AI Agents for Research: Faster Literature Reviews
Research agents can search, read and summarize many sources in minutes, but citations still need to be checked.
What they do
They run searches, collect pages and draft a summary with links.
Risks
Agents can cite sources that do not support the claim or invent references. Open every source you plan to use.
A careful workflow
Keep control of the final argument.
- Define the question narrowly.
- Review the source list.
- Read key papers yourself.
- Cite originals, not summaries.
Good practice
Record how you used the tool in your methods or notes.
- Save prompts.
- Note dates.
- Keep copies of sources.
Key takeaway: Let agents collect and draft, but read and verify every source before citing it.
