AI Literature Hub (Lite Version)

Free AI Tools for Literature Discovery, Reading & Writing

No subscriptions required • Academic-focused • Instant access

Purpose & Workflow

This hub enables quick, AI-assisted literature work using only free tools. Follow the workflow below to efficiently discover, understand, and write about academic papers.

Recommended Workflow:

  1. 1. Discover: Use Perplexity to find and summarize recent papers → Explore networks with Research Rabbit or Connected Papers → Generate reports with Elicit
  2. 2. Read & Understand: Find papers with Google Scholar → Upload to ExplainPaper to clarify difficult sections → Synthesize with NotebookLM
  3. 3. Write & Cite: Use ChatGPT to draft summaries, rewrite sections, or format citations
Tip: Combine tools for best results. For example: Search with Perplexity → Map with Connected Papers → Explain with ExplainPaper → Organize in NotebookLM → Write with ChatGPT.

Section 1 — Discover

Find relevant papers, explore citation networks, and generate research reports

Perplexity

AI-powered academic search with citations and summaries

Open Tool

Research Rabbit

Discover connected papers and build literature networks

Open Tool

Elicit

AI research assistant for literature reviews and reports

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Connected Papers

Visual exploration of paper citation networks

Open Tool

Section 2 — Read & Understand

Clarify complex papers, ask questions, and synthesize knowledge

ExplainPaper

Highlight confusing text and get instant AI explanations

Open Tool

Google Scholar

Search scholarly literature across disciplines and sources

Open Tool

NotebookLM

Upload papers and create AI-powered knowledge synthesis

Open Tool

Section 3 — Write & Cite

Draft summaries, rewrite sections, and format citations

ChatGPT (Free)

Draft literature reviews, rewrite text, and format citations

Free tier available
No API key needed

Open Tool

Complete Workflow Example

1️⃣

Discover

Search Perplexity for "AI in emergency response"

2️⃣

Explore

Map citations in Connected Papers or Research Rabbit

3️⃣

Understand

Upload PDFs to ExplainPaper for clarification

4️⃣

Synthesize

Create knowledge base in NotebookLM

5️⃣

Write

Draft literature review in ChatGPT

Pro Tip: Save tool outputs to NotebookLM as you go to maintain a centralized knowledge base for your research project.