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Tutorial

SciSpace Agent for Researchers: Use Cases, Best Practices and Ethics

Mushtaq BilalEnglishStart here

TL;DR

1-min read

In this tutorial, Mushtaq Bilal, PhD, an AI in academia expert and academic writing coach with a PhD in Comparative Literature from Binghamton University, walks through real use cases for SciSpace Agent alongside best practices and ethical considerations. It is aimed at students, scholars and faculty who want to use the agent effectively and responsibly.

Key takeaways

  • The starting point is a mindset: treat AI as a way to search, read and write more efficiently, not as a shortcut around scholarship.
  • Semantic search finds published papers based on the meaning of your research question rather than exact keywords, which suits early exploration; combine it with structured database searches when completeness matters.
  • The Paper Table organises studies in rows and attributes such as methods, sample and findings in columns, making it easier to extract and compare data, though extracted values should be spot-checked.
  • Deep Search runs guided, precise and customisable literature searches, while the agent can also search databases, apply filters, locate grant opportunities and pull out key insights.
  • The AI Writer supports note-taking and drafting while you read, helping you capture ideas as you work through papers.
  • Ethical use means verifying every citation, checking outputs against original sources, following institutional and journal AI policies, and disclosing AI use where required.
Apply it

To apply this, run a semantic search on your topic in SciSpace Agent, collect results in a Paper Table, and check key values against the papers before drafting.

How to do it

  1. Adopt a responsible AI mindset

    Treat AI as a way to search, read and write more efficiently, not a shortcut around scholarship. This mindset protects your academic integrity.

  2. Find papers with semantic search

    Ask your research question in semantic search to find relevant published papers. Question-based search often surfaces work keyword searches miss.

  3. Compare data in a Paper Table

    Organise papers in a Paper Table to extract and compare data across studies. This makes differences between studies easy to see.

  4. Run guided searches with Deep Search

    Use Deep Search for guided, precise and customisable literature searches. It helps you tailor results to your exact needs.

  5. Search databases and grants with the agent

    Explore SciSpace Agent use cases such as searching databases, applying filters and locating grant opportunities. This expands the agent beyond literature alone.

  6. Take notes and draft with AI Writer

    Take notes and draft text with AI Writer while you read. Capturing ideas as you go speeds up writing later.

Watch the tutorial47 min

SciSpace Agent for Researchers: Use Cases, Best Practices and EthicsPlay video: SciSpace Agent for Researchers: Use Cases, Best Practices and Ethics

Chapters

  1. How research search evolved: library catalogs to Google Scholar
  2. How to use AI ethically in research: outsource labor, not thinking
  3. Can ChatGPT write a research paper? Use AI for structure, not content
  4. Treat AI as a research assistant, not a research supervisor
  5. Can ChatGPT make up fake citations? The ChatGPT lawyer case
  6. Can ChatGPT detect AI-written assignments? Why AI detectors can't be trusted
  7. AI hype vs AI doom: why AI is just a tool
  8. What is semantic search? Google Scholar keyword search vs AI
  9. How SciSpace Agent answers research questions with real citations
  10. Ask questions about a research paper in 70+ languages
  11. How to get full-text PDFs of paywalled papers with LibKey
  12. Can you copy an AI-generated literature review into your paper?
  13. What is SciSpace Deep Search? From clarifying questions to deep review
  14. Can AI write a literature review? SciSpace high quality review vs PubMed
  15. Extract methods and limitations from papers into a table with custom columns
  16. How to organize literature review notes with save to notebook
  17. How to chat with a PDF research paper in SciSpace
  18. Can AI turn a research paper into a podcast?
  19. Deep review results: cited key findings and references
  20. Search grants.gov and ClinicalTrials.gov with SciSpace Agent
  21. What can SciSpace Agent do for researchers? Recap and closing

Try this on SciSpace

Frequently asked questions

What is semantic search in academic research?

Semantic search finds papers based on the meaning of your question rather than exact keyword matches. You can type a research question in plain language and get studies that address it, even if they use different terminology. It is useful for early exploration, but combine it with structured database searches when completeness matters.

How can researchers use AI ethically?

Use AI to support tasks such as searching, summarising and drafting, while keeping responsibility for ideas, interpretation and final wording. Verify every citation, check outputs against original sources, follow your institution's and target journal's AI policies, and disclose AI use where required. Avoid presenting AI-generated text or analysis as unassisted work.

What is the difference between a paper table and a literature matrix?

Both organise studies in rows and key attributes, such as methods, sample and findings, in columns. A literature matrix is usually built by hand in a spreadsheet, whereas an AI paper table can extract those attributes automatically. Either way, spot-check extracted values against the papers before relying on them.

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