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Mushtaq Bilal, PhD

Mushtaq Bilal, PhD
@MushtaqBilalPhD

Mar 14, 2023
21 tweets
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ChatGPT creates fake citations. Bing cites sources but not journal articles. So, you can't use them for literature review. But there's an AI-powered app that will supercharge your literature review ⁠— Inciteful. It's FREE and integrates with Zotero. Here's how to set it up:

Start by installing the Inciteful plugin for Zotero. Go to the link below and click on "latest release" to download the Inciteful plugin. github.com/inciteful-xyz/
A "xpi" (pronounced zippy) file will be downloaded to your computer.
A red rectangle highlights a xpi file downloaded on Mushtaq's computer.
Now open your Zotero desktop app. Go to "Tools" and then "Add-ons."
A yellow arrow points to the "Add-ons" option in Zotero's "Tools" menu.
Zotero will open its Add-ons Manager. Click on the gear icon in the top-right corner and select "Install Add-on From File."
A yellow arrow points to the "Install Add-on From File" option in Zotero's Add-on Manager.
Navigate to the "xpi" file you just downloaded and install it.
A yellow arrow point to the "Install Now" button in Zotero.
Now go to "File" in the top-left corner of Zotero and select "New Collection." Choose a name for your collection and click "OK." It's always a good idea to have a separate collection for every project.
A yellow arrow points to the "New Collection" option in Zotero's "File" menu.
Go to Google Scholar and look up papers using keywords related to your project. Then click on the Zotero Connector in the top-right corner of Chrome or Edge. Zotero will open an Item Selector. Select the papers you find useful and click "OK."
A yellow arrow points to the Zotero Connector in the top-right corner of Chrome.
If you're unfamiliar with Zotero Connector, think of it as a bridge between your Zotero desktop app and internet browser. You can install it by going to Chrome web store or Edge Add-ons store.
A red rectangle highlights the "Add to Chrome" button in Chrome web store.
Zotero will start adding the selected papers to your library. Click on the downward arrow in the top-right corner to select the collection you just created. This will help you keep your library organized. Then click on "Done."
A yellow arrow points to a button for a dropdown menu in Zotero Connector. Another yellow arrow points to the "Done" button.
Zotero will add the selected papers to your collection. It will also retrieve PDFs of these papers from the web. Right-click on a paper you find interesting. This will be your "seed" paper. Go to Inciteful(dot)xyz Tools at the bottom of the menu and click on "Graph Search."
A yellow arrow points to the "Graph Search" option in Zotero.
Inciteful will create an interactive graph of papers related to the seed paper. It will also give you detailed lists of similar papers, most important papers, review papers, recent papers, and papers by top authors *related* to your seed paper.
Go through the lists to find papers most relevant to your project. To save these paper to your Zotero collection, click on the "Save" button at the bottom-right corner of a list and select Zotero.
A yellow arrow points to the "Zotero" option in Inciteful.
Inciteful will give you the list. Click on the Zotero Connector in the top-right corner and Zotero will open an "Item Selector." Select the papers you want to add and click "OK" just like you did with Google Scholar.
A yellow arrow points to the Zotero Connector in Chrome.
You can also use Inciteful to see how two papers are related with each other. To do so, select two papers in your Zotero collection and right click. Go to Inciteful(dot)xyz and then select "Connect Papers."
A yellow arrow points to the "Connect Papers" option in Zotero.
Inciteful will give you a graph of several papers that connect the two papers you selected. Very useful tool to see how a particular field is evolving and who the contributors are.
You can also search for papers and connections using your whole collection. To do so, right-click the collection and select "Graph Search using Inciteful(dot)xyz."
A yellow arrow points to the "Graph Search using Inciteful.xyz" in Zotero
Inciteful will create an interactive graph based on papers in your collection. Select the papers you find useful and add them to your Zotero collection. Databases like Google Scholar/JSTOR give you paper but they can't show you how certain papers are *realted* to each other.
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Correction: After posting the thread yesterday, I learned that Inciteful is NOT an AI-powered app. Unlike AI apps that are "trained" on huge data sets, Inciteful analyzes citations and uses an algorithm to predict how similar a paper is to a given paper. My knowledge of large language models is quite limited so please feel free to your insights to the conversation.
Mushtaq Bilal, PhD

Mushtaq Bilal, PhD

@MushtaqBilalPhD
I simplify the process of academic writing | Tips on how to use AI apps for academic purposes | Postdoc @SyddanskUni | Paid speaking engagements only
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