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Using AI Ethically for Literature Review

Prof. Dawid HanakEnglishLiterature reviewResponsible and ethical AI literature reviews

TL;DR

1-min read

A thorough literature review shows where the gaps are and gives a project its foundation. In this tutorial, Professor Dawid Hanak, Professor of Decarbonisation of Industrial Clusters at Teesside University and founder of Motivated Academic, walks through a streamlined review process and explains how AI can support it ethically. It is aimed at students, researchers and academics who want to improve their review process without compromising integrity.

Key takeaways

  • The process has four stages: discovering relevant papers, screening them, critically reviewing the selected studies and synthesising everything into a written review.
  • Screening papers for relevance and quality before reading in depth saves time and keeps the review focused.
  • A content matrix records each study as a row and elements such as aim, method, sample, findings and limitations as columns, making patterns and contradictions easier to see.
  • Synthesis turns the matrix into a cohesive review rather than a list of separate summaries.
  • AI can support each stage to improve efficiency, while human judgement decides what is included and how it is interpreted.
  • Ethical use means verifying that every source exists and says what you report, not presenting AI text as your own analysis, protecting confidential material and disclosing AI use where required.
Apply it

To apply this, run your next review through the four stages in SciSpace, building a content matrix as you go, and check each entry against the original study.

How to do it

  1. Discover relevant papers

    Start by finding papers relevant to your topic, using AI to speed up discovery. This is the first of four literature review stages.

  2. Screen for relevance and quality

    Screen the papers for relevance and quality before reading in depth. This saves time on unsuitable studies.

  3. Build a content matrix

    Critically review the selected studies and record key points in a content matrix. A matrix makes comparison across studies easier.

  4. Synthesise into a written review

    Synthesise the matrix into a cohesive, comprehensive written review. This turns analysis into a coherent narrative.

  5. Use AI ethically at every stage

    Apply ethical use of AI for literature review by keeping your process transparent and judging content yourself. This preserves academic integrity.

Watch the tutorial1 h 21 min

How to Use AI Ethically for a Literature ReviewPlay video: How to Use AI Ethically for a Literature Review

Chapters

  1. Introduction
  2. What are the different steps for a literature review
  3. Framing the scope
  4. Obtaining sources
  5. Curate for quality
  6. Understand and synthesize
  7. Summarize in writing
  8. Practical Example
  9. How to use AI
  10. Q&A

Try this on SciSpace

Frequently asked questions

What is a content matrix in a literature review?

A content or synthesis matrix is a table where each row is a study and each column records an element such as aim, method, sample, key findings and limitations. Comparing studies side by side reveals patterns, agreements and contradictions, which makes it easier to write a synthesised review rather than a list of separate summaries.

What counts as ethical use of AI in a literature review?

Ethical use means AI supports, rather than replaces, your reading and judgement. Verify that every source exists and says what you report, do not present AI-generated text as your own original analysis, protect confidential material, and disclose AI assistance wherever your institution or target journal requires it.

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