Discover Literature and Collaborators with Perplexity.ai

Table of Contents

• Introduction
• Accessing Perplexity
• Perplexity versions and features
  • Free Version
  • Paid Version
  • COPILOT AI
• Creating an Account
• Using Perplexity for Literature and Source Discovery
• Evaluating Perplexity's Accuracy
• Forward and Backward Citation Searching
• Using Perplexity to Find Collaborators
• Finding Journals to Publish On
• Using the Browser Plugin to Create Summaries
• Conclusion

Perplexity.ai: Discovering Literature and Collaborators with AI Tool

Are You a researcher or a student? Do you struggle with finding literature on specific topics or collaborating with other researchers? This is where Perplexity.ai comes in. Perplexity.ai is an AI-powered search tool that helps researchers and students discover Relevant literature and connect with potential collaborators. In this article, we will explore how to use Perplexity.ai to aid your research process.

Accessing Perplexity

Perplexity.ai can be accessed via any internet browser by visiting perplexity.ai. For Chrome users, Perplexity.ai also provides a browser plugin that sets Perplexity as the default search engine. Perplexity.ai is also available from the App Store on IOS and Android mobile devices.

Perplexity versions and features

Free Version

Perplexity.ai has both free and paid versions. The free version gives access to an "Ask Anything" search box with the ability to narrow down to specific focus or domains, such as academic writing, Wolfram Alpha, YouTube, Reddit, and Wikipedia.

Paid Version

For twenty dollars a month or two hundred dollars a year, you get access to gpt4 and nearly unlimited co-pilot usage. Copilot is the personal AI Search assistant that provides more advanced features.

Creating an Account

You don't have to create an account to use Perplexity.ai, but doing so provides additional functionality such as saved searches, some personal customization, and limited use of the copilot AI. To create an account, you only need to provide an email address and username to sign up or use your Google or Apple ID. The AI profile allows you to enter whatever information you think would help personalize your AI experience as well as your location and language preferences.

Using Perplexity for Literature and Source Discovery

Perplexity.ai provides a text-Based chatbot style response with link citations to sources across the web. There are generally up to about five sources cited in any given response, and they range from Wikipedia to random websites and scholarly sources.

For example, you can use Perplexity.ai to find information on the design of Shear walls in tall buildings and their ability to withstand lateral loads during seismic activities. However, given the limited number of citations provided, this would not be helpful for a comprehensive literature review. It could be used to review foundational information on a topic if one uses good source evaluation and fact-checking techniques.

Evaluating Perplexity's Accuracy

For misinformation and disinformation, you can ask Perplexity how accurate its responses are. Perplexity states that the method used to evaluate the responses guarantees confidence, not accuracy, and does not perform any form of sanity checking.

Forward and Backward Citation Searching

Perplexity does not provide any forward or backward citation information in the search results. It may be possible to get Perplexity to do forward or backward citation searching, but the query structure is unclear.

Using Perplexity to Find Collaborators

Unlike chat GPT, Perplexity will return citations to real researchers and research articles. However, it is still predictive text based on confidence, not accuracy. For instance, if you ask who the top researchers are in lignocellulosic biorefineries, the response is not based on any standard bibliometrics, and it is unclear how it reached that conclusion.

Finding Journals to Publish On

The predictive text algorithm within Perplexity.ai can identify journals that publish articles on specific topics. However, the accuracy is questionable. You could ask Perplexity what journals are publishing about research data management or lignocellulosic biorefineries. Although there may be some accurate information provided, it is not advisable to rely on it as the primary source for this Type of search.

Using the Browser Plugin to Create Summaries

One cool feature that Perplexity provides is that the browser plugin allows you to create a summary of the text on a web page. This feature makes it easier to determine what materials are relevant and to create a summary of the text by highlighting information and important details.

Conclusion

Perplexity.ai is a handy tool for research and literature discovery. It has its limitations, but it can be a valuable asset to your research workflow. Ensure you evaluate the AI's accuracy and perform fact-checking on the information it provides. With these best practices in mind, Perplexity.ai can help make your research process more manageable and efficient.

Highlights

• Perplexity.ai is an AI-powered search tool that helps researchers and students discover relevant literature and connect with potential collaborators.
• The free version gives access to an "Ask Anything" search box with the ability to narrow down to specific focus or domains, such as academic writing, Wolfram Alpha, YouTube, Reddit, and Wikipedia.
• For twenty dollars a month or two hundred dollars a year, you get access to gpt4 and nearly unlimited co-pilot usage.
• AI-powered response with link citations to sources across the web.
• Evaluating Perplexity's accuracy is essential. The method used to evaluate the responses guarantees confidence, not accuracy, and does not perform any form of sanity checking.
• It is unclear how to get Perplexity to do forward or backward citation searching.
• The predictive text algorithm may be used to identify journals that publish articles on specific topics, but it's crucial to verify the information provided.
• The browser plugin allows users to create a summary of the text on a web page.

FAQs

Q: Is Perplexity.ai available for free? A: Yes, Perplexity.ai has both free and paid versions. The free version gives access to an "Ask Anything" search box with the ability to narrow down to specific focus or domains such as academic writing, Wolfram Alpha, YouTube, Reddit, and Wikipedia.

Q: Can I use Perplexity to find collaborators? A: Yes, you can use Perplexity to find collaborators. Unlike chat GPT, Perplexity will return citations to real researchers and research articles.

Q: How accurate are Perplexity responses? A: Evaluating Perplexity's accuracy is essential. The method used to evaluate the responses guarantees confidence, not accuracy, and does not perform any form of sanity checking.

Q: Can Perplexity provide forward and backward citation information in the search results? A: Perplexity does not provide any forward or backward citation information in the search results.

Q: Can Perplexity help me identify the right journals to publish on? A: The predictive text algorithm may be used to identify journals that publish articles on specific topics, but it's crucial to verify the information provided.