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Using AI intelligently to support Master's studies and research

With the rise of artificial intelligence (AI), it has become easier than ever to find tools that help you search for information quickly and conveniently. However, not all tools are equally suitable for studying and research.

In this blog, I will share four AI tools that played a key role in my journey toward earning a Distinction Master’s in International Business Economics at City St George’s, University of London.

Familiar and Indispensable – ChatGPT and Gemini
When people think of AI, these two tools are often the first to come to mind. Both ChatGPT and Gemini are designed to handle a wide range of tasks, though each has its own strengths. From my experience, ChatGPT stands out for its creativity and its ability to produce long-form, natural, and human-like writing. However, with the free version, some information may be simplified or shortened.

Gemini, on the other hand, developed by Google, excels at searching and staying up to date. It synthesises information efficiently and delivers responses in a clear, concise, and direct manner.

In short, ChatGPT and Gemini are excellent for quick lookups and general information, but they may not be the best tools for deep academic research.

Best for Literature Review – Elicit
Elicit is the tool I use the most when completing my Literature Review. It acts like a research assistant, capable of analysing complex topics and automating specific parts of the research process.

📌 Key Features:

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Advanced literature review: Automates the review process by helping you find, understand, and analyse a large number of articles in far less time than traditional methods.

•

Structured data extraction: Aggregates and extracts crucial details—such as methodology, research samples, and quantitative results—from multiple papers, then organises them into systematic tables for easy comparison.

•

Semantic search: Goes beyond simple keyword matching by finding articles through related concepts and terms, ensuring a more comprehensive search.

Fast, quality and reliable AI search engine – Consensus
Consensus is designed to streamline the process of finding scientific evidence by searching across a vast database of peer-reviewed articles. Its strength lies in providing quick, evidence-based summaries of what the research community agrees on.

📌 Key Features:

•

Quick answers: Ask questions in non-academic language (e.g., “Does the Fed's monetary policy affect FDI flows to Brazil?”) and receive concise, evidence-backed responses.

•

Consensus summaries: Synthesises findings from multiple studies to show the overall consensus on a topic, while also pointing out areas of disagreement.

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Reliable sources: Draws exclusively from a database of over 200 million peer-reviewed articles.

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Quality metrics: Provides useful indicators like journal rank (SJR) and SciScore to help you assess the credibility and reliability of the sources.

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In Economics, Policy, and academic research more broadly, peer-reviewed articles are what really count. That is why it is important to focus on academic quality instead of relying only on general information.

Finding the right AI tools—and combining them when it is necessary—is essential. I hope this blog has introduced you to some useful options and given you a few things to keep in mind when choosing AI tools to support your studies and research.

(edited 4 months ago)

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