19 Practical Tips for Literature Search & 4 Best Tools for Literature Search

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What Is Literature Search?

Literature search is a meticulous process of conducting a thorough investigation through existing published material to uncover pertinent references and sources on a particular subject matter. It involves skillfully navigating academic databases, journals, books, and other sources to gather valuable information that contributes to a deeper understanding of a topic. By employing specific keywords and search strategies, researchers can sift through vast amounts of data to pinpoint relevant literature that aids in formulating informed insights and bolstering academic work.

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Unriddle allows you to read faster and write better. Quickly find info in documents, simplify complex topics, take notes and write with the power of AI. Unriddle is trusted by thousands of researchers and students, from the classroom to the boardroom. Unriddle generates an AI assistant on top of any document so you can quickly find, summarize and understand info. No more endless skimming.

Unriddle understands the meaning behind your writing and automatically links you to relevant things you’ve read and written about in the past. Highlight text and Unriddle will show you the most relevant sources from your library using AI. Never lose a citation again. Generate text with AI-autocomplete to improve and expand your writing, with all suggestions based on the context of what you're working on. Step into a collaborative workspace where everyone can contribute and chat with the same documents in real-time, and much more!

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19 Practical Tips for Literature Search

1. Utilize Advanced Search Techniques

When conducting a literature search, leverage advanced search techniques such as Boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT), quotation marks for exact phrases, wildcard symbols, and parentheses to refine your search results and locate relevant sources effectively.

2. Explore Multiple Databases and Resources

Expand your search beyond popular databases and explore various platforms, including academic journals, conference proceedings, books, theses, and reputable websites to ensure a comprehensive review of literature on your topic.

3. Keep Updated with Alerts and Notifications

Set up alerts and notifications in databases or academic search engines to stay informed about new publications, articles, or studies related to your research interests, enhancing the timeliness and relevance of your literature review.

4. Use Reference Lists and Citations Wisely

Examine the reference lists of articles or books you find to discover additional sources (known as backward searching) and ensure you cite your sources correctly to facilitate the tracking of relevant literature by others (forward searching).

5. Employ Mind Mapping and Visualization Tools

Organize your thoughts, connections, and findings using mind mapping or visualization tools to create a visual representation of the relationships among different sources, concepts, and ideas in your literature review.

6. Collaborate and Seek Recommendations

Engage with peers, professors, or librarians to seek recommendations on key sources, databases, or search strategies, and consider collaborating with other researchers or forming study groups to enhance the quality and depth of your literature search.

7. Maintain Detailed Records and Notes

Keep thorough records of your search process, including search terms, databases consulted, search results, and relevant articles, and take comprehensive notes to track your progress and ensure accurate referencing in your research.

8. Evaluate Sources and Information Critically

Assess the credibility, relevance, and quality of the sources you discover during your literature search by considering factors such as author expertise, publication date, methodology, and potential biases to ensure the reliability of your research findings.

9. Utilize Citation Management Software

Explore citation management tools such as EndNote, Zotero, or Mendeley to organize your references, generate citations, and create bibliographies efficiently, streamlining the process of citing sources in your academic writing.

10. Apply Filters and Limiters Effectively

Take advantage of filters and limiters provided by databases or search engines to refine your results based on criteria such as publication date, study type, language, or full-text availability, enabling you to focus on the most relevant sources for your literature review.

11. Seek Interdisciplinary Perspectives

Broaden your literature search beyond your primary field of study by exploring interdisciplinary sources, journals, or databases to gain diverse perspectives, insights, and approaches that can enrich the depth and scope of your research.

12. Stay Organized with File Management

Organize your research files, documents, and notes systematically using folders, tags, or file naming conventions to ensure easy access, retrieval, and management of your literature search materials throughout your research process.

13. Engage with Online Communities and Forums

Participate in online academic communities, forums, or social media platforms related to your research area to exchange ideas, seek advice, and discover new literature recommendations from fellow researchers, expanding your network and knowledge base.

14. Seek Professional Help from Librarians

Consult with academic librarians or information specialists for expert guidance on literature search strategies, database selection, citation management, or accessing hard-to-find resources, leveraging their expertise to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of your research.

15. Conduct Regular Review and Updates

Regularly review and update your literature search strategy, sources, and findings to incorporate new publications, emerging trends, or relevant studies, ensuring the currency and relevance of your literature review throughout your research project.

16. Leverage Text Mining and Analysis Tools

Explore text mining and analysis tools or software applications to analyze large volumes of text, extract key insights, identify patterns, and visualize relationships within your literature sources, empowering you to uncover hidden connections and trends in your research.

17. Consider Open Access and Grey Literature

Incorporate open access repositories, preprint servers, institutional repositories, or grey literature sources into your literature search to access unpublished or non-peer-reviewed research materials, expanding the breadth and diversity of sources in your review.

18. Document Search Strategies and Methodologies

Document your search strategies, methodologies, and selection criteria in detail within your research protocol, thesis, or article to provide transparency, reproducibility, and credibility to your literature search process, enhancing the trustworthiness of your research outcomes.

19. Embrace Emerging Technologies and AI Solutions

Embrace emerging technologies and artificial intelligence solutions like Unriddle to streamline your literature search process, enhance information retrieval, automate citation management, generate AI-assisted writing suggestions, and foster collaborative research environments, empowering you to read faster & write better — try Unriddle for free today.

Complete Guide On How To Effectively Conduct Literature Search

Before diving into the world of literature search, it is crucial to have a clear understanding of your research question. Break down the question into key concepts and identify relevant keywords, synonyms, and alternative spellings to ensure a comprehensive search.

Select Appropriate Databases

Choosing the right databases is essential to finding the most relevant information. Select databases that align with your subject area, such as PubMed for biomedical topics or ERIC for education-related research. Utilize a mix of general and specialized databases for a well-rounded search.

Construct Your Search Strategy

Crafting an effective search strategy involves using Boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT) to combine keywords and concepts. Implement search techniques like truncation and phrase searching to refine your results. Don't forget to limit your search by publication date, language, study type, or other relevant criteria.

Evaluate and Refine Your Search

After running your initial search, take the time to evaluate the results. Identify any missing or irrelevant information and make adjustments to your search strategy accordingly. Experiment with different keywords, combinations, and filters until you are satisfied with the relevance and comprehensiveness of your results.

Manage and Organize Your Results

Keep your search results organized using reference management software like EndNote or Zotero. This will help you store, organize, and cite your references efficiently. Maintain a record of your search strategies to streamline the process and avoid duplication.

Critically Evaluate the Literature

Once you have gathered relevant sources, it's essential to critically evaluate the literature. Assess the quality, relevance, and credibility of the sources by considering factors like study design, sample size, and potential biases. This evaluation will ensure that you are using reliable information in your research.

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4 Best Websites for Literature Search

1. Unriddle

Unriddle is a powerful platform that leverages AI to help users read faster and write better. By generating an AI assistant on top of documents, Unriddle simplifies complex topics, aids in note-taking, and enhances writing efficiency. Researchers and students trust Unriddle to quickly find, summarize, and understand information, making it an essential tool for boosting productivity.

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2. Academic Search Engines

Academic Search Engines like Google Scholar, BASE, CORE, Science.gov, and Semantic Scholar provide researchers with access to a vast array of scholarly literature, full-text articles, abstracts, and citations across various disciplines. These platforms are invaluable for conducting comprehensive literature searches, aiding in research endeavors, and staying updated on the latest academic findings.

3. Citation Network Tools

Tools such as Citation Gecko, Local Citation Network, and ResearchRabbit offer functionalities to visualize citation networks, identify relevant literature based on seed papers, and streamline the literature review process. These tools are essential for researchers looking to map out connections between different research works, ensuring a thorough literature search.

4. Other Useful Tools

In addition to search engines and citation network tools, platforms like Open Access Button and Unpaywall provide researchers with access to open access versions of research papers and journal articles. These tools are valuable for overcoming paywalls, accessing a wealth of open access content, and enhancing the breadth of sources in literature searches.

By utilizing these 4 best websites and tools for literature search, researchers can streamline their search process, access a diverse range of scholarly content, and stay organized throughout their academic pursuits.

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Complete Step-by-Step Guide On How To Use Unriddle's AI Research Tool

Here is a step-by-step guide on how to use Unriddle. I’ve also copied it below :)

From here, it's pretty simple.

Unriddle helps you read, write and learn faster.

Interact with documents via AI so you can quickly find and understand info.

Then start writing in a new Note and Unriddle will show you relevant content from your library as you type.

Get started by uploading a document.

Or read on for the full rundown.

Interact with documents

When you upload a document, Unriddle generates an AI assistant on top of this data.

Click 'New' in the right sidebar and then select 'Upload' to get started.

Use this assistant to answer specific questions about the text, summarize content and simplify jargon.

The trick is to be super clear about what you want.

If you're summarizing a research paper, for example, instead of saying “Summarize” or “Summarize this research paper”, say something like “Explain this research paper to me in simple terms. What method did the researchers use? What did they find? Why does it matter?”.

The second prompt will produce a much better overview of the paper because we're giving the AI more hints about what we want.

Automatic relations

Unriddle grasps the context behind each Note and Document in your library and automatically links them based on meaning.

Let's say you have a collection of nuclear physics papers in your library.

When you start writing a note about The Manhattan Project, simply mentioning "The Manhattan Project" will prompt Unriddle to find the connection between this note and the nuclear physics papers.

Even if you didn't explicitly mention the research papers, Unriddle's knowledge of Oppenheimer, his work, and the significant relevance of these papers means it understands the connection and automatically links them together.

In short, Unriddle shows you relevant content from your library at the exact moment you need it, even if you haven't explicitly mentioned it.

Citing your sources

Writing is hard when you have a ton of sources to track.

So we made it easy.

Highlight some text, click ‘Cite’ and you’ll see items from your library that contain information related to the selection of text you just highlighted as determined by our AI.

When you select an item Unriddle inserts a link into highlighted text that, when clicked, takes you to the referenced item.

Writing with AI

Click ‘New’ in the sidebar and hit ‘Note’ to open up a new note.

Here you’ll find all the text formatting options you’re used to and more.

Type ‘++’ to generate text based on the context of what’s already written.

Highlight text and click ‘Ask AI’ to open up the AI menu where you’ll find options to improve, expand, summarize and explain.

You can type custom prompts too!

Finally, you can open any note in a pane on the right side of the screen while interacting with documents. Just click the orange pencil icon at the top of the chat window.

Chat Settings

Adjust the model, temperature and response length in the Setting sidebar.

Click the cog icon in the top right corner of the screen and look for "Chat Settings".

These apply across all documents but you can easily flip between them regardless of settings at the time of upload.

Model: the machine learning model used to generate responses.

Temperature: the amount of creative license you give to the AI.

Max length: the maximum number of words generated in a response.

Got feedback or questions? Send us an email and we'll get back to you within a day.

— Naveed

Read Faster & Write Better With Unriddle for Free Today

Unriddle is a cutting-edge tool designed to revolutionize the way researchers and students delve into the realm of literature search. By leveraging AI technology, Unriddle empowers users to read faster and write better. Gone are the days of endlessly skimming through documents to find relevant information - Unriddle generates an AI assistant that helps users quickly locate, summarize, and grasp key insights from various sources.

Advanced Search Features

The AI assistant created by Unriddle goes beyond basic search functionalities. It comprehends the underlying meaning of your writing, automatically linking you to pertinent information from your past readings and writings. With Unriddle, you can highlight specific text, and the tool will display the most relevant sources from your library using AI. Say goodbye to the hassle of losing citations - Unriddle streamlines the process and ensures that your references are always at your fingertips.

Efficient Writing

Unriddle also enhances the writing process by providing AI-autocomplete suggestions that are tailored to the context of your work. These suggestions help improve and expand your writing, making the entire process more efficient and effective. Unriddle facilitates collaboration by offering a shared workspace where multiple users can contribute and discuss documents in real-time.

Empowering Research

With Unriddle, you can elevate your literature search experience to new heights. By embracing the power of AI technology, Unriddle empowers researchers and students to delve deeper into complex topics, streamline their workflow, and unlock new possibilities in their academic or professional pursuits.

Ready to read faster and write better? Try Unriddle for free today and witness the transformative impact it can have on your literature search endeavors.