What you'll accomplish
The discovery phase of a literature review typically takes 8–10 hours of reading abstracts one by one. Elicit cuts that to 2–3 hours by searching academic databases and extracting summaries, methods, and findings automatically. Instead of 40 abstracts, you get a structured table showing what each paper says about your research question.
What you'll need
- A free account at elicit.com (no credit card required)
- A research question written out in plain language
- Time needed: 30 minutes for setup and first use
- Cost: Free tier (limited searches/month) / $10/mo for full access — worth it during an active writing period
AI-Assisted Literature Review with Elicit
Step 1: Create your Elicit account
Go to elicit.com in your browser. Click Sign Up in the top right. Use your university email or a personal email — either works. Verify your email when prompted.
What you should see: The Elicit dashboard with a large search bar labeled "What is your research question?" Troubleshooting: If you don't receive the verification email, check your spam folder or try a different email address.