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AI Literature Review Workflow: From Finding Papers to Writing

Dr. Andy StapletonEnglishLiterature reviewStep-by-step AI literature review

TL;DR

1-min read

This tutorial is for students and researchers who want a repeatable, AI-supported process for producing a literature review. It is led by Dr. Andy Stapleton, who holds a PhD in chemistry focused on nanoparticle-based solar cells and creates a YouTube channel and the Academia Insider website on academic advice and AI for researchers. He shows a structured process in which several AI tools work together, with SciSpace at the centre for discovering and analysing literature.

Key takeaways

  • Literature reviews often take more time than any other stage of a project, which is why a consistent workflow pays off.
  • A typical sequence is to define your question, search for relevant papers, screen and read them, extract key points in a consistent format, group findings into themes and then write.
  • AI-assisted search can help you find relevant papers faster, and SciSpace can help you get through dense articles without losing key details.
  • Extracting insights into the same format each time keeps your literature organised and easier to compare.
  • Turning organised findings into a coherent written review still needs your own synthesis: judging study quality, spotting disagreements and explaining what the evidence means.
  • Following the same steps each time makes the review easier to manage and to explain to supervisors or reviewers.
Apply it

To apply this, use SciSpace for search, reading and extraction, check every citation against the original paper, and write the argument of your review in your own words.

How to do it

  1. Define your review question

    Start by writing the question your review will answer. Every later stage of the AI literature review workflow depends on it.

  2. Find papers with AI-assisted search

    Search for relevant papers in SciSpace to reach useful studies faster than with ad hoc searching.

  3. Read dense papers efficiently

    Use SciSpace to work through dense articles without losing key details, and screen which papers belong in your review.

  4. Extract insights in one format

    Extract key points from each paper into the same format every time. Consistency keeps your literature organised and easy to compare.

  5. Group findings into themes

    Group the extracted findings into themes, judging study quality and spotting disagreements yourself.

  6. Write the review in your own words

    Write the argument of your review in your own words and check every citation against the original paper.

Try this on SciSpace

Frequently asked questions

What are the main steps of an AI-assisted literature review?

A typical sequence is to define your question, search for relevant papers, screen and read them, extract key points into a consistent format, group findings into themes, and then write the review. AI can support search, reading and extraction, while you decide what is relevant and how the evidence fits together.

Can AI write my literature review for me?

AI can help draft and organise, but a literature review needs your own synthesis: judging study quality, spotting disagreements and explaining what the evidence means for your question. Use AI outputs as working material, check every citation against the original paper, and write the argument in your own words.

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