Supplement D · AI
Artificial Intelligence in Research
Use artificial intelligence in research responsibly, understand what AI can and cannot do, verify its outputs, protect research data, and document AI-assisted work transparently.
Why This Supplement Matters
AI can assist research without becoming the researcher.
Artificial intelligence can now support many research activities, from searching and reading literature to writing, coding, analysis, visualization, and communication. Its usefulness depends heavily on the task, the system being used, the information provided to it, and the researcher’s ability to verify what comes back.
The central difficulty is that fluent output can create an illusion of reliability. An AI system may produce an answer that sounds precise while containing an invented citation, an unsupported interpretation, a methodological error, or information that is no longer current.
Responsible use therefore requires more than knowing how to prompt a system. Researchers need to understand what AI can and cannot establish, protect sensitive information, verify outputs against appropriate evidence, disclose relevant uses, and retain responsibility for the resulting research.
Start Here
Start with the first guide in this supplement.
If you're exploring this supplement from the beginning, this is the first guide in the collection.
01
First Guide
What Does “AI in Research” Actually Mean?
AI in research can mean using artificial intelligence at many points in the research process, from finding patterns in data to generating or transforming content. The important question is not simply whether AI was used, but what it did and how its outputs influenced the research.
Supplement D · 92 Sections · 80 Guides
From possible AI use to responsible research practice
Understand where AI can assist research, where it creates new risks, and how to verify and document AI-assisted work.
01
AI in research
What Does “AI in Research” Actually Mean?
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02
generative AI vs traditional research software
What Is Generative AI, and How Is It Different From Traditional Research Software?
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03
large language models for researchers
What Is a Large Language Model, and How Can Researchers Use One?
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04
AI assistants vs search engines research databases reference managers
AI Assistants vs. Search Engines, Research Databases, and Reference Managers: What’s the Difference?
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05
generative AI vs machine learning in research
Generative AI vs. Machine Learning in Research: What’s the Difference?
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06
AI-assisted research
What Is AI-Assisted Research?
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07
AI-assisted vs AI-generated research
AI-Assisted vs. AI-Generated Research: What’s the Difference?
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08
generative AI research tasks
What Research Tasks Can Generative AI Help Researchers With?
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09
research tasks never delegate to AI
Which Research Tasks Should Researchers Never Delegate Completely to AI?
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10
generative AI research rigor
Does Using Generative AI Make Research Less Scientific or Rigorous?
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11
generative AI improve research quality
Can Generative AI Actually Improve Research Quality?
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12
generative AI poor research rigor
Can Generative AI Make Poor Research Look More Rigorous Than It Really Is?
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13
generative AI vs research software
Is Using Generative AI Like Using Statistical, Writing, or Other Research Software?
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14
generative AI research safeguards
Why Does Generative AI Require Different Research Safeguards From Traditional Software?
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15
responsibility AI errors research
Who Is Responsible When AI Causes or Contributes to an Error in Research?
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16
generative AI in serious research
What Should Researchers Know Before Using Generative AI in Serious Research?
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17
does generative AI know the answers
Does Generative AI Actually “Know” the Answers It Gives Researchers?
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18
does generative AI understand research
Does Generative AI Understand Research the Way a Human Researcher Does?
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19
generative AI scientific evidence reasoning
Can Generative AI Reliably Reason About Scientific Evidence?
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20
generative AI scientific fact vs speculation
Can Generative AI Distinguish Established Knowledge From Scientific Speculation?
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21
generative AI current scientific information
Can Generative AI Tell Whether Scientific Information Is Current?
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22
AI research after training cutoff
Can Generative AI Know About Research Published After Its Training Cutoff?
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23
does AI have access to every research paper
Does Generative AI Have Access to Every Published Research Paper?
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24
can generative AI access paywalled research papers
Can Generative AI Access and Read Paywalled Research Papers?
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25
can AI describe a research paper without accessing it
Can Generative AI Accurately Describe a Research Paper It Has Not Accessed?
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26
AI distinguish primary studies from review articles
Can Generative AI Reliably Distinguish Primary Studies From Review Articles?
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27
can generative AI distinguish strong from weak evidence
Can Generative AI Distinguish Strong Scientific Evidence From Weak Evidence?
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28
generative AI scientific uncertainty
Can Generative AI Recognize Genuine Uncertainty or Disagreement in Scientific Literature?
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29
can generative AI admit when it does not know
Can Generative AI Reliably Tell Researchers When It Does Not Know Something?
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30
why generative AI sounds confident when wrong
Why Can Generative AI Sound Confident Even When It Is Wrong?
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31
academic AI writing accuracy
Does Fluent, Academic-Sounding AI Writing Mean the Information Is Accurate?
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plausible AI answer vs verified research answer
Plausible AI Answer vs. Verified Research Answer: What’s the Difference?
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33
AI hallucination in research
What Is an AI Hallucination, and What Does It Mean for Researchers?
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34
why generative AI hallucinates
Why Does Generative AI Hallucinate or Invent Information?
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35
why AI hallucinations sound convincing
Why Do AI Hallucinations Sound So Convincing?
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36
AI hallucinations scientific facts
Can Generative AI Hallucinate Scientific Facts and Research Claims?
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37
AI hallucinated research methods
Can Generative AI Invent or Misrepresent Research Methods?
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38
AI hallucinated statistical results
Can Generative AI Invent or Misreport Statistical Results?
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39
AI hallucinated citations
Can Generative AI Hallucinate Academic Citations and References?
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40
AI fake DOI
Can Generative AI Invent Fake DOIs for Research Papers?
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41
AI invented journal names
Can Generative AI Invent Journal Names, Article Titles, or Authors?
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42
AI misrepresent research paper
Can Generative AI Misrepresent a Real Research Paper?
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43
AI combine real studies fake paper
Can Generative AI Combine Real Studies Into a Fake or Nonexistent Paper?
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44
AI invented research quotations
Can Generative AI Invent Quotations From Research Papers?
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45
AI hallucinations real research paper
Can Generative AI Hallucinate Even When You Give It a Real Research Paper?
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46
RAG AI hallucinations
Does Web Search, Retrieval, or RAG Eliminate AI Hallucinations?
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47
eliminate AI hallucinations
Can AI Hallucinations Ever Be Eliminated Completely?
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48
trust AI-generated claims
Should Researchers Trust AI-Generated Factual Claims Before Verifying Them?
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49
verify AI-generated information
How Should Researchers Verify Information Produced by Generative AI?
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50
AI-generated content verification
Which Parts of an AI-Generated Response Need Independent Verification?
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51
verify AI-generated factual claims
Should Researchers Verify Every Factual Claim Generated by AI?
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52
verify AI-generated scientific claims
How Do You Verify a Scientific Claim Generated by AI?
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53
verify AI-generated academic citations
How Do You Verify an Academic Citation Generated by AI?
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54
verify AI-generated DOI
How Do You Verify a DOI Generated by AI?
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55
verify AI-generated research paper summary
How Do You Verify an AI-Generated Summary of a Research Paper?
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56
verify AI statistical method explanation
How Do You Verify an AI Explanation of a Statistical Method?
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57
verify AI-generated research code
How Do You Verify AI-Generated Research Code?
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58
verify AI-generated calculations
How Do You Verify a Calculation Produced by AI?
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59
verify AI interpretation of research results
How Do You Verify an AI Interpretation of Research Results?
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60
verify AI-generated research tables and figures
How Do You Verify an AI-Generated Research Table or Figure?
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61
AI check again independent verification
Is Asking AI to “Check Again” the Same as Independent Verification?
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62
AI model verify another AI model
Can One AI Model Reliably Verify the Output of Another AI Model?
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63
AI model self-verification
Can the Same AI Model Reliably Verify Its Own Answer?
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64
independent verification AI-assisted research
What Counts as Independent Verification of AI-Assisted Research Work?
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65
choose an AI tool for research
How Should Researchers Choose an AI Tool for Research?
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66
general-purpose vs research-specific AI tools
Should Researchers Use General-Purpose or Research-Specific AI Tools?
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67
free vs paid AI tools for research
Free vs. Paid AI Tools: Does the Difference Matter for Research?
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68
AI model reliability for research
Does a More Powerful AI Model Automatically Make It More Reliable for Research?
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69
same AI tool for every research task
Should Researchers Use the Same AI Tool for Every Research Task?
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70
evaluate AI tool for research
How Should Researchers Evaluate an AI Tool Before Using It in a Research Workflow?
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71
trust AI tool other researchers use
Should Researchers Trust an AI Tool Because Other Researchers Use It?
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72
AI tools marketed for academics
Should Researchers Trust an AI Tool Because It Is Marketed Specifically for Academics?
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73
AI research tool evidence
What Evidence Should an AI Research Tool Provide About How It Works?
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AI research tool information sources
Should an AI Research Tool Explain Where Its Information Comes From?
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75
AI tools with verifiable citations
Should Researchers Prefer AI Tools That Provide Verifiable Citations?
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76
AI source citations answer accuracy
Do Source Citations Guarantee That an AI-Generated Answer Is Correct?
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77
AI tool privacy policy researchers
What Should Researchers Check in an AI Tool’s Privacy Policy?
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78
AI tool terms of service researchers
What Should Researchers Check in an AI Tool’s Terms of Service?
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79
institutional approval AI tools research
Should Institutional Approval Affect Which AI Tools Researchers Use?
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80
AI tool too opaque for research
When Is an AI Tool Too Opaque to Use for Research?
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Continue Exploring
Using AI does not transfer research responsibility to the machine.
The researcher remains responsible for the accuracy, integrity, ethics, and defensibility of work produced with AI assistance, including decisions about when AI should not be used.
Explore · Supplement E
Research Funding, Grants & Financial Support
Understand research funding, identify and evaluate opportunities, prepare grant applications and budgets, manage awards responsibly, and build a sustainable funding strategy.
Explore Supplement E →