AIP Student Series · Chapter 5 of 10 · Research

Research and the Library

AI orients your research. The library databases are where the actual research happens.

Database ResearchSource EvaluationCRAAP TestCitations

Two-Step Research

Use AI to Build Your Research Framework. Use the Library to Do the Research.

Before you search a database, use AI to understand the landscape of your topic. What are the major debates? What are the key concepts and terms? Which academic disciplines study this question? A fifteen-minute conversation with AI before you open a database will make your searching significantly more efficient — and will prevent you from spending hours searching terms that academic literature does not actually use.

What AI cannot do: AI does not have access to your college's library databases. It cannot retrieve current peer-reviewed articles. It cannot verify whether a source it mentions exists or is accessible to you. Any source AI names must be independently verified in your library's systems before you use it in a paper. Never cite a source you have not read.

Evaluating Sources — The CRAAP Test

Not every published source is a good source for your paper. Evaluating sources — determining whether they are credible, relevant, and appropriate for your purpose — is a core academic research skill.

Currency. When was this published? Is it current enough for your topic?

Relevance. Does this source actually address your research question?

Authority. Who wrote this? What are their credentials? What institution stands behind this publication?

Accuracy. Are the claims supported by evidence? Do other sources corroborate them?

Purpose. Why was this written — to inform, persuade, sell, or entertain?

Why Wikipedia Is a Starting Point, Not a Source

Wikipedia is a useful orientation tool — often accurate, well-organized, and linked to primary sources. Use it to begin understanding a topic you know nothing about. Then follow its citations to primary and secondary sources. Cite those sources, not Wikipedia itself. Wikipedia is not an appropriate source to cite in academic work because it is a user-edited encyclopedia, not a peer-reviewed publication.

Reference librarians are your most underutilized resource. Make an appointment before your first significant research assignment. Tell them it is your first time using academic databases. They will help you efficiently and without condescension. An hour with a reference librarian is worth three hours of solo database struggling — and the quality of your sources will show in your grade.

Ready-to-Use Prompts

Copy into ChatGPT, Claude, or any AI tool. Adapt to your situation.

Research Framework

I am writing a research paper on [topic]. I have not done much prior reading. Can you give me an overview of: (1) the major scholarly debates or questions in this area, (2) the key concepts and terminology I will encounter in academic sources, (3) which academic disciplines study this topic, and (4) what types of evidence are typically used to argue about this question? I am using this to prepare for a library database search, not as a source for my paper.

Source Evaluation Help

I found this source for my research paper: [describe the source — author, title, publication, year, what it claims]. Help me evaluate it using the CRAAP criteria: Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy, and Purpose. Are there any red flags I should consider before deciding whether to use this source? What additional information should I verify about this source before citing it?

Chapter Quiz

Research and the Library

5 questions — no limit on attempts.