Author: gallaghercha

Digital Scholar Bytes: Resources for Getting Started with AI Platforms

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AI has become an exciting technology in today’s rapidly changing world. While AI has yet to replace the traditional library research process, the right tools can greatly enhance the library research experience. However, with new and evolving tools, it can be challenging to know where to start. In this blog post, we will explore the key differences between Generative AI and Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) AI, and highlight a selection of websites, resources, and articles to help you navigate and get started with each approach.

Generative AI vs Research Augmented Generation AI

There are important differences between the AI popularized in the media, such as ChatGPT and the specialized tools utilized by researchers. Generative AI programs like ChatGPT use LLMs or Large Language Models to retrieve information to users’ queries. Once the LLM has run a query, the resulting answer is sent to the researcher. However, there is no guarantee that the answer has the latest information or that the citation is accurate. Additionally, the lack of clarity regarding the sources of information that generative AI bases its answers on, can make results unreliable. That is, citations to articles that don’t exist have been extensively reported.

Picture from “Enrich LLMs with Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG)”
Picture from “Enrich LLMs with Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG)”

RAG AI is a partial solution to these problems. RAG AI is different from generative AI in that it is a superset of generative AI. When prompted to provide an answer, RAG models will consult not just the LLM they were trained on but outside data sources. This data source could be either a closed collection of documents or an open collection like the Internet or Semantic Scholar. When the model delivers an answer, the researcher will see the source of information. The research tools that use RAG AI have additional features such as suggesting alternative search phrases and restricting searching to parts of a research paper (e.g. methodology). For a more detailed description of RAG, check out the IBM video titled “What is Retrieval-Augmented Generation?” and the article titled “Enrich LLMs with Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG).”

Generative AI resources

The Catholic University of America’s page on General Questions about ChatGPT and Artificial Intelligence is a good place to start for Generative AI resources. This page contains basic information about ChatGPT, how it is used, ChatGPT’s shortcomings, and issues related to student academic achievement. The site is updated fairly regularly with information about AI and what you need to consider before incorporating AI into your research strategy. Starting with this page can help you understand how AI can assist in the research process. Familiarizing yourself with the university’s rules will help you avoid issues down the road.  

Linkedin Learning is a great place to find educational resources on generative AI tools. LinkedIn Learning is an online learning platform offered by the university libraries that provides a wide range of training videos on topics such as coding tutorials to time management videos. There is a whole section of videos on AI and prompt engineering. Three courses which might be helpful for beginners are:

These videos should answer the basic questions you might have about AI and provide pointers for how to get started. Many of these LinkedIn Learning videos end by recommending additional videos that cover more advanced AI topics. 

Retrieval Generated (RAG) resources

CUA librarians have created two webinars on RAG AI research platforms. First, the Digital Scholarship workshop, A Review of Generative AI Tools for Research, introduces what RAG AI is and demonstrates how to effectively use several popular AI research platforms, including Perplexity, Semantic Scholar, Scite, and Elicit. Second, two of our librarians gave a presentation on AI research platforms at the annual meeting of the Washington Library Research Consortium in May titled Deciphering the AI Research Platform Maze: A Comparative Analysis. This presentation reported on new and improved features of most of the platforms featured in the first workshop. Also, the workshop introduced a new player in the field, Undermind. 

Deciphering the AI Research Platform Maze: A Comparative Analysis
Deciphering the AI Research Platform Maze: A Comparative Analysis

If you’re interested in a librarian perspective on AI, Aaron Tay, a Singaporean librarian, offers a comprehensive outlook on AI development through his blog posts. Check out his posts on Retrieval Augmented Generation  and academic search engines or Prompt Engineering with Retrieval Augmented Generation Systems. Tay is generally optimistic about the future of AI in library research but tempers his enthusiasm by addressing current technological limitations such as hallucinations and result accuracy.

Other Libraries’ Libguides

Many libraries have research guides focused on Generative AI and RAG. Below is a list of a few that we’ve found useful. 

These guides cover important topics related to the use of AI in a research context. These guides consider uses of AI, ways in which students and faculty can cite AI tools, and ethical considerations when using AI. Because these pages are updated and curated by academic librarians, you can trust the information to be more reliable than that found on many other websites.

Concluding Thoughts

These resources are not meant to be the final word on your AI journey, but rather a foundation to help you get started. If you do have questions about AI research tools, please reach out to either librarians Kevin Gunn at Gunn@cua.edu or Charles Gallagher at Gallaghercha@cua.edu.    

Charles Gallagher is a Research and Instruction Librarian at The Catholic University of America Libraries

Research & Instruction: IEEE Xplore Digital Library, Indispensable for Engineers

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IEEE Xplore Digital Library is a digital database specializing in computer science, engineering and chemistry areas. IEEE or the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, is an organization that works to promote the advancement of technology. With over 460,000 members and over two thousand and seven hundred chapters, IEEE is the largest professional technical organization on engineering and technology. IEEE Xplore Digital Library reflects the organization’s mission. The database contains over 1.5 million research articles on a range of topics related to engineering and the sciences. Beyond research articles, IEEE Xplore contains over 4 million conference papers, 14,000 technical standards and over sixty-six thousand books. While the university libraries’ subscription coverage does not include access to all of these resources, the records alone can aid in discoverability of useful resources.

Some subjects covered by IEEE Xplore resources include: aerospace, bioengineering, communication and networking, geoscience, and nuclear engineering to name a few. The collection includes journals published by highly reputable institutions such as MIT Press, TUP, Oxford University Press and IBM. Interested students and faculty can use the IEEE Xplore Digital Library to not just find relevant resources for their papers and articles but also keep up to date with new publications and conference papers.

Figure 1: Basic search in IEEE Xplore
Figure 1: Basic search in IEEE Xplore

Interested users have a variety of searching options. To illustrate IEEE Xplore Digital Library’s wonderful searching options, we’ll search for nanomaterials. Let’s start with a basic search. By typing in ‘nanomaterials’ in the basic search option and clicking the ‘search’ icon, we get 7764 results. Using the filters on the left-hand side of the results page, I can limit my results to sources more relevant to my interests. I can apply the publication type filter to exclude unwanted formats. For instance, if I wanted to look for only books, I can choose books narrowing my results to 68 results. Scrolling through the list, I can find books which are relevant to my topic or I can try different search terms and begin again.

Results in basic search still too broad? Users have the option of performing either an advanced search, a command search, or a citation search. Advanced search provides users with the option of using Boolean operators and specific field searches. Command search alternatively allows users to build complex search queries based on specific fields and Boolean operators. There are also proximity searching Boolean operators that are unique to IEEE Xplore Digital Library. Citation searching provides options to search based on bibliographic information of specific materials. These alternative ways of search seem unique to IEEE Xplore Digital Library and are worth exploring.

Figure 2: Command search example
Figure 2: Command search example

Maybe you are starting out on a project and just want to see what resources are out there for any given topic. Browsing IEEE Xplore Digital Library resources might be an easy way to see how much research there has been for a given topic. I can browse based on format type as well as the publication title, topic and publisher. Not all of these searching options may be the best for all users but with so many options, there are plenty of ways to find what you need. IEEE Xplore Digital Library includes a popular search terms page. Using the graphic, users can see the top ten most searched terms in IEEE Xplore. They can also see the number of documents in IEEE Xplore Digital Library associated with the searched term.

Figure 3: Popular Search Terms infographic
Figure 3: Popular Search Terms infographic

You can also create an account with IEEE Xplore Digital Library to keep track of research material you are interested in. Users can create Research Projects and export bibliographic citations of relevant articles on their research topic. Users can add their own personal notes to remind themselves of why they found the resource noteworthy. This can be useful if you are later trying to remember why certain articles were useful to you.
IEEE Xplore Digital Library is a powerful tool which can be useful to students just starting out in their major to experienced professionals looking for the latest research. Try IEEE Xplore Digital Library out today and see for yourself how it can improve your research!

 

Research & Instruction: CINAHL Plus, Top Pick for Nursing Students

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CINAHL Plus with Full Text is an outstanding resource for students and faculty in the nursing, allied health, and biomedical engineering professions. This database, covering the dates 1937 to the present, includes full-text articles for more than 300 journals and citations for articles in another 3,000 journals. But that’s not all; It also includes images and videos in the subject areas cited above.

CINAHL Search Results
Image 1: Video results in “opioid epidemic’ search results

 Searching is easy and the database includes many features that let the user hone in on a specific topic, procedure, assessment, or trend. Like many similar databases, it includes both a Basic and Advanced Search with filters to the left side of the results page for the purpose of refining a search. To illustrate the effectiveness of this database, let’s use a current health topic such as the opioid epidemic. Starting with a basic search using the term “opioid epidemic” (in quotations) we retrieve 786 hits. Obviously we won’t have time to read through all of those results so we will apply some of the filters on the left side of the screen to narrow our results. Given the topic, I might want material that has been published more recently to provide up-to- date information so narrowing the publication date range to the last 15 years will narrow my results list. Another filter I may consider is source type. If I’m writing an academic paper, maybe I only want to consider sources from an academic journal. I can choose ‘Academic Journals’ to limit my results to articles from academic journals. 

One of the exciting features in CINAHL is the inclusion of videos in the results. The recommended videos usually appear part way down the first results page. Up to three related videos will be available for viewing/browsing. Choosing ‘View all results’ in the upper right corner will open up a page of video results. 

CINHAL Video Results
Image 2: Video results page with filters on left hand panel

From the video results page, I can use the filters on the left side to limit my results. For instance, if I want to only look at videos from the last year, I could choose the “Past 12 months” option. If I wanted to limit my search to images, I could go to the “more” option and choose “images” from the drop down list. You can then search for images in the provided search box based on your search queries. For example, if I type in “opioid epidemic”, my results will include graphics, pictures and diagrams from articles on the opioid epidemic. If there is a specific type of image which I am looking for such as a graph or table, I can use the left side filters to reduce the results to the selected type of images.

Some other helpful features include the Evidence-Based Care Sheets and Quick Lessons. Evidence-Based Care Sheets provide an in depth description and analysis of various nursing conditions and how those conditions can be treated. By clicking on ‘Evidence-Based Care Sheet’ you will then be navigating to a search menu that will let you search or browse for a condition related to your search.

Quick Lessons example
Image 3: Example of a Quick Lessons

By contrast, Quick Lessons covers a brief description of a condition, treatment options, risk factors and how information about the condition can be transmitted to the patient and patient’s family. Quick Lessons is oriented toward the practitioner, while Evidence-Based Care Sheets toward the researcher. Depending on the information needed and application, both tools may be helpful. An example of a Quick Lesson on Melanoma can be seen in the screenshot to the right.

CINAHL is a winner! Check it out today!

Digital Scholar Bytes: World Book and Copyright Day

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World Book Day 2024April 23rd is World Book and Copyright Day. Created by the United Nations Educational Scientific, and Cultural Organization or UNESCO, World Book and Copyright Day celebrates the written word, reading, and the publication process. World Book and Copyright Day honors the important role books have played in global history and everyday life. The holiday also recognizes copyright, the legal protection a creator is granted so they can control the use and disruption of their creative works. In addition to social media posts and support for literacy campaigns, UNESCO appoints a city to be the World Book Capital of the year. The World Book Capital is responsible for running programs and events that promote literacy. The Book Capital of 2024 will be Strasbourg, France (UNESCO). In honor of this commemorative day, let us look deeper into the definition of copyright, its history in the United States, and its future in the age of AI.

Definition of Copyright

Copyright is defined as a type of legal protection which allows a creator to limit the use of their tangible creations by other interested parties. (‘What is Copyright?). In the United States, copyright protects authors and creators by providing a legal status which can ensure their works are not used without their permission and/or compensation. Please note that copyright applies to a variety of creative works, not simply physical books. Creators in America can register their works online with the Copyright office at the Library of Congress.

Copyright Office logo
Copyright Office logo

History of Copyright

Copyright law has changed dramatically over the years. The earliest American law on copyright was passed by Congress in 1790 and gave authors exclusive rights to their works for only 14 years. Various legislative changes and court decisions have changed and expanded the scope of copyright. (Association of Research Libraries). For works published after 1978, copyright gives creators exclusive ownership for seventy years after their death. For works published before 1978, expansions of pre-existing laws provide copyright protection until 95 years after publication. That means that material published before 1929 are no longer protected by copyright and are part of the public domain! (Copyright Office, 2).

Fair Use

Another aspect of copyright relevant to educators and students is fair use. Fair use allows other parties to use and reproduce copyright material under limited circumstances. Determining what is fair use can be tricky. In broad terms, section 107 of the Copyright Act defines fair use as a limited portion of a copyrighted non-fiction work being used for non-profit purpose.(Fair Use). This provision of copyright law allows educators and students to access and use material for education purposes. Library services such as Interlibrary Loan and Course Reserves would be limited without the license provided by fair use. 

Copyright and AI

AI art: Female student studying in academic library with low light ambience
AI art created by ChatGPT: Pretty but not protected by copyright

AI and AI-created creative works are currently being debated by the Copyright Office. Should someone who has an AI program get the benefits of copyright or should copyright credit go to the AI program or the person who designed the AI program?  The office’s current policy is to enforce the human requirement for a creation or work. The work has to be completed by a human in order to be considered for copyright registration. If the work is determined to be primarily the work of a computer, then the copyright office will decline to provide registration or only provide copyright coverage for the parts of the work completed by a human (Copyright Office, 3). The Copyright Office is currently undergoing an evaluation of their policies so expect some more binding guidelines in the near future.

This World Book and Copyright Day, celebrate by reading a new book, whether fiction, non-fiction, check out recent additions to works in the Public Domain including Disney’s Steamboat Willie and of course, stop by your local library (public or academic) to pick out your next great read!

Charles Gallagher is Research and Instruction Librarian at the Catholic University of America Libraries. His liaison responsibilities include the Departments of Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Mathematics, Physics, and the Schools of Engineering and Nursing.

 

Further reading

Benson, S. R. (2021). Compact copyright : quick answers to common questions. ALA Editions.

Benson, S. (Ed.). (2019). Copyright conversations : rights literacy in a digital world. Association of College & Research Libraries.

Copyright registration (Library of Congress. Copyright Office). (2017). U.S. Copyright Office.

 

References

Association of Research Libraries. N.d. Copyright Timeline: A History of Copyright in the United States.

Pennsylvania State University. 2022. Fair Use. https://copyright.psu.edu/copyright-basics/fair-use/

U.S. Copyright Office. N.d. What is Copyright? https://www.copyright.gov/what-is-copyright/

U.S. Copyright Office. 2023. Copyright and Artificial Intelligence. https://www.copyright.gov/ai/

UNESCO. World Book and Copyright Day. N.d. https://www.unesco.org/en/days/world-book-and-copyright

UNESCO. 2023. UNESCO names Strasbourg as World Book Capital for 2024. October 6th. https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/unesco-names-strasbourg-world-book-capital-2024