How to use AI for Researchers

In this guide, we explain how to use AI for researchers. We look at different use cases where AI can be helpful for researchers, including for more effective writing, reading and analyzing. For more info about the AI tool for researchers, click here to learn more.

This is a guide that explains how you can use the AI functionalities of Avidnote. In order to get started, you need a free account with Avidnote by registering here.

If you have already registered, you are now ready to begin. There are only three steps to get started using AI with Avidnote.

Step 1: Upload a document (or open a document, if you have already uploaded one before)

To access the AI functionalities of Avidnote, you will first need to upload a document. It can be any document, such as a report, or a paper that you are reading. Alternatively, if you already have uploaded documents, you can click on any of your documents and go to the document view.

Step 2: Open up the AI tab on the right

Click on the tab on the right entitled “AI”, this will open up a section where you can select from a number of preselected AI templates. You can use these templates to perform research related tasks.

Step 3: Make your first AI searches

By clicking on the dropdown field, you can now select any of our customized AI templates. See below for some of our more popular templates.

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Ready to start using AI for your research work?

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Some popular AI functions for researchers

Here are just a few examples of AI functions that you can use on Avidnote. For a full list, you need to login.

# Rewrite this

Once you have selected the option “Rewrite this”, you can copy any text that you are reading and paste it in, click Search, and the AI returns a rewritten version of that text. This is particularly useful for when you are not happy with a particular sentence that you wrote and you want to change it up. Likewise, it can be useful when you are reading a paper and you want to cite the author, so you copy the sentence that you want to reference, let the AI rewrite it, go back to your paper and (after you have edited and made sure it is accurate), you can add that sentence as in-text-citation.

For example, let us look at this quote from a research paper:

Marketing is such a captivating, confusing and rich field that no one has been able to sort out its constituent elements and their links on a higher conceptual level, that is, suggest a more general and systemic theory. Much of marketing therefore stays put on a descriptive level, with traces of analysis and conceptualisation but still closer to the substantive data than to a general theory.

Gummesson, E., 2002. Practical value of adequate marketing management theory. European journal of marketing, 36(3), pp.325-349.

After using the rewrite function, we get this:

The domain of marketing is an enthralling, perplexing, and extensive arena that has yet to be fully deciphered in terms of its fundamental components and their interconnectedness on a broader conceptual scale. Consequently, the majority of marketing studies predominantly reside at a descriptive level, with occasional inklings of analysis and conceptualization, but primarily anchored to concrete empirical evidence rather than a comprehensive theoretical framework.

Avidnote AI rewritten text

Now, let us do some minor edits and add attribution to the author, the text that I will use may looks something like this:

According to Gummesson (2002), the domain of marketing can be regarded as a “captivating, confusing and rich field” that has yet to be fully deciphered in terms of its fundamental components and their interconnectedness on a broader conceptual scale. Gummesson goes on to make the point that the majority of marketing studies predominantly reside at a descriptive level, with occasional inklings of analysis and conceptualization, but primarily anchored to concrete empirical evidence rather than a comprehensive theoretical framework.

# Summarize text

This is useful for creating summaries of text that you are reading. You can copy and paste the text, and let the AI do its thing. The summaries tend to be of high quality but sometimes they may oversimplify certain complex topics. When using this function, do keep in mind that the current limitation for pasting in text is around 1500 words. If you want to paste in an entire article, please check out our other product, Kahubi, where you are able to paste in around 10,000 words.

Original text (763 words)

Health benefits of black cumin are largely vested on its antioxidant property. Here, a summary of recent studies focused on their antioxidant properties in cell-based in vitro models and in vivo models, covering the last five years, is presented. Being a potential source of natural antioxidants, black cumin lowered the reactive oxygen species (ROS) level while upregulating antioxidant enzymes, such as superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT), and molecules, such as glutathione (GSH), as evident in several studies [26,27]. El-Gindy et al. reported a significant rise in blood TAC and a reduction in malondialdehyde (MDA) in rabbits supplemented with 600 mg/kg of black cumin seeds [28]. In Wister rats given with NSO (1 mL/kg), there was a significant reduction in ROS and nitrous oxide production in amygdala, thereby attenuating chlorpyrifos-induced oxidative stress [29]. TQ treatment resulted in the reduction of intracellular ROS and protection against hydrogen peroxide-induced neurotoxicity in human SH-SY5Y cells by a mechanism that involves upregulation of antioxidant related genes (SOD and CAT), as well as signaling genes, such as c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase (ERK)1/2, p53, protein kinase B (Akt) 1, and nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB) [30]. In adult male rats exposed to contaminated drinking water with lead acetate (2000 ppm) for five weeks, TQ (5 mg/kg/day) ameliorated toxic effects by inducing activities of CAT, glutathione reductase (GR), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and SOD, and by increasing GSH level in liver tissues [31]. TQ treatment has also been shown to reduce oxidative stress markers (superoxide, hydrogen peroxide, and nitric oxide) and attenuate oxidative stress in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)/interferon-gamma (IFNγ) or H2O2-activated BV-2 microglia by promoting antioxidant enzymes (SOD and CAT), and GSH level, downregulating pro-oxidant genes and upregulating antioxidant genes [32]. A meta-analysis of five studies using 293 human subjects suggests that black cumin supplementation may have a beneficial role as an antioxidant by improving SOD levels without affecting MDA level and total antioxidant capacity [33]. With these recent data, it can be concluded that black cumin (in the form of NSO) and its main ingredient TQ have potential antioxidant values that underlie their protective actions against oxidative stress-induced cellular pathology. Further clinical trials are needed to determine the protective functions of black cumin and its compounds against oxidative stress-induced cellular pathology occurred in different diseases condition. 6.2. Anti-Inflammatory Effects Anti-inflammatory activities are important pharmacological properties of black cumin and TQ [34]. Here, in addition to the antioxidant properties, recent developments on the anti-inflammatory potentials of black cumin seeds, covering the last five years, are focused on. In low-grade inflammation in human pre-adipocytes, freshly extracted NSO reduced the interleukin-6 (IL-6) level, while stored NSO reduced IL-1β level [35]. Following NSO treatment (400 mg/kg) in rats with carrageenan-induced paw edema, there was a significant improvement in the pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-6, IL-12, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α in paw exudates and sera [36]. Moreover, topical application of balm stick containing 10% NSO in rats with paw edema substantially mitigated acute and sub-acute inflammation with a marked edema inhibition (60.64%), and a reduced leucocytes count (43.55% lower than control), and TNF-α level (50% lower than control) on the inflammation area [34]. As a major bioactive, TQ is the key compound responsible for the anti-inflammatory property of black cumin. Hossen et al. reported that TQ inhibited pro-inflammatory factors, including nitric oxide (NO), nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), TNF-α, IL-6, IL-1β, and cyclooxygenase (COX) 2 in LPS-stimulated murine macrophage-like RAW264.7 cells, involving a mechanism that includes the inhibition of IRAK-linked AP-1/ NF-κB pathways [37]. TQ also promoted the autophosphorylation of TANK-binding kinase 1 (TBK1), reduced the mRNA expression of interferons (IFN-α and IFN-β), and downregulated the IRF-3 signaling pathways in LPS-stimulated murine macrophage-like RAW264.7 cells [38]. Current evidence of anti-inflammatory potentials of black cumin and TQ are promising, however, most of the studies so far have been conducted in animal models. Future studies should focus on determining the anti-inflammatory potential in ameliorating human disease conditions. 6.3. Immunomodulatory Effects Black cumin and TQ were shown to exert immunostimulatory functions as reported in several preclinical and clinical studies. Sheik et al. investigated the immunomodulatory effect of ethanolic extract of black cumin on murine macrophage cell line (J774A.1) and found that the extract increased macrophage population [39]. Moreover, black cumin extract has been shown to stimulate phagocytic activities of three types of macrophages [40]. Evaluating the effect of black cumin on asthma-related inflammatory mediators, Koshak and the team reported that the oily TQ-rich extract promoted immune response by reducing IL-2, IL-6, and PGE2 in primary T-lymphocytes and IL-6 and PGE2 in primary monocytes [41].

Avidnote AI summary (106 words)

Health benefits of black cumin are largely attributed to its antioxidant properties. Recent studies have shown that black cumin can lower levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and increase antioxidant enzymes and molecules in both in vitro and in vivo models. Additionally, black cumin has anti-inflammatory effects, reducing levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines and inhibiting inflammation in animal models. The main bioactive compound in black cumin, thymoquinone (TQ), is responsible for its anti-inflammatory properties. Black cumin and TQ also have immunomodulatory effects, stimulating macrophage population and phagocytic activities. More research is needed to determine the potential benefits of black cumin and its compounds in human disease conditions.

# Analyze data

You can also analyze data with the AI. To do this, you simply copy data that you have in a text-based format. It can be from a table, csv, or survey or interview data, etc. Select the template “Analyze data” and paste it in and click search. The AI tries to find possible correlations within the dataset, as well as any meaningful insights, trends or themes that emerge from the data. The AI will also suggest potential ways to further analyze the data. This function is particularly useful for getting suggestions on potential things to look out for in a data set. You can then perform more comprehensive testing to see if the correlations suggested are actually statistically significant.

For longer sets of data, for example if you want to analyze severa pages of interview transcript data, we would recommend using Kahubi instead, under the option “Code/Analyze” transcript. Kahubi also enables you to automatically transcribe an entire interview in 1-2 minutes with 95% accuracy using AI (simply upload your audio file and receive a transcript, you can then code/analyze the transcript in the same app).

# Explain text

Imagine you are reading a journal paper and you are struggling to understand a paragraph. You can now simply copy that section of text and paste it in, our AI will then explain the text to you in simpler language. For important concepts, you should of course double-check the veracity of the explanation. Here is an example:

Original text

Feynman (1965) has said that the double-slit ‘‘has in it the heart of quantum mechanics. In reality, it contains the only mystery.’’ As we shall see, entangled states of two or more particles imply that there are further mys- teries (Silverman, 1995). Nevertheless, the two-slit ex- periment merits our attention, and we show the results of a typical two-slit experiment done with neutrons in Fig. 1 (Zeilinger et al., 1988). The measured distribution of the neutrons has two remarkable features. First, the observed interference pattern showing the expected fringes agrees perfectly well with theoretical prediction (solid line), taking into account all features of the ex- perimental setup

Avidnote AI explanation

This text is discussing the double-slit experiment in quantum mechanics. Feynman, a famous physicist, claimed that this experiment holds the key to understanding quantum mechanics and is still a mystery. The text states that there are even more mysteries related to entangled states of particles. However, the focus is now on the two-slit experiment itself. The text mentions that there is a figure (Fig. 1) showing the results of a typical two-slit experiment using neutrons. The experimental results reveal two notable characteristics. First, the observed pattern of interference matches the predicted pattern very accurately. The solid line in the figure represents the theoretical prediction, and it aligns with the actual data. The text suggests that all aspects of the experimental setup were taken into account when making this prediction.

Glossary of Terms:
– Double-slit experiment: A scientific experiment in which particles, such as light or electrons, are directed towards two slits. The resulting pattern of interference or diffraction provides insights into the wave-particle duality of quantum mechanics.
– Quantum mechanics: A branch of physics that deals with the behavior and interactions of particles on a microscopic scale. It introduces the concept of quantum superposition and entanglement, challenging classical notions of determinism and causality.
– Entangled states: A property of quantum systems where the states of two or more particles become correlated in such a way that the state of one particle cannot be described independently of the others, regardless of their spatial separation.
– Neutrons: Subatomic particles that reside in the nucleus of an atom and have no electrical charge. They are commonly used in experiments to study various phenomena due to their unique properties.
– Interference pattern: The result of overlapping waves or particles, where constructive or destructive interference occurs. It produces a distinct pattern of bright and dark regions, indicating the presence of different wave amplitudes or particle densities.
– Fringes: The bright and dark lines or bands observed in an interference pattern.
– Theoretical prediction: A calculation or hypothesis based on established theories, which aims to describe or explain the observed phenomena.

WARNING: Any citations or facts presented here may be incorrect, always rewrite, verify, and cite proper sources.

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