Quick Start
This guide covers every Elicit AI feature:
- Erste Schritte — Create account and basic setup
- How to Use Paper Researcher — Find relevant papers with natural language questions
- How to Use Data Extractor — Pull key data points from papers into tables
- How to Use Notebook — Organize and chat with your research papers
- How to Use Topic Finder — Discover related themes across your research
- How to Use Custom Columns — Extract specific details from every paper
- How to Use Research Alerts — Get notified when new papers match your topic
- How to Use Research Reports — Generate full literature reviews automatically
- How to Use Systematic Review — Run guided systematic reviews with screening
Time needed: 5 minutes per feature
Also in this guide: Pro Tips | Common Mistakes | Fehlerbehebung | Preisgestaltung | Alternativen
Why Trust This Guide
I’ve used Elicit AI for over a year and tested every feature covered here. This How to Use Elicit AI article comes from real hands-on experience — not marketing fluff or vendor screenshots.
Elicit AI is one of the most powerful AI research Assistent tools available today.
But most users only scratch the surface of what it can do.
This guide shows you how to use every major feature.
Step by step, with screenshots and pro tips.
Elicit AI Tutorial
This complete Elicit AI tutorial walks you through every feature step by step, from initial setup to advanced tips that will make you a power user.
Elicit AI
Search 138 million academic papers with AI that understands your research questions. Elicit extracts Daten, generates reports, and runs systematic reviews. Start free — no credit card needed.
Getting Started with Elicit AI
Before using any feature, complete this one-time setup.
It takes about 3 minutes.
Watch this quick overview first:
Now let’s walk through each step.
Step 1: Create Your Account
Go to elicit.com and click “Sign Up.”
Enter your email address and create a password.
You can also sign up with your Google account.
✓ Checkpoint: Überprüfen Sie Ihre Posteingang for a confirmation email.
Step 2: Access the Dashboard
Elicit runs entirely in your browser — no download needed.
Log in and you’ll see the main dashboard.
Here’s what the dashboard looks like:
✓ Checkpoint: You should see the main search bar and workflow options.
Step 3: Choose Your Workflow
Elicit offers five main workflows on the home page.
Choose Find Papers, Research Report, Systematic Review, Upload and Extract, or Summarize Concepts.
Most beginners start with Find Papers.
✅ Done: You’re ready to use any feature below.
How to Use Elicit AI Paper Researcher
Papierforscher lets you find relevant papers from 138 million articles using natural language questions.
Here’s how to use it step by step.
Watch Paper Researcher in action:
Now let’s break down each step.
Step 1: Type Your Research Question
Enter a full question in the search bar on the home page.
Ask something like “What are the effects of sleep on memory?”
Avoid using just one or two keywords.
Step 2: Review the Results Table
Elicit returns the 8 most relevant papers with AI summaries.
Each paper shows title, year, citation count, and a summary.
Click “Load more” to see up to 100 papers total.
✓ Checkpoint: You should see a table of papers with relevance rankings.
Step 3: Filter and Star Papers
Use the Filter button to sort by year, study type, or citations.
Star the most relevant papers for your library.
Export your results to CSV, BibTeX, or RIS format.
✅ Result: You have a curated list of relevant research papers.
💡 Profi-Tipp: Use full sentences instead of keywords. “How does exercise affect depression?” works better than “exercise depression.”
How to Use Elicit AI Data Extractor
Datenextraktor lets you pull specific data points from research papers into organized tables.
Here’s how to use it step by step.
Watch Data Extractor in action:
Now let’s break down each step.
Step 1: Upload Your PDFs
Go to the Upload and Extract workflow from the dashboard.
Drag and drop your PDF files into the upload area.
You can also connect papers from Semantic Scholar.
Step 2: Add Extraction Columns
Click “Add Column” to define what data you want to pull.
Ask questions like “What was the sample size?” in plain English.
Elicit reads the full Text and extracts answers automatically.
✓ Checkpoint: You should see a table with columns filling in for each paper.
Step 3: Verify and Export
Click any extracted answer to see the supporting quote from the paper.
Verify the data matches the original source text.
Export everything to CSV for your final analysis.
✅ Result: You have a structured spreadsheet of extracted data from your papers.
💡 Profi-Tipp: Always click on extracted answers to check the source quote. Elicit achieves 94-99% accuracy, but verification is still important.
How to Use Elicit AI Notebook
Notizbuch lets you organize papers and chat with them to ask specific questions.
Here’s how to use it step by step.
Watch Notebook in action:
Now let’s break down each step.
Step 1: Add Papers to Your Notebook
Star papers from your search results to add them.
You can also upload PDFs directly to your notebook.
Group related papers into separate notebooks for each project.
Step 2: Chat with Your Papers
Open Chat with Papers and ask questions about your collection.
Elicit reads up to 8 full-text papers at once to find answers.
Every answer includes supporting quotes from the source papers.
✓ Checkpoint: You should see AI answers with linked citations to your papers.
Step 3: Summarize and Organize
Use batch summarize to get quick overviews of all your papers.
Tag papers by theme or relevance to your research question.
Export your organized collection for reference management.
✅ Result: You have an organized research library you can chat with anytime.
💡 Profi-Tipp: Create separate notebooks for each chapter or section of your research. This keeps your Chat with Papers responses focused and relevant.
How to Use Elicit AI Topic Finder
Themenfinder lets you discover related research themes and questions you might have missed.
Here’s how to use it step by step.
Watch Topic Finder in action:
Now let’s break down each step.
Step 1: Enter Your Research Area
Type your broad research topic into the Topic Finder tool.
Elicit suggests related questions and sub-topics to explore.
Betrachten Sie es als Brainstorming with an AI research partner.
Step 2: Explore Suggested Themes
Review the list of related topics Elicit generates.
Click any suggested theme to see papers connected to it.
This helps you find research angles you might not have considered.
✓ Checkpoint: You should see a list of related themes with paper counts.
Step 3: Refine Your Research Scope
Select the most promising themes for deeper investigation.
Use these themes to create more targeted search queries.
Save interesting topics for future research directions.
✅ Result: You have a broader view of your research landscape with new angles to explore.
💡 Profi-Tipp: Use Topic Finder at the start of any new project. It helps you avoid missing key research areas before you narrow your focus.
How to Use Elicit AI Custom Columns
Custom Columns lets you extract any specific detail from papers using plain English questions.
Here’s how to use it step by step.
Watch Custom Columns in action:
Now let’s break down each step.
Step 1: Open Your Paper Results Table
Run a Find Papers search or open an existing extraction table.
Your table already shows default columns like title and year.
Click “Add Column” to create a custom extraction field.
Step 2: Define Your Custom Question
Type what you want to extract in plain English.
For example: “What was the total sample size?” or “What method was used?”
Elicit reads each paper and fills in the answer automatically.
✓ Checkpoint: You should see your new column filling with extracted data for each paper.
Step 3: Review Supporting Evidence
Click any cell to see the exact quote from the original paper.
Elicit highlights the text that supports each extracted answer.
Manually override any answer if the AI got it wrong.
✅ Result: You have a custom extraction table with verified data from every paper.
💡 Profi-Tipp: Free plans allow 2 custom columns, Plus gives 5, and Pro gives 20. Plan your most important extraction questions first.
How to Use Elicit AI Research Alerts
Research Alerts lets you get notified when new papers matching your topic are published.
Here’s how to use it step by step.
Watch Research Alerts in action:
Now let’s break down each step.
Step 1: Set Up a New Alert
Go to the Alerts section from the left sidebar.
Enter a research question you want to track over time.
Elicit uses semantic search to match new papers to your topic.
Step 2: Configure Alert Settings
Choose how often you want to receive notifications.
You can set up to 10 concurrent alerts on the Pro plan.
Each alert monitors new papers added to the 138 million paper database.
✓ Checkpoint: You should see your alert listed in the Alerts dashboard.
Step 3: Review New Matches
Check your alerts regularly for newly matched papers.
Add relevant papers directly to your notebooks or extraction tables.
Dismiss papers that don’t match your research needs.
✅ Result: You stay current on new research without manual searching.
💡 Profi-Tipp: Set alerts for your competitors’ research areas too. This helps you stay ahead of trends in your field.
How to Use Elicit AI Research Reports
Research Reports lets you generate full literature reviews automatically from your research question.
Here’s how to use it step by step.
Watch Research Reports in action:
Now let’s break down each step.
Step 1: Enter Your Research Question
Select “Research Report” from the dashboard workflows.
Type your research question as a clear, specific sentence.
The more detailed your question, the better your report.
Step 2: Wait for Report Generation
Elicit searches across papers and synthesizes findings automatically.
Reports can be 10+ pages with citations from dozens of papers.
Generation takes a few minutes depending on the topic scope.
✓ Checkpoint: You should see a full report with sections, citations, and references.
Step 3: Chat with and Edit Your Report
Use the chat feature to ask follow-up questions about your report.
Pro users can edit reports directly within the Elicit interface.
Every claim in the report links back to its source paper.
✅ Result: You have a complete literature review ready for your research project.
💡 Profi-Tipp: Free users get 2 reports per month. Plus users get 4 per month. Plan your most important reports first to make the most of your quota.
How to Use Elicit AI Systematic Review
Systematic Review lets you run a guided, step-by-step systematic review with screening and extraction.
Here’s how to use it step by step.
Watch Systematic Review in action:
Now let’s break down each step.
Step 1: Define Your Review Question
Select “Systematic Review” from the dashboard (Pro plan required).
Enter your research question and let Elicit suggest refinements.
Upload PDFs or use semantic search to add up to 500 papers.
Step 2: Screen Papers with AI
Elicit generates screening criteria based on your research question.
Papers are sorted by likelihood of meeting all your criteria.
Review and accept or reject each paper in the screening queue.
✓ Checkpoint: You should see papers sorted by relevance with screening decisions tracked.
Step 3: Extract Data and Generate Report
Add extraction columns to pull specific data from accepted papers.
Elicit fills in the extraction table for your screened papers.
Generate a completed systematic review report with all findings.
✅ Result: You have a complete systematic review with search, screening, extraction, and report.
💡 Profi-Tipp: Use Elicit’s AI screening to save up to 80% of manual screening time. But always verify borderline papers yourself for accuracy.
Elicit AI Pro Tips and Shortcuts
After testing Elicit AI for over a year, here are my best tips.
Tastenkombinationen
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| New search | Ctrl + K (Cmd + K on Mac) |
| Star a paper | Click star icon next to paper title |
| Add column | Click “+” on table header |
| Export results | Click Export → Choose CSV/BIB/RIS |
Hidden Features Most People Miss
- Batch Summarize: Select multiple papers and summarize them all at once instead of reading each one individually.
- Citation Chain: Click “Find similar papers” on any result to discover papers that cite or are cited by your best finds.
- Natural Language Columns: Ask complex extraction questions like “Did this study find a positive, negative, or neutral effect?” to categorize papers fast.
Elicit AI Common Mistakes to Avoid
Mistake #1: Using Keywords Instead of Questions
❌ Wrong: Typing “cancer treatment outcomes” into the search bar like a traditional database.
✅ Right: Asking “What are the long-term outcomes of immunotherapy for lung cancer?” as a full question.
Mistake #2: Trusting AI Extractions Without Checking
❌ Wrong: Copying extracted data directly into your paper without verifying the source text.
✅ Right: Clicking each extracted answer to verify the supporting quote matches the original paper.
Mistake #3: Relying Only on Elicit for Paper Discovery
❌ Wrong: Using Elicit as your only source and skipping traditional database searches entirely.
✅ Right: Using Elicit alongside PubMed, Google Scholar, and other databases to catch any gaps.
Elicit AI Troubleshooting
Problem: Search Returns Irrelevant Papers
Cause: Your question is too vague or uses generic terms.
Fix: Rewrite your question with specific details about population, intervention, and outcome.
Problem: Data Extraction Shows “No Data Found”
Cause: The paper’s full text is not available in Elicit’s database, only the abstract.
Fix: Upload the full PDF directly to the Upload and Extract workflow for better results.
Problem: Reports Running Out Too Fast
Cause: Each automated report counts toward your monthly limit (2 free, 4 Plus, 12 Pro).
Fix: Use Find Papers and custom columns for exploratory work. Save reports for final deliverables.
📌 Notiz: If none of these fix your issue, contact Elicit support at support.elicit.com.
What is Elicit AI?
Elicit AI is an AI research assistant that helps you find, summarize, and extract data from academic papers.
Think of it like having a research assistant that can read 138 million papers in seconds.
Watch this quick overview:
It includes these key features:
- Papierforscher: Search 138 million papers using natural language questions instead of keywords.
- Datenextraktor: Pull specific data points from papers into organized, exportable tables.
- Notizbuch: Organize papers and chat with them to ask follow-up questions.
- Topic Finder: Discover related research themes and questions across your research area.
- Custom Columns: Create custom extraction fields to pull any detail from every paper.
- Research Alerts: Get notified when new papers matching your topic are published.
- Research Reports: Generate full 10+ page literature reviews automatically.
- Systematic Review: Run guided systematic reviews with screening and extraction (Pro only).
For a full review, see our Elicit AI review.
Elicit AI Pricing
Here’s what Elicit AI costs in 2026:
| Planen | Preis | Am besten geeignet für |
|---|---|---|
| Basisversion (kostenlos) | $0 | Students doing casual research exploration |
| Basic | 9 $/Monat | Independent researchers doing deeper analysis |
| Standard | 12 $/Monat | Professional researchers running systematic reviews |
| Pro | $19/seat/month | Research teams needing collaboration features |
| Unternehmen | Kontaktieren Sie den Vertrieb. | Organizations needing custom deployment and SSO |
Kostenloser Tarif: Yes — unlimited searches, summaries, and Chat with Papers. 2 reports per month.
Annual discount: Yes — Plus is $120/year ($10/month), Pro is $499/year, Team is $780/seat/year.
💰 Best Value: Standard at $12/month — gives you 4 reports, 5 custom columns, and unlimited exports for light research needs.
Elicit AI vs Alternatives
How does Elicit AI compare? Here’s the competitive landscape:
| Werkzeug | Am besten geeignet für | Preis | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elicit AI | Systematic literature reviews and data extraction | $0-$19/mo | ⭐ 4.3 |
| Vorstellung | All-in-one workspace for research organization | $0-$10/mo | ⭐ 4.7 |
| Wrike | Project management for research teams | $0-$24.80/mo | ⭐ 4.2 |
| ClickUp | Customizable workflows for team research | $0-$12/mo | ⭐ 4.4 |
| Taskade | AI-powered task management and notes | $0-$8/mo | ⭐ 4.5 |
| Montag | Visual project tracking for teams | $0-$16/mo | ⭐ 4.4 |
| Asana | Task and project management for research workflows | $0-$24.99/mo | ⭐ 4.3 |
| Smartsheet | Spreadsheet-based project management | $9-$19/mo | ⭐ 4.3 |
| Teamarbeit | Client and team project management | $0-$18/mo | ⭐ 4.2 |
Quick picks:
- Best overall: Elicit AI — purpose-built for academic research with 138M+ paper database
- Best budget: Notion — free plan handles basic research organization well
- Best for beginners: Taskade — simple interface with AI features built in
- Best for team research: ClickUp — flexible workspace with docs, tasks, and collaboration
🎯 Elicit AI Alternatives
Looking for Elicit AI alternatives? Here are the top options:
- 🚀 Vorstellung: All-in-one workspace that handles notes, databases, wikis, and project tracking with AI writing features built in.
- 💼 Wrike: Enterprise-grade project management with Gantt charts, Zeiterfassung, and cross-team collaboration for research groups.
- ⚡ ClickUp: Highly customizable workspace with docs, whiteboards, goals, and built-in AI for managing research workflows.
- 🧠 Taskade: AI-powered task manager that turns notes into action items with real-time collaboration and mind mapping.
- 🎨 Montag: Visual work management platform with color-coded boards, automations, and dashboards for tracking research progress.
- 🌟 Asana: Clean task and project management with timelines, custom fields, and portfolio views for multi-project research.
- 📊 Smartsheet: Spreadsheet-style project management with automations, forms, and Berichterstattung for data-driven research teams.
- 🏢 Teamarbeit: Client-focused project management with time tracking, budgeting, and workload management for research firms.
For the full list, see our Elicit AI alternatives guide.
⚔️ Elicit AI Compared
Here’s how Elicit AI stacks up against each competitor:
- Elicit AI vs Notion: Elicit wins for academic paper search and data extraction. Notion wins for general knowledge management and team wikis.
- Elicit AI vs Wrike: Elicit is built for research workflows. Wrike excels at enterprise project management with resource planning.
- Elicit AI vs ClickUp: Elicit handles literature reviews better. ClickUp offers more flexible task management and team collaboration tools.
- Elicit AI vs Taskade: Elicit provides deeper research features. Taskade is better for quick AI-powered note-taking and brainstorming sessions.
- Elicit AI vs Monday: Elicit focuses on academic research. Monday is stronger for visual project tracking and team workflow Automatisierung.
- Elicit AI vs Asana: Elicit searches academic papers directly. Asana is better for managing research project timelines and team tasks.
- Elicit AI vs Smartsheet: Elicit extracts data from papers automatically. Smartsheet is better for manual data analysis and reporting dashboards.
- Elicit AI vs Teamwork: Elicit is purpose-built for research. Teamwork excels at client project management with billing and invoicing.
Start Using Elicit AI Now
You learned how to use every major Elicit AI feature:
- ✅ Paper Researcher
- ✅ Data Extractor
- ✅ Notebook
- ✅ Topic Finder
- ✅ Custom Columns
- ✅ Research Alerts
- ✅ Research Reports
- ✅ Systematic Review
Next step: Pick one feature and try it now.
Most people start with Paper Researcher.
It takes less than 5 minutes.
Häufig gestellte Fragen
How do you use Elicit?
Go to elicit.com and create a free account. Type your research question in natural language into the search bar. Elicit uses AI to find relevant papers from 138 million articles and shows them in a table with summaries. You can then extract data, create reports, or chat with the papers directly.
Can I use Elicit for free?
Yes. Elicit’s Basic plan is completely free. You get unlimited paper searches, unlimited summaries, unlimited Chat with Papers, and 2 automated reports per month. The free plan includes 2 custom columns per extraction table. You only need to upgrade for more reports, columns, or systematic review features.
How is Elicit different from ChatGPT?
Elicit searches real academic papers from a database of 138 million studies. Every answer links to its source paper with supporting quotes. ChatGPT generates responses from training data and can sometimes produce false citations. Elicit is built specifically for research — ChatGPT is a general-purpose KI-Assistent.
Is Elicit AI reliable?
Elicit achieves 94-99% accuracy in data extraction according to research benchmarks. Every extracted data point shows the supporting quote from the original paper. However, you should always verify critical data points against the source. Some studies have found that Elicit can miss up to 15% of relevant papers, so pair it with other databases.
Is Elicit good for research?
Yes. Over 2 million researchers in academia and industry use Elicit. It works best for empirical research in fields like biomedicine, social sciences, and machine learning. The tool saves researchers up to 5 hours per week on literature reviews. For best results, use it alongside traditional databases like PubMed and Google Scholar.
What is the best AI tool for systematic literature review?
Elicit AI is widely considered one of the best KI-Tools for systematic reviews in 2026. Its guided workflow covers search, screening, extraction, and report generation. The Pro plan lets you screen up to 500 papers with AI-powered criteria. Alternatives include Consensus, Wissenschaftsraum, and Covidence for different aspects of systematic reviews.
How does Elicit generate results?
Elicit uses large language models combined with the Semantic Scholar database of 138 million papers. When you ask a question, it uses semantic understanding to find papers that match your meaning — not just your exact words. Results include AI-generated relevance rankings and summaries based on each paper’s abstract or full text.
Does Elicit AI hallucinate?
Elicit is designed to reduce hallucination by grounding every answer in real papers. Each claim shows a supporting quote from the source document. However, references don’t always point to the exact sentence or page, so you should still verify. Elicit is much more reliable than general KI-Tools like ChatGPT for academic citations.
How to search in Elicit?
Type a full research question in the search bar — not just keywords. For example, write “What are the effects of soziale Medien on teen mental health?” instead of “social media teens.” Use the filter button to narrow by year, study type, or citation count. Click “Load more” to see beyond the initial 8 results up to 100 papers.
Is Elicit worth it?
For active researchers, yes. The free plan covers basic searches and summaries. The Plus plan at $12/month adds more reports and export features. The Pro plan at $49/month unlocks systematic reviews, 20 custom columns, and alerts. If you do regular literature reviews, Elicit can save you hours of manual work every week.
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