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AI Tools for Literature Review

This guide provides an overview of useful generative and other AI tools to assist with tasks involved in creating literature reviews.

AI Tools For Literature Review Overview

A literature review typically has three broader distinct phases with various other steps, sub-tasks and tools involved. Never rely on AI tools to do the work for you - that's unethical and can get you into trouble. Instead, approach these tools as research assistants to help you work more efficiently.

View a table comparing different AI tools used to assist researchers create literature reviews. Of course, there are many many tools out there - these are suggestions!

This table outlines three broad stages of a literature review, associated tasks, library research tools, and recommended AI tools.
Literature Review Phase Tasks and Activities Library Research Tools AI Tools
Develop Research Question
  • Brainstorm research topics.
     
  • Conduct initial "pre-search" with a starter topic.
     
  • Identify research gaps or possible themes in preliminary searches.
     
  • Continue to identify keywords related to possible research topic.
     
  • Refine keywords and your research topic into a working research question.

Generate Keywords & Research Questions

Topic or Subject Resources

Preliminary Academic Literature Search

Generate Keywords & Research Questions 

  • Poe (Use Assistant or Web-Search bots for most current information)

Academic Literature Search
Search & Analyze Literature
  • Use keywords and subject headings to build literature searches.
     
  • Use various databases to conduct more in-depth searches.
     
  • Use citation analysis and subject headings to find similar articles.
     
  • Collect and organize articles.
     
  • Read and evaluate articles.

Citation Chasing

In-depth Academic Literature Search

Keyword Tracking & Search Building

Organize & Annotate Citations

  • Zotero (or another Bibliographic Management tool)

Article Mapping

Citation Chasing

Interrogate paper

 
Write & Cite Review
  • Use citation organization tools to synthesize findings and themes from different articles.
     
  • Write a draft narrative that highlights themes, findings, and critiques articles to build the literature review draft manuscript.
     
  • Cite and attribute references correctly in your manuscript.

Matrix Generation

Generate Citations & Bibliographies

  • Zotero (or another Bibliographic Management tool)

Matrix Generation

Zotero Integration for Analysis

This table was inspired by Aster Zhao's Emerging AI tools for Literature Review guide, used under CC-BY 4.0. 

This image shows a graph labeled Literature Review Process. It has three circles illustrating the three phases of a literature review, Develop Research Question, Search & Analyze Literature, and lastly Write & Cite Review. These circles have arrows pointing to each stage.

These are three broader stages of the literature review process - for more a more detailed guide, see the Mastering the Literature Review guide.

BEFORE YOU START

Consider these 3 guidelines to help you to avoid academic misconduct, use Gen AI ethically, and avoid plagiarism before using Gen AI tools for your literature review. Be aware that some institutions (and publications) ban using AI in any form! (Almanza-Ferro, 2025; Kiczkowiak, 2024)

  1. If the literature is intended for coursework, check-in with your course instructor if you are unsure about their expectations about using AI tools in their classes to avoid violating any academic integrity rules. If you are writing for publication, check your intended publication's rules for using Gen AI tools.
     
  2. AI content can contain false information and made-up citations; always check for accuracy using lateral reading.
     
  3. NEVER COPY and PASTE AI-generated TEXT AS IS. That's plagiarism. 

MORE TIPS

Check for Accuracy. AI tools are notorious for hallucinating citations that don't exist, or for unintentionally including misinformation or bias from the data used to train them. Your best bet is to use lateral reading to fact-check citations, claims, and content. 

Check for Currency. Be aware of variations in Gen AI tools' training data. Use AI tools that connect to the internet if possible to avoid using out-of-date information. 

Check for Context. Check the that AI generated summary or citations presented support the content in the paper(s) you are reading. Verify that themes in the generated AI tool summaries match what you have seen in the articles you are reading. 

Cited Resources

Almanza-Ferro, A. (2025). Using AI Tools in Research. https://guides.library.tamucc.edu/AI/ethicalAI

Kiczkowiak, M. (2024, October 9). The fastest way to do your literature review with AI. [YouTube]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O60Ha2woAZI