Artificial Intelligence (AI)

AI in Databases

Many library databases are starting to integrate AI Research Assistants into their platforms. As these AI tools become accessible to us at VCSU, tutorials will be added to this space.

JSTOR Interactive Research Tool

VCSU has access to the JSTOR Interactive Research Tool, which provides overviews and answers questions about individual sources accessible via this database. To use this tool, you will need to create a personal JSTOR account. Use this JSTOR support link to create a personal account. The video below provides a brief overview of the Interactive Research Tool

ProQuest eBook Central Research Assistants

ProQuest eBook Central has recently added an AI research assistant to their database. The research assistant provides key insights and concepts covered in the book being used, along with options to search for the concepts or terms in the rest of the database. To use this tool, simply open the book in eBook Central, select a chapter to read online, then look at the toolbar on the left side of the chapter. There is an icon that has three little diamond/star shapes inside a circle. Click this icon to open the research assistant. The video below is a thorough overview of the research assistant as well as the principles the folks at ProQuest followed in creating the tool.

EBSCO Databases

Several databases by the vendor EBSCO now have what they call "AI Insights" available. The AI Insights tool shows up under search results with enough information available for the tool to use. Clicking the "Generate AI Insights" button under a search result will provide 2-5 bullet points summarizing key concepts in the article. Visit EBSCO's AI transparency fact sheet to learn more about this tool.