Elicit Review: The AI Research Tool That Automates Literature Reviews

4.5/5

Elicit eliminates the agony of inefficient research by solving core pain points: it finds niche papers missed by traditional databases through semantic search, distills endless abstracts into one-sentence summaries, automates tedious data extraction into structured tables, and slashes systematic review timelines by 60% with PRISMA workflows—transforming weeks of agonizing manual labor into hours of precise, actionable insights for researchers who demand deep discovery and flawless data synthesis

Research 1248 views 4 reviews Updated August 2025
Elicit featured image
Freemium
Starting Price
2023
Founded
Ought
Company

Overview

Elicit is like having a super-smart research assistant who reads scientific papers for you. Instead of spending hours digging through databases, you just ask it questions in plain English (like "What studies exist on gut bacteria and depression?"), and it finds relevant papers and pulls out the key stuff you need. It solves the biggest headaches researchers face: finding niche papers that traditional databases miss through semantic search, avoiding endless abstract-reading with one-sentence summaries, eliminating tedious manual data extraction by auto-generating tables, and cutting systematic review timelines by over 60% through automation.

PhD students use it to discover overlooked papers and research gaps, clinical researchers pull data from dozens of trials in minutes instead of weeks, and lab teams build competitor databases in days rather than months. As one user put it: "It's like having 10 grad students working for you, but they don't sleep or make mistakes." Essentially, Elicit does the grunt work of deep research for anyone drowning in papers who needs to find hidden gems, extract precise data, or speed up serious projects.

Key Features

Semantic Search

Finds relevant papers using concepts instead of keywords, uncovering studies that traditional search engines miss.

Data Extraction Tables

Automatically pulls specific data like sample sizes, interventions, and outcomes from papers into a structured table.

One-Sentence Summaries

The AI distills the core finding of each academic paper into a single sentence, saving hours of reading abstracts.

Systematic Review Mode

Automates PRISMA workflows by helping with screening, data extraction, and risk-of-bias assessment.

Concept Mapping

Visualizes the relationships between research concepts across multiple papers to help identify themes and gaps.

PDF Analysis

Allows you to upload your own PDFs to extract data from papers not indexed in public databases.

API & Integrations

Connects with tools like Zotero and Slack, and allows for custom workflows for research teams.

Pricing Plans

Plan Price Features
Basic Free
  • Unlimited search across 125M+ papers
  • Unlimited summaries of 4 papers at once
  • Unlimited chat with 4 papers at once
  • Extract data from 20 papers per month
  • Add 2 columns to tables at a time
  • View sources for answers
  • Import from Zotero
Plus $12 / month
  • Everything in Basic and...
  • Unlimited chat with 8 full-text papers at once
  • Unlimited summaries of 8 papers at once
  • Unlimited search across 500k+ clinical trials
  • Export to RIS, CSV, BIB
  • Extract data from 50 papers per month
  • Add 5 columns to tables at a time
Pro $49 / month
  • Everything in Plus and...
  • Extract data from 200 papers per month
  • Dedicated workflows for systematic reviews
  • Subscribe to 10 personalized research alerts
  • Add 20 columns to tables at a time
  • Binary & multi-select fields for paper coding
  • Explanations for AI-generated answers
Team $79 / user / month
  • Everything in Pro and...
  • Extract data from up to 300 papers per user, per month
  • Add 30 columns to tables at a time
  • Live-editing for Notebooks and Systematic Reviews
  • Admin panel with usage tracking
Enterprise Custom
  • Everything in Team and...
  • Custom usage limits
  • Volume discounts
  • Training and onboarding
  • Data configuration
  • Co-branding of Notebooks
  • Custom workflow development

Version History

v3.0 (Real-Time & Global Support) (2024)

The current version added real-time database updates, multi-language support (beta), and full feature parity on the mobile app.

v2.5 (Concept Mapping & API) (2023)

Concept mapping was introduced to visualize paper relationships, alongside enhanced statistical extraction and API access for enterprise users.

v2.0 (Systematic Review Automation) (2022)

A major upgrade added systematic review automation (PRISMA workflows) and collaboration tools for teams.

v1.5 (Data Extraction & PDF Upload) (2021)

This version introduced key features like PDF uploads, data extraction tables, and Zotero integration to solve manual data compilation.

v1.0 Public Launch (2020)

The first public version was launched, featuring semantic search and one-sentence summaries across a 50M+ paper database.

Founding & Early Concept (2017)

Elicit was founded at UC Berkeley as a semantic search engine to solve niche paper discovery pain points.

Use Cases

For Academic Researchers

Conduct systematic reviews and meta-analyses, reducing review time from months to weeks by automating data extraction.

For Clinical Researchers

Quickly extract outcomes, sample sizes, and other data from hundreds of clinical trials in hours instead of weeks.

For PhD Students

Find overlooked literature for thesis chapters and identify research gaps using concept mapping and semantic search.

For Policy Analysts

Rapidly summarize evidence from academic papers and reports to generate comprehensive evidence briefs for government or organizations.

For Biotech & R&D Teams

Perform competitive analysis by extracting success rates and other key data from competitor clinical trial publications.

Pros and Cons

Pros

  • Unmatched at discovering niche papers that PubMed or Google Scholar often miss.
  • Revolutionary data extraction feature saves weeks of manual work on systematic reviews.
  • Significantly cuts down research time, with users reporting up to a 60% reduction in review timelines.
  • Excellent for automating PRISMA workflows, from screening to data extraction.

Cons

  • Has a steep learning curve, especially for mastering the advanced data extraction features.
  • The free tier is very limited, often forcing users to upgrade for any serious research work.
  • The AI can occasionally make errors when extracting specific data, requiring manual verification.
  • Its database updates can lag, sometimes missing the most recent publications by a few months.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does Elicit find papers that Google Scholar or PubMed miss?

Elicit uses semantic search, which understands concepts, not just keywords. You can ask a complex question in plain English, and it will find relevant studies even if they don't use your exact phrasing.

What is the main benefit of the data extraction tables?

They automate the tedious process of manually pulling specific data (like sample sizes, methods, or p-values) from dozens of papers. This can reduce weeks of work to just a few minutes.

Can Elicit speed up a systematic review?

Yes, dramatically. It automates key parts of the PRISMA workflow, including screening papers and extracting data, with users reporting it can cut review timelines by as much as 60%.

How is Elicit different from Consensus AI?

While Consensus is best for getting quick, synthesized answers and understanding scientific consensus, Elicit excels at deep paper discovery and extracting structured data from many sources for detailed analysis.

Is Elicit accurate, or does it make mistakes?

It is highly accurate but not perfect. Users report it can occasionally misinterpret complex statistics. It's best used as a powerful assistant to speed up research, with a final human verification of critical data.

Can I use my own PDFs that aren't in a public database?

Yes, you can upload any PDF to Elicit. It will analyze your private or non-indexed papers (like preprints or reports) using the same data extraction and summarization tools.

Is Elicit worth the cost for a student or individual researcher?

Many users find it worth the cost due to the significant time savings. The free tier offers a limited number of searches to test its value before committing to a paid plan.

Prompts Collection

Systematic Review Automation

Screen all abstracts for systematic review on 'SSRIs efficacy in adolescent depression'. Include only RCTs with n>100, extract HAM-D scores, dropout rates, and adverse events. Apply PRISMA flow diagram and risk-of-bias assessment.

Systematic Review

Niche Biomedical Discovery

Find papers on 'CRISPR-Cas9 off-target effects in non-human primate models' using AAV delivery. Exclude studies with in vitro models. Extract mutation frequency metrics and genomic location data.

Niche Discovery

Cross-Study Data Synthesis

Extract and compare p-values, effect sizes, and confidence intervals from all meta-analyses about 'probiotics for IBS-C' published since 2020. Create table stratifying by probiotic strain and dosage.

Data Extraction

User Reviews

Dr. Aisha Nkrumah

Automated PRISMA Workflow Cut Our Systematic Review by 60%

Elicit’s systematic review mode automated screening, data extraction, and risk-of-bias assessment for our ‘vaccine hesitancy’ study. What took 6 months now took 10 weeks. Pain points solved: Eliminated human error in screening 2,000+ abstracts. Lost one star because it occasionally misclassifies study designs (e.g., labeling RCTs as cohorts). Still, the gold standard for evidence synthesis.

Source: Nature Methods

Sophie Chen

Concept Mapping Revealed 3 Research Gaps in My Thesis

Elicit transformed my thesis on ‘gut-brain axis in autism.’ Semantic search found 40 overlooked papers, and concept mapping visualized links between microbiome diversity and behavioral outcomes – something I’d missed in 6 months of manual work. Pain points solved: Identified 3 novel research gaps and saved 100+ hours. Only wish: Mobile app was less clunky. Still, the best tool for deep literature exploration.

Source: Reddit r/GradSchool

Dr. Rajiv Mehta

Extracted Data from 87 RCTs in 11 Minutes – Revolutionized Our Meta-Analysis

For our systematic review on ‘SGLT2 inhibitors for heart failure,’ Elicit’s data extraction tables were a lifesaver. It pulled p-values, sample sizes, and adverse events from 87 papers automatically – a task that took us 3 weeks manually. Pain points solved: No more copy-paste errors or missed data. Why 4.5 stars? The free tier is too restrictive (12 searches/month), but Pro is worth it for labs.

Source: G2

Screenshots

Elicit

4.5

elicit.com

Ought

Research

Freemium

Web

Visit Website -->

Table of Contents

Related Tools

Genei IO

4.7