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Albert S. Cook Library

Thinking Through Gen AI

Explore how Generative AI tools can support academic reading, writing, and research. Includes tool tutorials, citation guidance, accessibility tips, and more.

Research Snapshot

This visualization was generated using Napkin AI, based on a text summary of Brittni’s research process. Tools like this can help you turn ideas into diagrams for presentations, teaching, or personal reflection.

A flowchart depicting the author's seven-step research and writing process with labeled colored circles.

Social Science Research Process

This sample research workflow blends traditional library tools with generative AI to support deep engagement and strategic synthesis.

Step 1: Begin with library databases

Start by searching in subject-specific databases available through the library. These offer more comprehensive and credible results than free tools alone.

Step 2: Use Elicit or SciSpace to prioritize what to read

Paste article titles or DOIs into tools like Elicit or SciSpace to preview summaries, key findings, and limitations. These AI-powered tools help you decide which sources are most worth your time.

Step 3: Annotate strategically in Zotero

Save selected articles to Zotero, a free citation manager, and annotate them directly—now with support for HTML and EPUB files in addition to PDFs. Use highlights and comments to extract key ideas for later writing. Learn more about organizing your sources into folders and tagging them with custom keywords with the library's Zotero guide.

Step 4: Trace connections in Google Scholar

Use Google Scholar’s “Cited by” and “Related articles” features to track how your sources connect to newer or adjacent scholarship. Learn more about how to use Google Scholar with the library's 2:45 minute-YouTube video tutorial.

Step 5: Discover patterns with Research Rabbit

Explore author networks and visual citation maps in Research Rabbit. This helps you identify under-the-radar voices and related themes across disciplines.

Step 6: Start outlining with Claude or ChatGPT

Paste in your notes or annotations and ask a Gen AI model to suggest possible outlines. Use this not to replace your voice, but to experiment with structure and spark new thinking.

Step 7: Create your bibliography with Zotero

Once your research is complete, use Zotero to generate a properly formatted bibliography. You can choose from dozens of citation styles (APA, MLA, Chicago, etc.), and Zotero will format everything for you with just a few clicks. This saves time, helps you avoid common formatting error, and supports academic integrity by clearly documenting your sources!

Case Study: Book Chapter Outline

Learning Technologies Librarian Brittni Ballard shares a real-world example of using Claude to help structure an upcoming book chapter. After inputting her abstract and an introductory three-page draft, she prompted Claude to suggest possible organizational outlines.

Claude returned two helpful structure options:

  1. Thematic Structure: Organized around theoretical tensions within slow librarianship
  2. Narrative-Theoretical Structure: Structured as a chronological progression, interweaving narrative and theory

This helped Brittni reflect on how to frame her content and decide which format best served her voice and goals as a writer. She notes that even imperfect or rejected suggestions helped her clarify what she did want, which is often an overlooked strength of Gen AI tools.