The importance of Literature Reviews and Bibliometric Analysis
Any research begins by gathering information on what has been written and discussed about the topic under examination. Known as a Literature Review, this initial gathering phase is synthesized into a form that helps set a starting point for inquiry.
While this is a critical step, it is also quite time-consuming. This is especially true as more research is published and an effective literature review must cover a larger and larger set of documents.
Once completed, it is also desirable to perform a Bibliometric Analysis to look for trends and common threads in the research.
This is where the strength of Artificial Intelligence may prove useful. Not to draw conclusions and insights – but to synthesize vast amounts of information so that the process can be sped up.
AnswerThis as a tool to gather information
Recently, I’ve been working with a tool called AnswerThis that does a wonderful job of assisting in my initial research into topics I’m interested in. (if you want to try it out it’s free, but you can use the code FRANK20 to get a discount on the Pro features).
Whether I’m trying to understand a topic for a YouTube video I’m creating, personal interest, or to take further into scholarly activities – this tool has impressed me.
On my YouTube channel, I’ve created two videos that provide an overview of the tool.
The first demonstrates using AnswerThis for a Literature Review. The second is the process for a Bibliometric Analysis.
What is my main use-case
I’m still exploring the tool, but at this point, I am finding it very useful when I want to get a quick overview of a topic that I might be interested in creating content about.
Having some structure and references that I can directly check myself saves me a lot of time. It also helps me avoid any gaps in my understanding that I may not have thought about.
Next steps
As I explore AnswerThis features and review the output generated – I’ll be sure to create some additional videos and share my thoughts.
