Exploring Practical AI Tools for Research at DWU

Note: Reposting this article I wrote on our internal sharepoint for a wider reach and audience. 

Recently, I was invited by DWU President, Professor Fr Philip Gibbs to speak with learners undertaking the Master of Research Methodology unit. The focus of my session was simple: how artificial intelligence can be used in small yet meaningful ways to support research, particularly for learners including myself navigating the research process particularly when it comes to locating resources.

My presentation, “Utilizing AI Tools to Access Sources for Research in PNG”, was not intended to be a formal lecture on AI or advanced research methods. Instead, I wanted to share practical approaches with the help of AI that learners and emerging researchers can begin using immediately to improve how they locate, access, and engage with research materials.

One of the realities I highlighted during the session is that conducting research in PNG can often be challenging. Access to scholarly materials may be limited, expensive due to journal paywalls, or spread across multiple platforms that many learners are unaware of. Because of this, many learners rely heavily on Google searches or lecture notes without fully exploring the range of academic resources available to them. 

I encouraged learners to think of research as an ecosystem that includes both Pacific-focused and global research repositories. Some of the platforms highlighted included the Pacific Islands Legal Information Institute (PacLII), Pacific Data Hub, SPC Data & Reports, PNG National Research Institute, and our own DWU Library OPAC. These repositories contain valuable regional reports, policy papers, datasets, and academic work that are highly relevant to the PNG and Pacific context.

I also highlighted global open-access platforms such as Google Scholar (which many of you are aware of), Directory of Open Access Journals, PubMed, and CORE (the world's largest collection of open access research papers). Open access means these peer-reviewed papers and articles do not hide behind a paywall, they're free to access and download.

 

The key message being that effective research is not simply about finding information quickly, but about locating credible, relevant, and research-quality sources efficiently.

A significant part of the session focused on one way AI tools can assist academic researchers. I demonstrated how AI can help reduce the time spent scanning lengthy articles, summarize findings from peer-reviewed studies, assist with interpreting complex information, and support the discovery of publicly accessible research papers.

At the same time, I stressed the importance of being cautious and responsible when using AI. AI tools are helpful assistants, but they should not replace critical thinking, proper source evaluation, or academic integrity. As researchers and academics, we still need to verify information and carefully review the sources being recommended.

To help learners use AI more effectively, I introduced a simple prompting model I use called the RICE framework which I adopted from AACU. 

• Role - Give AI a role
• Instruction - Then give it the instruction
• Context - Let it know about the specific context
• Expectation - Tell it how you expect it to respond

Here is an example of how you can adapt it to your research needs. (This prompting style can in fact be used for different tasks as well. Give it a try.)

Using this framework, learners can structure clearer and more purposeful prompts when engaging with AI chatbots and systems. During the session, we practiced this well-designed prompt asking various AI chatbots like ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, and Google Gemini, to summarize peer-reviewed studies within a PNG or developing-country context while also recommending credible sources for further reading.

All of this is done with the understanding that AI can make mistakes and that you are required to analyze, cross-check, and apply your own academic judgement. Also noting that these various AI tools do have a limit on the free accounts to the number of tokens they take up for specific tasks and deep research or analysis may require paid subscriptions.

During the session, particular attention was given to Consensus, an AI-powered academic search engine designed specifically for peer-reviewed research literature. You can use Consensus for free. The free tier allows you to perform basic quick searches and get peer-reviewed abstract summaries. While premium "Pro" features (like unlimited searches and deep analysis) require a paid subscription, the free version remains a robust tool for exploring academic literature.

What it does:

• Searches peer-reviewed research papers
• Summarizes findings
• Shows evidence-backed answers
• Reduces time spent scanning papers

A screen clip of the same example task with the prompt done inside Consensus.

Ultimately, my goal for the session was not to position AI as the answer to every research challenge, but to encourage learners to see it as a practical support tool that can enhance their learning and research workflow when used responsibly.

As AI continues to shape the future of education and research, developing AI literacy alongside digital literacy is becoming increasingly important for both learners and educators at Divine Word University.