Using AI to Support Your Research

This guide provides information on using Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools responsibly to support your research. Using AI to support your research should enhance your understanding of a topic in order to research it more fully. AI should not be used as a replacement for research because of its many limitations, which include (but is not limited to) bias and hallucinations. 

Please refer to your instructor's AI policy and the MCC Student Code of Conduct (Academic Integrity) if you have questions about AI use in your course.

Types of AI Tools

There are two kinds of AI tools: Generative AI and Research Assistant AI. Here's how they are different:

Generative AI

• Creates new content
• Gives answers
• Identifies related ideas and topics

Generative AI tools like ChatGPT can help you narrow your research topics or identify keywords.

Research Assistant AI

• Organizes research
• Identifies related ideas and topics
• Guides researchers to existing information

Research Assistant AI tools like Research Rabbit and Consensus can help your more easily see connections between your research topic and similar existing research, which can lead you to sources and perspectives that you might not have encountered otherwise. A tool like Semantic Scholar highlights frequently cited authors, which can help you identify experts in the field.

Using AI to support your research can be especially helpful during the pre-research step (see image below).

The Research Process

1. Information need: What is your assignment asking you to find? 
2. Pre-research: Choose a topic, learn more about it, narrow it down, find keywords.
3. Research question: What is your assignment asking you to create?
4. Search strategy: Where will you look for information?
5. Search: Start with the main ideas of your topic or research question.
6. Evaluate every source you find - for credibility and usefulness.
7. Cite: You have found credible sources and answered your research question!