A literature review is the process of finding a group of sources all about a single topic in order to get a broad understanding of past research or best practices.

While it is possible to use multiple results from your library searches to build a literature review, one more common method is to follow citations in order to explore a scholarly conversation surrounding your topic. Citations show who or what the author you just read is responding to, and citation networks can even help us find newer research on our topics simply by following the chain of the conversation.

These networks can be large and complex, but AI can help not only help visualize these networks but also explore the relationships between different pieces of research. Take a moment to view our video on the topic below or use our links to explore different citation network resources.

Pros:

• Completely free with no features locked behind subscriptions or paywalls
• Visualizes scholarly conversations
• Reveals a network between two similar articles

Cons:

• Requires an initial article to begin the search
• Does not directly link to full text
• Five sources are recommended for the most relevant results

Pros:

• Visualizes a scholarly conversation
• Identifies sources through a network of citations
• Connects articles with similar topics
• Suggests keywords for future searches

Cons:

• Useful filters (publication date and keywords) are locked behind a paid subscription
• Full text may not be available

Pros:

• No initial source required
• Simple language research questions as well as longer copy-pasted assignment prompts are supported
• Summarizes key findings from abstracts
• Filters available for publication date, PDF availability, type of study, and keywords in the abstract

Cons:

• Works on a "credit" system to conduct searches and more complex questions require more credits
• It is not possible to purchase or refresh credits on a free account
• Doesn't directly link to articles, and full text may not be available