles, books, or other research sources.

Generative AI can be a useful tool for brainstorming topics, identifying additional keywords to use in searches, and broadening or narrowing your topic.  See this guide’s section on Effective Prompts for suggestions of how to customize your prompts for brainstorming.

Examples:

1. You can ask a tool like ChatGPT to suggest keywords for your topic using a prompt like this: “I'm a student and want to search research articles about climate change for an undergraduate paper. What keywords could I use?”

2. Library databases like ProQuest One Business will suggest additional keywords after you conduct a search.  See an example in the Proquest FAQ here.

3. Library databases with interactive research assistants will also recommend related research questions based on an article you select.