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   Selected Generative AI Tools for Academic Application

In alignment with the "Guidelines and Regulations for Generative AI (Gen-AI) Usage" established by the Providence University Center for Teaching and Learning Development, the Library has compiled a selection of academic AI tools. This guide aims to assist you in utilizing these technologies to enhance research efficiency and academic exploration.

Below is an overview of selected Generative AI tools suitable for academic application:

1. Citation & Literature Databases with AI Integration

  • enlightenedScopus AI Scopus is a source-neutral citation index database that helps you stay on top of research trends. It contains over 1.8 billion cited references, 84 million documents, and over 25,000 peer-reviewed journals vetted by expert teams. Elsevier’s new Scopus AI combines generative AI technology with Scopus's authoritative content. Unlike general AI tools, Scopus AI provides data with cited sources. It features advanced natural language search, allowing for systematic literature reviews, topic exploration, and visualization of connections between themes. This GenAI-driven model synthesizes decades of research into clear summaries in seconds.
  • enlightenedEBSCOHost: AI Insights EBSCO has introduced "AI Insights" (Generative AI functionality) for free within the EBSCO Discovery Service (EDS) and EBSCOhost. This feature summarizes articles into 3-5 key points to help users quickly evaluate relevance. Accessible via a button on the research interface, AI Insights complements abstracts and subject terms. Note that these summaries are clearly marked as AI-generated and include a disclaimer advising verification before use.
  • enlightenedScienceDirect AI Reading Assistant
    All information is sourced exclusively from the viewed article. The tool does not use external sources or generate information beyond what is present in the article.
    The tool analyzes the user query in the context of the article. If the query does not align with the article's content, the Reading Assistant might not provide a response. 
  • enlightenedIG Library The IG Library platform has upgraded its search experience with AI Search and interactive features. AI Search utilizes semantic understanding to move beyond keywords, supporting natural language queries (including Chinese) to find truly relevant content. It also includes "AI Learning Tools" to assist in rapid knowledge absorption and a redesigned user interface for a more personalized reading experience.
  • enlightenedJSTOR’s Interactive Research Tool (Beta) JSTOR utilizes AI to help users deepen and expand their research within its trusted corpus. This tool appears on content pages for journal articles, book chapters, and research reports. It supplements standard keyword searches by helping you assess content relevance and engage in dialogue with the text.
  • enlightenedPubMed.ai PubMed.AI is a retrieval tool combining AI technology with the PubMed database. It is designed to enhance efficiency and depth in searching and understanding biomedical literature, offering advanced features through AI support.

2. General & Research-Specific AI Assistants

  • enlightenedChatGPT Developed by OpenAI in November 2022, ChatGPT interprets natural language to generate structured text responses. It supports multimodal capabilities including conversation, data analysis, translation, code collaboration, image analysis/generation, and voice interaction. The latest versions utilize GPT-5 related technology stacks for a faster, smarter interactive experience.
  • enlightenedGoogle Gemini Gemini is a generative AI chatbot developed by Google, based on the large language model family of the same name. It was developed in response to the rise of OpenAI's ChatGPT.
  • enlightenedClaude Claude, by Anthropic, focuses on building safe and harmless AI language models. Using proprietary "Constitutional AI" technology based on legal frameworks like the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and Apple’s terms of service, it aims to create an "AI that humans need not fear." It prioritizes fairness, justice, and privacy.
  • enlightenedFelo AI Search Developed by the Japanese startup Felo Inc. (est. 2024), Felo AI integrates chatbot technology with Natural Language Processing (NLP). It allows users to ask questions in natural language and generates accurate answers from multiple sources, clearly identifying the information sources.
  • enlightenedPerplexity Perplexity is an AI search engine designed for efficient information gathering. Unlike traditional search engines, it integrates answers from the web, eliminating the need to click through individual links and read entire articles to find specific information. This makes it a powerful tool for professionals.

3. Specialized Academic & Productivity Tools

  • enlightenedConsensus AI A search engine designed specifically for academic research. It provides data credibility assessments, including journal rankings (Q1 to Q4), citation counts, and one-click links to original texts. It also offers "Research Snapshots" (summarizing sample sizes, methods, and results) to help quickly evaluate the value and reliability of data.
  • enlightenedSciSpace SciSpace serves as a comprehensive toolbox for literature research, academic search, and thesis/report writing.
  • enlightenedManus AI Manus is a general-purpose "AI Agent" released by a Chinese startup on March 6, 2025. It possesses the ability to think independently, plan, and execute tasks, and adapts to user needs through learning. On December 2, 2025, Meta announced the acquisition of Manus AI to integrate its technology into Meta AI, WhatsApp, Facebook, and Instagram. Its "Agency" technology upgrades AI from "conversational" to "autonomous action," addressing gaps in executing complex tasks.
  • enlightenedNotebookLM NotebookLM is a Google online note-taking software with built-in Gemini AI. It generates summaries and annotations from user-uploaded content and suggests relevant questions. It is "relatively" unlikely to hallucinate content or search the open web for answers; instead, it combines a file database with AI analysis (Gemini Pro) to analyze your specific knowledge base. It helps generate cited thesis summaries, report proposals, and article outlines based on the massive notes or documents you upload.
  • enlightenedNapkin AI Napkin AI converts text into visual charts (flowcharts, Gantt charts, mind maps). It is ideal for professionals or students creating presentations or adding visual content to articles without needing design skills—simply input text to automatically generate relevant charts.