As a multidisciplinary academic researcher, I often faced the challenge of navigating the overwhelming sea of scholarly articles. According to the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, between 2003 and 2022 the number of scientific articles published globally has grown from 1.2 million to more than 3.3 million publications per year (Figure 1). My research spans geochemistry, astrobiology, and planetary science, with publications in journals like Geophysical Research Letters and Astrobiology (those interested in learning more about my research can see the publications/links at the end of this article). While the volume of available information is vast, it often leads to a significant time drain—sorting through irrelevant articles and identifying the right collaborators. Researchers struggle to find relevant articles because current search tools fail to accommodate the interdisciplinary nature of many modern scientific queries.
Figure 1: The number of scientific publications published globally between 2003 and 2022 (National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, 2023).
This is where AI-powered research discovery and networking tools, such as InnScience’s DataScope and TechLink, could have saved me countless hours. As researchers, we’re all too familiar with information overload. Tools like Google Scholar and ResearchGate help, but often deliver too many irrelevant results, forcing us to sift through large volumes of content.
Had I used DataScope during my search for relevant literature, it could have been a game changer. The platform uses natural language processing and semantic analyses to filter out irrelevant research and provide tailored results based on a researcher’s focus area. This is crucial for someone like me, who often juggled multidisciplinary projects related to Mars missions, and geochemical applications and needed to stay on top of the latest studies without wasting time. With features like the Similarity Index (Figure 2) and refined search capabilities, DataScope could have helped me quickly locate the right articles. This is especially true in comparison to a a general keyword search (Figure 3).
Figure 2: Number of narrowed down results found using InnScience's DataScope with an AI-generated boolean query showing 54 results (top). Search results found using InnScience's DataScope each displaying an AI-determined Similarity Index in the far right column (bottom).
Figure 3: Results of a general keyword search on a scholarly search engine showing 66,900 results.
Furthermore, finding collaborators can be just as time-consuming. As a researcher who frequently sought out cross-disciplinary partnerships, TechLink could have been invaluable. This platform connects researchers with academic and industry professionals using a profile recommendation system, ensuring that every networking opportunity is relevant and strategic. It could have streamlined my search for key collaborators, allowing me to spend more time on actual research rather than on outreach.
In essence, InnScience’s platform would have helped me maximize my time, providing relevant research discoveries and meaningful connections with ease. Looking ahead, as AI tools evolve, the question remains: Can these platforms truly replace human intuition in research, or will they merely enhance our ability to focus on what truly matters in science?
How do you see AI reshaping the future of research in your field? Are you already using AI tools, and how have they impacted your work?
Publications
Peer Reviewed
Nikitczuk, M. P., Bebout, G. E., Geiger, C. A., Ota, T., Kunihiro, T., Mustard, J. F., Halldðrsson, S. A., Nakamura, E. (2022) Nitrogen incorporation in potassic and micro- and meso-porous minerals: Potential biogeochemical records and targets for Mars sampling, Astrobiology, 22(11), http://doi.org/10.1089/ast.2021.0158
Nikitczuk, M. P., Bebout, G. E., Ota, T., Kunihiro, T., Mustard, J. F., Flemming, R. L., Tanaka, R., Halldðrsson, S. A., and Nakamura, E. (2022) Nitrogenous altered volcanic glasses as targets for Mars sample return: Examples from Antarctica and Iceland. Journal of Geophysical Research – Planets, 127, e2021JE007052. https://doi.org/10.1029/2021JE007052
Nikitczuk, M. P. C., Schmidt, M. E., Flemming, R. L. (2016) Candidate microbial ichnofossils in continental basaltic tuffs of central Oregon, USA: Expanding the record of endolithic microborings. Geological Society of America Bulletin, v. 128, no. 7-8, 1270-1285, doi:10.1130/B31380.1
Data-sets
Nikitczuk, M. P., Bebout, G. E., Ota, T., Mustard, J. F., Halliburton, S. A., Nakamura, E. (2021). Major and trace element and N concentrations and isotope compositions of altered basaltic and basaltic andesitic hyaloclastite whole-rocks, mineral separates and thin sections from Antarctica, Iceland and Oregon, U.S.A., Version 1.0. Interdisciplinary Earth Data Alliance (IEDA). https://doi.org/10.26022/IEDA/112079
Guest Post
Nikitczuk, M.P.C. (2016) Microbes and volcanoes in Oregon and Mars with Matthew Nikitczuk. Traveling Geologist: Guest Post, http://www.travelinggeologist.com/2016/08/microbes-and-volcanoesin-oregon-and-mars-with-matthew-nikitczuk/
Theses-dissertations
Geochemistry of altered hyaloclastites and hydrothermal vent fluids at oceanic spreading centers: Implications for astrobiology and understanding Earth’s largest submarine hydrothermal plume [Ph.D. dissertation]: Lehigh University, 2022
Investigating microbial trace-fossils and abiotic alteration in hydrovolcanic tuffs of the Fort Rock volcanic field, Oregon [M.Sc. thesis]: Brock University, 2015
Textural and mineralogical changes in Reed Rocks tuff ring deposits, central Oregon, USA, through hydrothermal processes and implications for martian geologic history [B.Sc. Thesis]: Brock University, 2013