AI Chat for Research

Chat with multiple AI models to enhance your research, brainstorm ideas, and get instant assistance with your academic work.

Overview

The Chat feature gives you access to:

• Claude (Anthropic) - Expert at writing and analysis
• GPT-4 (OpenAI) - Strong at reasoning and creativity
• Gemini (Google) - Excellent for research and summaries
• 50+ other models - Including Mistral, Llama, and more

All conversations are project-specific and never used to train AI models.

Starting a Conversation

Step 1: Select Your Model

1. Open the Chat tab in your project
2. Click the Model Selector at the top
3. Browse available models
4. Click to select
5. Model choice is saved for future messages

Quick Tips:

• Claude - Best for writing assistance and detailed explanations
• GPT-4 - Great for creative ideas and complex reasoning
• Gemini - Fast responses, good for quick summaries
• Try different models to find your preference

Step 2: Ask Your Question

1. Type your question in the message box
2. Press Enter or click Send
3. Watch the response stream in real-time
4. Follow up with related questions

Example Conversations

Example 1: Understanding a Paper

You: "What are the main findings in this quantum computing paper?"

Claude: [Provides clear summary with key points and implications]

You: "What methods did they use?"

Claude: [Explains the methodology in detail]

You: "How does this compare to previous work?"

Claude: [Provides context and comparisons]

Example 2: Brainstorming

You: "I'm researching machine learning in healthcare. What are interesting research directions?"

Claude: [Lists several promising areas with rationales]

You: "Tell me more about the diagnosis prediction angle"

Claude: [Dives deeper into that specific direction]

Example 3: Writing Help

You: "Help me write an abstract for my paper on... [full abstract text]"

Claude: [Provides feedback and suggestions]

You: "Make it more concise while keeping the key points"

Claude: [Rewrite with improvements]

Advanced Features

Thinking Mode

For complex questions, enable Thinking Mode:

1. Toggle "Show thinking" switch before asking
2. AI shows its reasoning process
3. Get step-by-step analysis
4. Perfect for methodology questions

When to use:

• Complex problem-solving
• Understanding intricate concepts
• Detailed analysis required
• Multi-step reasoning needed

Context Window

Each conversation has full context:

• AI remembers all previous messages
• Reference past points in the conversation
• Build on earlier ideas
• Progressively refine understanding

Tips:

• Start specific conversations for focused topics
• Create new conversations for new subjects
• Use conversation titles to stay organized

Model Capabilities

Common Use Cases

1. Paper Summarization

Ask: "Summarize the methodology section of [paper title]"

Get: Clear breakdown of research methods

2. Methodology Discussion

Ask: "Is a qualitative or quantitative approach better for studying [topic]?"

Get: Detailed comparison with pros/cons

3. Literature Review

Ask: "What are the main themes in research about [topic] from 2020-2023?"

Get: Organized overview of key areas and papers

4. Writing Assistance

Ask: "Review this paragraph for clarity: [text]"

Get: Feedback and suggestions for improvement

5. Terminology

Ask: "Explain [technical term] in simple terms"

Get: Clear explanation with examples

6. Citation Help

Ask: "How should I cite [source] in APA format?"

Get: Properly formatted citation

7. Brainstorming

Ask: "What are novel research questions about [topic]?"

Get: List of interesting directions to explore

8. Code Review

Ask: "Review this code for errors: [code snippet]"

Get: Analysis and suggestions

Keyboard Shortcuts

• Cmd/Ctrl+L - Focus message input
• Shift+Enter - New line in message
• Cmd/Ctrl+K - Search conversations
• Up Arrow - Repeat last message (for quick edits)

Best Practices

Be Specific

❌ "Tell me about AI" ✅ "Explain how transformer models work in NLP"

Provide Context

❌ "Is this methodology good?" ✅ "I'm using surveys with 50 participants to study [topic]. Does this methodology work?"

Ask Follow-ups

Use the context to build on ideas:

1. Initial question
2. Follow-up for detail
3. Another angle
4. Refine the answer

Use Conversation Titles

• Name conversations for easy reference
• Helps you organize your research
• Easy to find later

Iterate and Refine

• First response not perfect? Ask clarifications
• Try different phrasing
• Combine answers from multiple models

Conversation Management

Organize Conversations

1. Click "Rename" to give conversations meaningful titles
2. Pin important conversations
3. Archive old conversations
4. Search conversation history

Export Conversations

1. Open conversation
2. Click "Export"
3. Choose format: PDF or Markdown
4. Save to your computer

Clear Conversation

1. Click "Clear History"
2. Confirm deletion
3. Start fresh

Privacy & Data

Your conversations are:

• ✅ Stored securely on Citezy servers
• ✅ Never used to train models
• ✅ Encrypted in transit
• ✅ Only accessible to you
• ✅ Deleted when you delete them

Tips for Better Responses

1. Give examples - Show what you mean
2. Specify format - "Explain as a list" or "Write as a narrative"
3. Add constraints - "Keep under 200 words" or "Assume beginner knowledge"
4. Reference previous points - "Like you mentioned before..."
5. Ask why - Deepen your understanding

Model Switching

You can switch models mid-conversation:

1. Select different model from dropdown
2. Type new question
3. New model responds with conversation context
4. Try multiple models on same topic

Why do this?

• Different models have different strengths
• Compare perspectives on the same question
• Find the best model for your task

Common Questions

Q: Is my data used to train models? A: No. All models have training disabled for your data.

Q: Can I use these conversations in my paper? A: Yes, but cite appropriately. Example: "Personal communication with Claude AI, 2024"

Q: Which model is best? A: Try them all! Each excels at different tasks.

Q: How long can conversations be? A: Very long. AI remembers full context, but shorter focused conversations work better.

Q: Can I share conversations? A: Yes, export them and share PDFs/Markdown with collaborators.

Limitations to Know

• AI can make mistakes - verify important facts
• Outdated knowledge (training data has cutoff date)
• Can't access live web or your uploaded files
• Shouldn't be sole source for critical decisions

Next Steps

• Manage your references alongside chat
• Search papers and discuss them in chat
• Learn about AI detection to identify AI content