Elicit – Search and Research AI Tool
Elicit Review
Verdict
- Who it’s for: People with research questions who want reports, summaries or tables built from the research.
- Best thing: You can ask follow-up questions and request changes, refining the output until it fits your needs.
- Good to know: It helps with research but is not designed to write your content for you.
- Verdict: Useful for exploring a research topic step by step; for a fixed report or systematic review, Elicit points you to its Research Report or Systematic Review workflows instead.
What Is Elicit?
Elicit helps researchers understand what science already knows.
The main options are the Research Agent, Research Reports and Systematic Reviews. They suit different levels of structure and different types of output.
Overview
The Research Agent is designed for complex research questions that go beyond what academic literature alone can answer.
Research Reports generate a detailed answer to a research question and include references to the papers used. They can be exported as PDF or Word documents.
The Systematic Review workflow guides users through finding papers, screening them, extracting data and preparing a PRISMA-style report.
Elicit says its search covers more than 138 million academic papers and 545,000 clinical trials.
How Elicit Works
- Ask a question: Enter your research question in plain language and include any additional context that may help the Agent answer it.
- Clarify the scope: The Agent may ask what sources to prioritise, how to structure the output and what scope to use.
- Review the evidence: The Agent works through a plan, shows which sources it consults and provides citations that link claims to their source material.
- Refine or export: You can follow up, request changes or ask for other outputs such as reports, tables, figures and slides.
Practical Workflow Integration
A Library stores papers you upload or save from Agent sessions. You can tag papers, group them into collections and import papers from Zotero.
You can scope a session to one or more collections, ask for a broader search of the literature, or tell the Agent to leave your Library out.
The Agent can export paper tables as .bib or .ris citations and can save papers to the Library.
Key Features
- Research Agent: Use the Research Agent for complex questions that need wider sources, flexible outputs and iterative research.
- Research Reports: Generate a detailed research report with references to the papers used and export it as a PDF or Word file.
- Systematic Reviews: Choose a Systematic Review when you need a high degree of control over paper search, screening criteria and data extraction points.
- Wider source access: The Research Agent can access the wider web, clinical databases, regulatory documents, company announcements, product labels and uploaded files.
- Cited outputs: The Agent provides citations that can be opened to check the source behind a claim.
- Figures and slides: Paid plans include figure generation, while PowerPoint slide creation is described as a preview feature for paid plans.
Market Positioning
Elicit is built for high-stakes decisions and rigorous research workflows.
Users can choose among the three workflows based on how much structure their question needs and what outputs they want.
Best Case Scenarios
- Explore an unfamiliar research topic: Research Reports are intended to give a quick, detailed understanding of a topic and can serve as a starting point for further work.
- Build a custom comparison: You need a custom output format, such as a comparison table, competitive landscape or executive summary.
- Review a defined body of literature: A Systematic Review is a better fit when you need close control over search, screening rules and data extraction.
- Investigate non-academic sources: Your question requires sources beyond academic publications, like regulatory filings, press releases or product labels.
Example Use Cases and Prompts
- Start from a collection: Name a collection in your question and the Agent works from it.
- Compare evidence for a decision: MicroGenDX’s Medical Affairs lead used Elicit to ask whether NGS could show a likelihood of cost savings for Medicaid programmes.
Power Prompt Library
- “Save these 7 papers to our NSCLC resistance mechanisms collection.”
Limitations
- Plan limits apply: All Elicit workflows are subject to the usage limit for the user’s plan.
- Systematic Review access: Available to Pro, Scale, and Enterprise subscribers.
- Research Agent scope: The Research Agent is designed to assist with research, not to write users’ content for them.
- Some outputs need a paid plan: Figure generation is available on paid plans.
Troubleshooting and Mistakes to Avoid
- Answer clarifying questions: The Agent may ask about source preferences, output structure and scope before it begins.
- Check where the evidence came from: The Agent distinguishes saved Library sources from sources found in a broader search.
- Verify important claims: Open the original source for important claims and check that it supports the conclusion you plan to use.
Who Uses It
Formation Bio: Formation Bio used Elicit to extract over 40 technical statistical variables from 300 papers, 5 times faster than typical processes.
These results come from vendor-published case studies, and results for individuals may be more modest.
Similar Tools
- ChatGPT: A quick starting point for research and learning.
Quick Start Checklist
- Choose a workflow: Most research starts in the Agent. Reports are designed for a quick overview of a topic space. Systematic Reviews are best when you need full control and specific structured outputs.
- Ask in plain language: Ask your research question in plain language and add any useful context.
- Set the Agent’s effort: Every new session starts at Balanced, so set the slider each time you want a different level.
- Review and refine: Ask follow-up questions about the results and request changes or additions to the existing output.
- Keep a record: Save useful sources and note how you searched so you can revisit your research later.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which Elicit workflow should I start with?
Most research starts in the Agent. Reports are designed for a quick overview of a topic space. Systematic Reviews are best when you need full control and specific structured outputs.
Can I use my own papers?
The Research Agent works from papers you have already collected and searches your Library and collections you have access to, including collections shared with you, before reaching for the wider literature.
Can I work with colleagues?
Customers on Scale or Enterprise plans can work together in Research Agent sessions.
Can I export a Research Report?
Yes. Research Reports can be exported in PDF or Word format.
Does the Research Agent search outside academic papers?
Yes. Its sources can include the broader web, clinical databases, regulatory documents, company announcements and product labels.
When to Choose Another Tool
- Perplexity: Choose Perplexity instead when your priority is a fast answer with a clear summary.
- Andi Search: Choose Andi Search instead if you want a quick starting point for understanding an unfamiliar topic.
Summary
Choose an option based on how much structure your question needs and what outputs you want.
The Research Agent can pull from a wide range of sources, produce flexible outputs and let you iterate until you have what you need.
Last checked: October 2026
