FSU Libraries Introduces Scite_

It’s 11:00 pm, you have a research paper due tomorrow, and you are knee-deep in Google Scholar search results. You’ve found a few articles you think could be good for your paper, but you’re still on the fence about whether to include them. How do you know if they’re useful for your paper? How can you verify that they’re reliable? Situations like this can be overwhelming and stressful, but thanks to the advancement of AI, the research process can be simplified.

Scite_ is a generative AI tool specifically designed to help researchers conduct literature reviews. And the best news–FSU Libraries, with partial funding from the Student Tech Fee, provide FSU students and faculty access to Scite_ through a year-long trial subscription running from March 2025 to 2026.

Why Scite?

Unlike many other generative AI tools, Scite’s results are generated from scholarly content, including both open-access and paywalled sources. You can even verify whether the paper you found from an open web search is a fake reference or not. We will discuss AI best practices later in this post, but first, let’s explore some of the ways Scite_ can help with your research!

Key Features

• Research assistant
  • Similar to ChatGPT, Scite’s research assistant answers a multitude of user queries. You can ask it to create a literature review, answer research questions, or summarize information! All Scite’s answers are supported by real and credible academic sources.
• Smart citations
  • This feature gives academic citations more context by classifying whether the citing article supports, mentions, or contrasts the cited claim. It also provides information on where citations appear in articles; for example, in an Introduction, Literature Review, or Conclusion. Smart citations allow you to determine the reliability and impact of a source quickly.
• Citation chaining
  • Have you ever come across an article and checked the bibliography to find additional sources? It is a common technique known as citation chaining. Scite_ offers citation chaining features which can make your source search more efficient.
• Browser extension
  • Downloading a free browser extension lets you use the Scite’s smart citations feature on other websites and databases.

Cons

• Complex interface and filtering options
  • New users may feel overwhelmed by the sheer number of features and data available on Scite. There may be an initial learning curve, especially for users who are unfamiliar with advanced research platforms. However, there are resources available to help work through this process, including tutorials, training videos, and library guides.
• AI limitations
  • AI can only access and provide information that it has been trained on. As a result, Scite may be limited in the amount and type of information it can provide. A large portion of the data that Scite accesses is STEM and Social Science research. As a result, Arts and Humanities researchers may not find this tool helpful.

Using AI responsibly

AI tools can help make the research process streamlined and efficient. However, be mindful of the potential risks involved with using AI, especially if you are using it in your academic work.

Here are some things you should keep in mind:

• AI should not replace your own thinking
  • AI is a tool to support, not substitute, your own creativity, reasoning, and critical thinking.
• Always verify the information and sources you are getting from AI
  • References that have been hallucinated by AI are common. If you are including references found by AI, be sure to double-check that they are credible.
• Protect personal data
  • Right now, users rely on AI companies to omit personal data. You should never expect that your data is private, and as a best practice, should not include personal information in your queries.
• Properly cite AI use
  • Disclose your use of AI to instructors, collaborators, and readers, ensuring that you cite it according to the relevant style guide. MLA, APA, and Chicago have updated their guidelines to include AI. FSU also has AI guidelines for students, faculty, and staff.

Conclusion

As with any tool, there are pros and cons. We encourage our users to reflect on the information tasks they wish to perform and find the tools best suited to meet those needs. If you have any questions about using AI for research or need specialized research help, you can always reach out to a subject librarian! Happy researching!

How to access Scite: https://guides.lib.fsu.edu/sciteai 

Check out the Scite FSU Training Video Here