Not all AI Tools are Created Equal: Choosing the Right Tool for Academic Work
When searching for information for your assignments or research, it’s important to pick the right tool. Should you rely only on web-based AI tools like OpenAI or Copilot? What makes the reliability of your sources so important in academic work?
Academic LLMs vs. Web Search LLMs
| Feature/Aspect | *Academic Subscribed Database AI Tools | **Web Search/General AI Tools (e.g. ChatGPT, Copilot) |
|---|---|---|
| Source Coverage | Curated academic content: peer-reviewed journals, conference proceedings, proprietary datasets | Broad web content: including news, blogs, open access academic sources, limited access to paywalled research |
| Data Quality | Curated, academic, discipline-specific, scholarly | Varies widely |
Practical Tips When Relying on Web AI Tools
When using web search AI tools for research, it is crucial to remain mindful of their limitations. While these tools offer speed, accessibility, and a wide breadth of information, their content may miss paywalled or subscribed sources. For rigorous academic research, always evaluate information before use.
To find a list of AI tools that search the web, you can look under the 'General Purpose Tools' section in the Ithaka Product Tracker and review each tool’s scope.
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Attribution Statement: "AI in Information Discovery" by NUS Libraries is Licensed Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0
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