Keep these tips in mind when creating your keywords.
Example Search:
earthquakes AND "Pacific Ring of Fire" AND ("plate tectonics" OR "tectonic plates")
Note: Always place OR terms in parentheses
Click each button to learn about the research process, how AI can help, and how to think critically when using AI.
Your task: Identify an Earth Science question or issue
How AI can help: Use AI to brainstorm research ideas and generate keywords
Think critically: Have I verified AI's topic suggestions relate to credible Earth Science research areas?
Your task: Understand key concepts and ideas related to your topic
How AI can help: Ask AI for simplified definitions and topic breakdowns
Think critically: Do I understand these concepts well enough to explain them in my own words?
Your task: Gather evidence with peer-reviewed studies, reports, and data
How AI can help: Use AI to suggest synonyms for keywords and related concepts
Think critically: Am I searching library databases for real sources, not relying on AI-generated citations?
Your task: Read resources to support your hypothesis
How AI can help: Use AI to help evaluate data and organize findings from sources you've already read
Think critically: Am I reading and analyzing sources myself, or asking AI to summarize them for me?
Your task: Write your paper and cite all sources used
How AI can help: Use AI for outlining, writing help, and citation formatting tips
Think critically: Are the ideas and arguments in my paper my own, with AI only helping to organize them?
AI may confidently cite sources that don't exist. For example, it might suggest reading 'Subduction Zone Dynamics in the Cascadia Region' by Dr. Sarah Mitchell in the Journal of Tectonic Studies. This sounds credible, but the article and author may be completely invented.
Earth science discoveries happen constantly. AI training data has cutoff dates and may not include recent findings about climate patterns, seismic activity, or volcanic eruptions.
AI cannot search databases like EBSCOhost or ScienceDirect. Always verify AI-generated information through library databases before using it for your research.
Use this list to decide when AI can help with research.
Brainstorming topics
Get ideas for narrower topics or generate keywords related to your subject.
Understanding concepts
Ask for plain-language explanations of technical terms or complex processes.
Organizing ideas
Create outlines or reorganize notes you've already written.
Verifying facts or data
AI may provide outdated or fabricated information. Always verify in peer-reviewed sources.
Writing graded work
Content you submit must be your own original work.
Getting citations
AI often invents fake sources. Find real articles through library databases.
When in doubt: Ask yourself, "Am I using AI to learn, or to avoid learning?" If it's the latter, use library resources instead.
More details: APA Style Guide & Citing AI in APA
