Uploaded November 2025 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
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Elicit: elicit.com/?via=andrew
UndetectableAI: https://undetectable.ai?fpr=andy
SciSpace: scispace.com/?via=andy-stapletonai (ANDYS40: 40% off the annual plan, ANDYS20: 20% off the monthly plan)
Jenni AI: jenni.ai/?via=andy-stapleton (Use codes: andy30, ANDY20)
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Anara AI: anara.com (ANDY20 - 20 % off)
When I first started doing literature reviews, I'd spend weeks reading every single paper I could find, drowning in PDFs and losing track of what I'd already covered. But over the years, I've developed a workflow that completely changed how I approach this process, and I want to share it with you today.
In this video, I'm walking you through exactly how to write a literature review using AI tools that actually make sense. This isn't about replacing your critical thinking or cheating the system. It's about working smarter so you can focus on the parts that really matter: understanding the research landscape and contributing something meaningful to your field.
The workflow I'm showing you breaks down into clear stages. First, we tackle the finding phase, where you need to cast a wide net and gather relevant literature. Then comes filtering, which is honestly where most people waste the most time. After that, you'll do focused reading on only the most important papers, followed by mapping out concepts and identifying gaps in the research. Finally, we move into structuring and writing the actual review.
What makes this approach different is how we use AI tools for research at each stage. I'm demonstrating tools like Elicit, SciSpace, Consensus, and NotebookLM, showing you exactly when and how to use each one. These are some of the best AI tools available right now for academic work, and I've tested dozens to find the ones that actually deliver results.
One thing I want to be clear about: you still need to read papers. AI can help you identify which papers deserve your full attention, but there's no shortcut for building genuine expertise in your field. What this workflow does is eliminate the busy work so you can spend more time on deep reading and critical analysis.
I'm also showing you how to do a literature review for research projects of any size, whether you're working on an undergraduate dissertation or a PhD thesis. The principles stay the same, but you can scale the approach based on your needs.
By the end of this video, you'll have a complete system for tackling literature reviews that combines traditional academic rigor with modern AI efficiency. This is the exact process I use myself, and it's helped me cut my literature review time dramatically while actually improving the quality of my work.
................................................
▼ ▽ TIMESTAMPS
00:00 Intro
00:42 Find Literature
01:48 Filter Literature
02:26 SciSpace
03:09 Consensus
03:26 NotebookLM
05:05 Research Gaps and Understanding the concepts
07:43 Structure
08:43 ThesisAI
09:47 SciSpace
11:05 Content
13:14 AI Review
13:45 Thesify
15:02 Manual Review
18:09 Outro
................................................
▼ ▽ Socials for shorts and reels
Instagram: instagram.com/drandystapleton
TikTok: tiktok.com/@drandystapleton
▶ Become a Master Academic Writer With AI using my course: academy.academiainsider.com/courses/ai-writing-course
▶FREE: Join 21,000+ email subscribers receiving the free tools and academic tips directly from me:
academiainsider.com/newsletter
Links and Codes:
Paperpal: paperpal.com/?linkId=lp_726731&sourceId=andy&tenantId=paperpal (PAP20 - 20% off)
Thesify: https://thesify.ai?fpr=andy60
Thesis AI: thesisai.io/?via=andrew, ANDY20 - 20% off
Elicit: elicit.com/?via=andrew
UndetectableAI: https://undetectable.ai?fpr=andy
SciSpace: scispace.com/?via=andy-stapletonai (ANDYS40: 40% off the annual plan, ANDYS20: 20% off the monthly plan)
Jenni AI: jenni.ai/?via=andy-stapleton (Use codes: andy30, ANDY20)
Julius AI: julius.ai/?via=andrew-stapleton (ANDY20 — offers 20% off)
AnswerThis: https://answerthis.io?ref=andy49 (ANDY20 - 20% off)
Anara AI: anara.com (ANDY20 - 20 % off)
When I first started doing literature reviews, I'd spend weeks reading every single paper I could find, drowning in PDFs and losing track of what I'd already covered. But over the years, I've developed a workflow that completely changed how I approach this process, and I want to share it with you today.
In this video, I'm walking you through exactly how to write a literature review using AI tools that actually make sense. This isn't about replacing your critical thinking or cheating the system. It's about working smarter so you can focus on the parts that really matter: understanding the research landscape and contributing something meaningful to your field.
The workflow I'm showing you breaks down into clear stages. First, we tackle the finding phase, where you need to cast a wide net and gather relevant literature. Then comes filtering, which is honestly where most people waste the most time. After that, you'll do focused reading on only the most important papers, followed by mapping out concepts and identifying gaps in the research. Finally, we move into structuring and writing the actual review.
What makes this approach different is how we use AI tools for research at each stage. I'm demonstrating tools like Elicit, SciSpace, Consensus, and NotebookLM, showing you exactly when and how to use each one. These are some of the best AI tools available right now for academic work, and I've tested dozens to find the ones that actually deliver results.
One thing I want to be clear about: you still need to read papers. AI can help you identify which papers deserve your full attention, but there's no shortcut for building genuine expertise in your field. What this workflow does is eliminate the busy work so you can spend more time on deep reading and critical analysis.
I'm also showing you how to do a literature review for research projects of any size, whether you're working on an undergraduate dissertation or a PhD thesis. The principles stay the same, but you can scale the approach based on your needs.
By the end of this video, you'll have a complete system for tackling literature reviews that combines traditional academic rigor with modern AI efficiency. This is the exact process I use myself, and it's helped me cut my literature review time dramatically while actually improving the quality of my work.
................................................
▼ ▽ TIMESTAMPS
00:00 Intro
00:42 Find Literature
01:48 Filter Literature
02:26 SciSpace
03:09 Consensus
03:26 NotebookLM
05:05 Research Gaps and Understanding the concepts
07:43 Structure
08:43 ThesisAI
09:47 SciSpace
11:05 Content
13:14 AI Review
13:45 Thesify
15:02 Manual Review
18:09 Outro
................................................
▼ ▽ Socials for shorts and reels
Instagram: instagram.com/drandystapleton
TikTok: tiktok.com/@drandystapleton
