Where to begin
NTG advice on using Generative AI
Some uses may be unsafe or breach policies, so you need to exercise caution and seek approval if in doubt.
Should I use AI?
Open the full view of this flowchart to check whether AI is right for you to use in your research.
Using AI in research
AI tools are gaining popularity in searching and writing everywhere!
While they cannot and should not replace human intelligence they can serve as amazing assistants in the health research and writing process.
After risk mitigation strategies such as removing information that is personal, sensitive or protected, AI tools can:
- lead you to seed papers, identify key terms and keywords or help you write an initial database search strategy
- help summarise important findings within published literature
- make first drafts of content
- help you create visual diagrams or graphs to present findings
- explain your ideas in simpler terms
- check the quality of your spelling and grammar
- summarise complex information for a specific audience
- write technical code and instructions.
AI Tools - Best Bets
Click on any of the tools below to try the free version and discover its capabilities and capacity to assist your research
Pitfalls of using AI
Consider the following possible problems before using AI tools to ensure your research is of the highest integrity:
- Unreliable sources -
You need to check information generated by AI to make sure sources are reliable - it may be quicker to go directly to a reliable source.
- Hallucinations -
Avoid Large Language Models (LLMs) like ChatGPT that will provide answers based on patterns and predictions - they are not trained on academic literature and not designed for use as a search tool. They will frequently ‘make up’ citations to produce outputs that appear reliable.
- Breach of Copyright -
Some AI tools are known to have been trained on materials protected by copyright or licence agreements. Be sure to check whether the tool you use has been trained under ethical principles. It's okay to use literature openly available on the internet to interact with an AI tool, but it is not okay to upload sources protected by copyright or licencing agreements.
More Resources to increase your knowledge
- Writing a literature review: using AI tools
- Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in HealthCare - Artificial Intelligence
- Learn more about Artificial Intelligence and publishing research from articles in PubMed, ClinicalKey and ClinicalKey for Nursing
- AI In Research 'How to" videos
If you need further information or assistance contact the library.
