Elicit Review | Best AI for Researchers (2024)

Elicit is a game-changer for researchers.

If you’re tired of spending countless hours analyzing research papers, Elicit can be your absolute lifesaver. 🤓

This AI tool effortlessly automates time-consuming tasks like summarizing papers, extracting crucial data, and synthesizing findings. 

But can it replace manual research and give you the needed efficiency boost? Techlairs spent a few hours thoroughly testing this AI tool. 

Let’s look into our findings together in our Elicit review.

What is Elicit?

Elicit is a research AI tool designed to make your research process easier. 

Used by over 2 million researchers, Elicit helps speed up literature reviews, find elusive papers, and automate systematic reviews and meta-analyses. 

With Elicit, you can automate all your tedious tasks, including summarizing papers and extracting data. This means more time for actual research and less time on grunt work.

The app lets you search across 125 million academic papers using natural language, making it easier to find relevant information quickly. 📚

Elicit claims that integrating AI into your workflow can save you up to 5 hours per week. 

And we stand by this statement.

Searching Research Papers with Elicit

In our Elicit review, a key feature we’ll be discussing is searching papers through the app.

With access to a huge database, you only have to ask a research question. Elicit then returns a list of relevant studies. 📝

Once you have your list, you can easily select the most relevant papers. You can even search for more like them, refining your results. 

Elicit takes it a step further by extracting key details from these papers. 

This streamlined process saves time and ensures you have all the necessary information at your fingertips. 

It’ll cost you between 100 to 120 credits to search research papers through questions on Elicit. 

How to search research papers on Elicit?

Searching research papers with Elicit is straightforward and efficient. 

Follow these steps to get started and find the information you need quickly.

Step 1: Sign Up

Before you can start using Elicit, you’ll need to sign up. You can manually enter your details and email or sign up using Gmail or GitHub. ✉️

Step 2: Choose a Plan

Once signed up, you can choose the plan that suits your needs. We found the free basic plan entirely appropriate for basic researchers.

Choose the most suitable plan for your needs and move forward.

Step 3: Personalize the App

You can personalize the app by giving the AI details about your preferences. This helps the AI suggest more relevant papers and topics.

If not, you can skip the survey.

Step 4: Ask a Research Question

To start searching for papers, the first thing you should do is ask a research question to Elicit.

For testing, we asked Elicit about the influence of cultural norms on mental health in different communities.

Step 5: Get Relevant Papers

Elicit gives you a list of research papers relevant to your question. It also offers a summary of the top suggested research papers.

Elicit provided an appropriate answer based on its database for our question on cultural norms.

Each suggested research paper also comes with a one-line abstract. 📝

Step 6: Reviewing Papers

Choose the paper you want to review and click on it. 👆🏻

Elicit will give you a summary of the paper, its authors, and a link to access the entire paper.

Extracting Data from PDFs Using Elicit

In our Elicit review, we also discuss how you can extract data from uploaded PDFs. 📄

You can select the papers you want to extract information from.

You can also upload additional papers directly into Elicit. 

Once uploaded, these papers are securely stored in your library and visible only to you. This ensures the utmost privacy and security of your data. 🔐

Elicit allows you to extract critical details from these PDFs easily. The process is streamlined, making it quick and efficient.

Extracting data from the uploaded papers would cost you between 100 and 120 credits on Elicit. 

How Do You Extract Data from PDFs Using Elicit?

Extracting data from PDFs with Elicit is simple and efficient. 

Follow these steps to quickly extract, gather, and organize information from your research papers.

Step 1: Choose the Option “Extract Data from PDFs”

Start by selecting the “Extract data from PDFs” option in Elicit.

Step 2: Upload Your Paper

To begin, you’ll need to upload your paper. 📝

You can drag and drop the paper or upload it from your computer. The maximum file size is 20MB, and you can upload up to 500 files.

Once uploaded, click on “Next.”

Step 3: Add Columns for Data Extraction

To extract data, you can choose to add columns from the right-hand panel. 

You also have the option to create your columns.

As you create the columns, the AI will start filling them with information extracted from your uploaded PDF.

Step 4: Chat with Paper

You can chat with the uploaded paper to get the necessary information without going through tens of pages.

With the basic plan, Elicit uses only the paper abstracts to answer your questions. If you’re subscribed to the Plus plan, the AI can read the entire text to answer your questions.

You can ask questions in a chat-like format. 💬

Elicit answered our questions accurately, though generating these answers took a minute or two.

Finding List of Concepts using Elicit

Elicit helps researchers find themes and concepts across many papers.

Start by inputting a specific topic or theme you’re interested in. Elicit scans its extensive database and synthesizes information from multiple papers. 

This gives you a comprehensive list of concepts gathered from various sources.

Elicit’s ability to identify and compile these themes makes it easier to understand broad topics. You don’t have to sift through each paper individually. 

This is useful for literature reviews or exploring new research areas. 👩🏼‍🏫

Our Elicit review found this tool invaluable for quickly gathering insights and spotting trends across large volumes of academic work. 

Finding a list of concepts would cost you anywhere between 500 to 2500 credits on Elicit, based on how specific your topic is.

How to Find a List of Concepts Using Elicit?

Finding a list of concepts using Elicit is easy.

Follow these steps to gather and organize key themes from multiple research papers.

Step 1: Select the “List of Concepts” Option

Start by selecting the “List of concepts” option in Elicit. Enter the concept you want to learn more about and click “Next.”

Step 2: Search Database

Elicit will search through its extensive database. It will compile multiple lists of concepts related to your topic.

Step 3: Review the Table of Concepts

You will receive a table with concepts.

Each entry includes a quote from the paper highlighting the concept and the paper source.

Step 4: Choose the Relevant Concepts

Look through the table and choose the concepts that you find most relevant.

What Is Elicit Plus?

Elicit Plus is an Elicit subscription offering that comes with a set of enhanced features and monthly credits. 💡

With Elicit Plus, you can use up to 12,000 credits a month. 

This plan also allows you to buy more credits if needed, a feature not available with the basic plan.

One major benefit is the ability to export your results into a CSV. This makes managing your data easier. 

Elicit Plus also offers higher accuracy than the basic plan.

However, unused monthly credits do not carry forward into the next month. 

We’ll talk about the cost of Elicit Plus in the next part of our Elicit review. 

Stick with us to see if it fits your budget and research needs. 💰

Who Should Use Elicit?

Elicit is a versatile tool that can benefit various users in the research field. 

Here’s who can make the most out of this AI tool. 

Academic Researchers

Academic researchers will find Elicit invaluable. It simplifies the process of literature reviews and data extraction. 👩🏻‍🔬

This tool saves time by automating tedious tasks. 

Researchers can focus on analysis and interpretation.

Graduate Students

Graduate students can use Elicit to streamline their thesis or dissertation work. 

It helps find relevant papers and extract critical data. 📊

Elicit makes it easier to manage large amounts of information. This aids in better organization and efficiency.

Industry Professionals

Professionals in various industries, such as healthcare or technology, can leverage Elicit to stay updated with the latest research. 🩺

They can quickly find and synthesize information on new developments. 

This enhances their knowledge base and decision-making processes.

Educators

Educators can use Elicit to prepare course materials and stay informed about the latest research in their field. 

It helps in creating comprehensive and up-to-date content for their students.

Policy Makers

Policymakers benefit from Elicit by efficiently gathering evidence-based research. 

This supports informed decision-making and policy development. 😃

They can access and synthesize large volumes of data quickly. It ensures they have the best information available.

How Much Does Elicit Cost?

Elicit uses a freemium model. You can use most of its functions for free, but some features require payment. 💸

The free plan enables you to search papers, extract data, find concepts, and chat with papers using 5,000 one-time credits.

If you need more credits, you’ll need to subscribe to the Elicit Plus plan. 

This plan costs $12 monthly and gives you 12,000 credits every month. 

You can also export your results to a CSV file with the Plus plan.

To save more, you can subscribe to the annual plan and save 17% each year.

Does Elicit Offer a Free Trial?

No, Elicit does not offer a free trial. However, it provides a free plan, which is even better. 💡

With the free plan, you can use all the features of Elicit except for downloading results as a CSV file. 

This includes searching papers, extracting data, finding concepts, and chatting with papers.

The free plan allows you to fully explore and utilize Elicit capabilities without any initial cost. 🆓

This makes it easy to decide if the tool meets your needs before considering a subscription.

In our Elicit review, we found the free plan comprehensive and useful for most research tasks.

What if You Don’t Like Elicit Plus?

Elicit is a helpful research AI tool. However, after trying the Plus version, you might realize you don’t need that many credits.

So, what can you do? 🤔

You can cancel the Plus plan anytime and downgrade to the free Elicit Basic plan. 

At the end of your billing period, you will be automatically downgraded to the free plan, and your credit card will not be charged again.

However, Elicit won’t issue a refund once your card has been charged for the billing period. 

Remember, any top-up credits you purchased while on Elicit Plus will still be available even after you downgrade your plan. 

Should You Use Elicit for Your Research Work?

Elicit is a valuable tool for researchers. Its free plan offers many features, and Elicit Plus offers extra benefits. 

It simplifies literature reviews, data extraction, and finding key concepts. This saves you time and effort. 🤓

The Plus plan gives you more credits and the option to export results as CSV files.

 However, the free plan is strong enough for most users.

Elicit is worth trying if you need a tool to make your research process easier and more efficient.

FAQ

Can I collaborate with others using Elicit?

Currently, Elicit is designed for individual use and does not have built-in collaboration features.

However, you can share extracted data and findings manually.

What happens to your unused Elicit credits?

Unused monthly credits do not carry over to the next month. 😕

However, any top-up credits purchased separately will remain available for use.

Can I use Elicit offline?

Elicit requires an internet connection to access its database, perform searches, and extract data.

All features are available online.

Aeman Parwez

I’m a tech enthusiast with a degree in computer science and a passion for AI. I’ve progressed from Content Writer to Content Head at Techlairs. I hang out with my dogs when not scouring the latest tech trends. Let’s learn about AI together, and maybe I can share some of my favorite dog-friendly places to eat with you!