As a high school student, chances are that you have to research and present information on a wide range of subjects every day, from science and mathematics to literature and social studies. AI research tools can significantly enhance your ability to gather, analyze, and synthesize information efficiently and effectively. Although the information that these AI research tools may not always be fully accurate, these tools can still help you by providing quick access to vast amounts of data, offering insights based on data analysis, and even assisting in the creation of written content or summaries. 

These AI tools include GPT (Generative Pre-trained Transformer) models like ChatGPT for generating text-based answers and summaries, AI-based search engines that offer more focused and relevant search results, and data analysis tools like Orange or Tableau Public, which allow for easy visualization and interpretation of complex datasets. However, even though these tools are incredibly useful, they are not always reliable and the information should be taken with a grain of salt. Always cross-check the information they provide with trusted sources to ensure accuracy and credibility in your work.

1. ChatGPT

ChatGPT, developed by OpenAI, is a powerful tool that you can use in research and academic projects. ChatGPT-4, the latest version priced at $20 a month, distinguishes itself from its predecessor, ChatGPT-3.5 (free), through enhanced textual understanding, increased response accuracy, and multimodal capabilities. Unlike ChatGPT-3.5, which operates solely on text input, ChatGPT-4 can process and analyze data across text, images, and voice, broadening its application for diverse academic needs.

For instance, when tasked with a research project, you can use ChatGPT-4 to not only generate written content but also to interpret visual data or synthesize information from audio clips, making it an ideal tool for projects that require a comprehensive analysis of varied media types.

Some ways you can leverage Chat GPT include:

• Enhance Research Papers: Automatically generate outlines or summaries based on a compilation of text and image sources, offering a richer understanding of the subject matter.

• Creative Projects: Use its multimodal features for projects that require analysis of artwork or historical photographs, where ChatGPT-4 can provide context or generate descriptive narratives.

• Science Experiments: Interpret experimental data or diagrams, offering explanations or suggestions for further research directions.
  

Keep in mind that the information is not always accurate so you should verify its credibility with reliable sources. We've covered the impact of ChatGPT on research paper writing in detail here.

2. Scite

Scite is a valuable research tool that will help you better understand academic literature. It stands out by allowing users to search through citation statements, effectively combining metadata such as titles and abstracts with citation statements extracted from the full text of research articles. This feature will help you understand how a paper or study has been cited in context, revealing the impact and relevance of the research within the academic community.

One of the notable features of Scite is its ability to create custom dashboards. This allows students to build and manage collections of articles related to their research interests or projects. Whether it's a manual list, systematic review, or a search-based collection, these dashboards provide aggregate insights, notifications, and more, helping students stay organized and informed about new developments in their field of study.

The Reference Check feature offers another layer of utility by evaluating the quality of references used in a manuscript. This tool can ensure that your citations are from high-quality sources, lending credibility and authority to their work. Additionally, Scite's Journal Metrics feature provides access to pre-built journal dashboards, allowing you to explore publications, top authors, and compare yearly scite Index rankings in subject areas. 

Scite also has a Large Language Model (LLM) Experience, dubbed "Assistant by scite." This feature leverages the power of large language models, backed by Scite's unique database of Smart Citations, to minimize the risk of inaccurate information and enhance the quality of references. You can use this assistant to generate search strategies, build reference lists for new topics, and even get assistance with writing tasks such as marketing and blog posts. 

Some of its features include:

• Searching citation statements to find how studies have been referenced and discussed in subsequent research.

• Build custom dashboards for ongoing projects or areas of interest, ensuring they are always up-to-date with the latest research findings.

• Use the Reference Check feature to vet their list of references, ensuring they cite only high-quality, relevant sources in their papers.

• Explore journal metrics to identify leading journals and articles within their research domain, aiding in the selection of credible sources.
  

3. Trinka

Trinka is the world’s first grammar and language enhancement tool designed for academic and technical writing. Trinka is a great tool for you if you are looking to refine your research papers, essays, and other academic writings with a professional edge.

With Trinka, you can access an advanced Grammar Checker that tackles complex grammatical issues, enhancing your writing holistically. Its Inclusive Language Check helps you avoid biased or discriminatory terms, promoting respectful and inclusive writing. The Paraphraser feature understands your intent, offering alternative phrases to express your ideas more effectively. Trinka also ensures consistency throughout your document and allows for automatic edits directly in MS Word, saving you time and effort.

For those working on research papers, Trinka's Plagiarism Checker ensures your work is original, while the Publication Readiness Checks assess your manuscript against over 20 standard publication requirements. Finding the right journal for your paper is simplified with the Using Trinka can significantly improve the clarity, professionalism, and integrity of your academic work. Whether it's essays, research papers, or technical documents, Trinka's features are a great way to enhance your writing.

4. Perplexity

Perplexity is an AI-driven research tool tailored to help you, as a high school student, navigate and understand the complex world of academic papers and literature with ease. It uses sophisticated AI algorithms to deliver precise search results and summaries, making it easier for you to find relevant studies and information for your projects, essays, or study material.

Key Features of Perplexity include AI-powered search for pinpointing specific academic articles, the ability to summarize lengthy texts for quick comprehension, and a question-answering function that pulls information from a broad range of sources to directly address your queries.

How You Can Use Perplexity:

• For Research Projects: Quickly locate and understand key studies, using summaries to integrate findings into your work efficiently.

• While Studying: Get straightforward answers and explanations for complex topics, aiding your revision and learning process.

• In Essay Writing: Streamline the collection of evidence and supporting data from academic articles, with summaries to highlight relevant points and arguments.

5. Scholarcy

Scholarcy is a powerful summarizing tool that will help you efficiently navigate and comprehend academic literature. It's tailored to simplify the process of extracting key information from scholarly articles, papers, and reports, making it an invaluable resource for your high school research projects and studies.

Notable Features of Scholarcy:

• Summarization: Scholarcy breaks down complex documents into concise summaries, highlighting crucial findings, methodologies, and conclusions. This feature enables you to grasp the essence of extensive research without reading the entire text, saving you time and effort.

• Reference Extraction: It automatically identifies and compiles references from the document, allowing you to easily access cited sources for deeper understanding or further reading.

• Key Fact Identification: Scholarcy picks out significant facts, figures, and data points, providing you with a quick overview of the essential information contained within the research.

How You Can Use Scholarcy:

• Research Papers and Essays: When tasked with writing research papers or essays, use Scholarcy to quickly understand the main arguments and evidence from relevant academic literature, integrating this knowledge into your work.

• Study and Revision: For subjects that require in-depth understanding of specific topics, Scholarcy's summarization can help you review key concepts and details efficiently, enhancing your study sessions.

6. Elicit

Elicit uses language based models to optimize your academic research process. It's engineered to help you, as a high school student, navigate literature with ease, making it simpler to find and understand relevant studies and papers for your projects and studies.

Notable Features of Elicit:

• Targeted Search: Elicit offers a highly sophisticated search function that allows you to pinpoint specific research papers and documents based on your query, ensuring that you access the most relevant information for your needs.

• Research Summarization: This tool can summarize academic texts, presenting key findings, methodologies, and conclusions succinctly. This feature is invaluable when you need to quickly grasp complex ideas without reading entire papers.

• Question-Based Inquiries: Elicit stands out for its ability to handle question-based searches, providing direct answers and insights drawn from a wide array of academic sources, tailored to the specific question you pose.

How You Can Use Elicit:

• For In-depth Research Projects: Utilize Elicit to dive deep into your subject matter, finding and summarizing pivotal studies.

• When Preparing for Exams or Papers: Leverage the summarization feature to review and understand key concepts and studies relevant to your exam topics or essay questions, enhancing your preparation efficiency.

7. Notion AI

Notion AI is a tool integrated within the Notion workspace, designed to enhance your productivity and streamline your academic research. As a high school student, this tool can be a game-changer in organizing your studies, managing projects, and conducting research efficiently.

Notable Features of Notion AI:

• Writing and Editing Assistance: Notion AI can help you draft, edit, and refine your written assignments, offering suggestions for clarity and coherence, making your writing process smoother.

• Research Summarization: It can quickly summarize articles, research papers, and other educational content, allowing you to grasp key concepts without having to read through entire documents.

• Organizational Tools: Beyond research, Notion AI provides organizational features such as creating to-do lists, scheduling, and project management, helping you keep track of deadlines and assignments.
  

8. Semantic Scholar

Semantic Scholar is a free, AI-powered research tool developed by the Allen Institute for AI, designed to enhance the way you find and understand scientific literature. This will offer you a more efficient pathway to access a vast database of scholarly articles and papers across various disciplines.

Notable Features of Semantic Scholar:

• Smart Search: Utilize advanced AI algorithms to filter through millions of publications quickly, helping you find relevant studies and articles for your research topics.

• Paper Summaries: Get concise summaries of research papers, enabling you to grasp key findings and methodologies without reading the full text, saving time and effort.

• Citation Graph: Explore the citation network to see how papers are connected, which can help you understand the evolution of research and identify seminal works.

• Personalized Feed: Customize your experience with a feed of recommended papers based on your interests, keeping you informed about the latest research in your chosen fields.
  

9. Research Rabbit

Research Rabbit is an research tool that will enhance your ability to conduct thorough research, discover relevant academic papers, and explore interconnected ideas across various subjects. It's particularly useful for deep-diving into topics for essays, projects, or expanding your knowledge in areas of personal interest.

Notable Features of Research Rabbit:

• Exploratory Search: Unlike traditional search engines, Research Rabbit offers a unique exploratory search feature that helps you discover related research, authors, and publications through an interactive, visual map. This can open up new avenues of inquiry you might not have considered.

• Personal Research Library: You can create a personal library of articles and papers, making it easier to organize your findings and refer back to them when needed. This feature is invaluable for managing multiple sources across different projects.

• Collaboration Tools: Research Rabbit allows you to collaborate with peers, enabling you to share findings and work together on group projects or study topics. This fosters a collaborative learning environment and enhances the research process.
  

10. QuillBot

​​QuillBot is a versatile AI-powered writing and research tool that can enhance your writing skills and streamline your research process. 

Notable Features of QuillBot:

• Paraphrasing Tool: QuillBot's core feature, the paraphrasing tool, allows you to rewrite sentences or paragraphs to improve clarity or alter the tone, making it easier to convey your message effectively. This is particularly useful when you're trying to avoid plagiarism by ensuring your summaries of research articles are in your own words.

• Grammar Checker: The built-in grammar checker helps identify and correct grammatical errors, ensuring your writing is polished and professional.

• Summarizer: For your research needs, QuillBot's summarizer can condense articles, papers, and documents into key points, saving you time and helping you quickly grasp essential information.

• Citation Generator: Proper citation is crucial in academic writing. QuillBot's citation generator assists in creating citations in various formats, streamlining the referencing process.
  

Great Ways you can use Quillbot:

• Essay Writing: Use QuillBot to refine your drafts, ensuring your essays are coherent, grammatically correct, and engaging. The paraphrasing tool can help you articulate your thoughts more clearly or find different ways to present your arguments.

• Improving Writing Skills: Regular use of QuillBot's grammar checker and paraphrasing tool can aid in developing your writing skills over time, offering immediate feedback that helps you learn from your mistakes and experiment with different writing styles.
  

One other option - Lumiere Research Scholar Program

If you would like to further enhance your applications by doing rigorous research, you should also consider applying to the Lumiere Research Scholar Program, a selective online high school program for students founded with researchers at Harvard and Oxford. Last year, we had over 4000 students apply for 500 spots in the program! You can find the application form here.

Also check out the Lumiere Research Inclusion Foundation, a non-profit research program for talented, low-income students. 

Jessica attends Harvard University where she studies Neuroscience and Computer Science as a Coca-Cola, Elks, and Albert Shankar Scholar. She is passionate about educational equity and hopes to one day combine this with her academic interests via social entrepreneurship. Outside of academics, she enjoys taking walks, listening to music, and running her jewelry business!

Image Source: Scite.ai logo