Proquest is an aggregator database that enables searching across sources, including journal articles, from multiple publishers. It employs a subtle use of AI technology, which is displayed after an initial search has been carried out.
Enhanced Search Refinement: On the results page, suggested search terms are available. This helps users to quickly refine queries, narrow down results and identify alternative keywords.
Key Takeaways: Once an item is selected, the Research Assistant will highlight 'key takeaways', drawn from the abstract of the article. This allows users to quickly assess the relevance and main points of an article without having to read the entire document immediately. Important concepts and related research topics are also provided and, occasionally, a summary of the findings.
Full-Text Dependency: The Research Assistant only works if the full text of the article is available within ProQuest. If there is only an abstract these features will not activate.
Minimum Document Length: The Research Assistant will not work for documents under 150 words.
Publisher Opt-Outs: Some publishers opt out of allowing their content to be used for AI-generated summaries or features.
Potential for getting off-topic: It is possible to be easily diverted from the original research focus.