RSRobince Studio
AI tools

AI research tools

Tools that search, summarise documents and papers, or let you ask questions about your own notes. They help you find and read faster, not decide what is true.

What you can do with them

  • Find and summarise sources on a topic
  • Ask questions about your own documents
  • Compare what several papers say
  • Prepare study notes from readings

Tools in this category

An AI academic search engine for peer-reviewed scientific literature, for finding, organizing and analyzing research papers.

Free plan available
Made for
People who need to find and analyze scientific literature.
Free use
The Consensus site says the app is free to access, with details on its pricing page.
Where
Web

An AI research tool that helps synthesize evidence, understand a research landscape, and draft proposals.

Free plan available
Made for
Researchers in academia, pharmaceuticals, policy, technology and other industries.
Free use
The pricing page lists a free Basic plan for casual exploration, with limited use of some features.
Where
WebAPI

An AI research and learning assistant that answers questions from the sources you upload, with citations, and can turn documents into audio summaries.

Free use unclear, check the site
Made for
Businesses and Workspace teams; a separate sign-up exists for personal Google accounts.

Perplexity

by Perplexity AI

An AI service for searching the web and getting answers, with paid plans for more advanced research features.

Free plan available
Made for
People wanting up to date AI productivity and research tools.
Free use
The help center lists a free Standard plan with basic searches and limited Pro features.

Scite

by Research Solutions

An AI-powered platform that helps researchers discover and evaluate scientific literature, using Smart Citations that show whether studies support or contradict a claim.

Free trial or limited free use
Made for
Researchers, students and industry experts.
Free use
The pricing page shows a free trial on paid plans and no ongoing free plan.
Where
WebAPI

Semantic Scholar

by Ai2 (Allen Institute for AI)

A free AI-powered search and discovery tool for scientific literature, with an API and open datasets.

Free plan available
Made for
Researchers and scholars keeping up with the literature, plus developers using its data.
Free use
The About page describes Semantic Scholar as free.
Where
WebAPI

How to choose

No tool is best for everyone. Try two or three on one real task of yours, then use this checklist.

  1. Does it cite its sources?Look for answers that link to the original source, then open and read the source yourself.
  2. Can it work from your own files?If you study from set readings, choose a tool that can answer using documents you upload.
  3. How current is the information?Check whether it searches the live web or answers from older training data.
  4. Who owns your uploads?Read what happens to notes and papers you upload, especially unpublished or private work.
  5. Is it allowed for your coursework?Many schools and journals have AI rules. Follow them and cite AI use when required.
  6. Can you export what you find?Look for a way to save sources and notes in a format you can keep.

Related step-by-step guides

Summarize notesOpen the step-by-step guideStudy planOpen the step-by-step guidePractice quizOpen the step-by-step guide

Frequently asked questions

Can I trust an AI summary of a paper?

Use it to decide what to read, then read the paper. Summaries can miss caveats or get details wrong.

Can AI invent sources?

Yes. Some tools make up citations that look real. Always open the link and confirm the source exists.

Is it cheating to use AI for study?

It depends on your school's rules. Using it to understand and practise is different from submitting its work as yours.