Welcome to the OISE Library’s Critical Search Skills for Graduate Students! This series is designed for graduate students in education and social sciences who want to level up their literature searching skills while striving for critical and responsible information practices. 

You can attend these sessions individually or as a complete series—choose the ones that best meet your searching needs. 

This is Session 3: Untangling AI in the Literature Search Process.  

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become a big topic of conversation across academia in recent years. AI search tools are showing up in Google, academic databases, and as a potential resource for designing and refining your searches. However, there is much to untangle as graduate researchers in terms of how you are using AI in your searching, and the many factors that can inform responsible and ethical AI use. 

Please note, this session is not a tutorial for how to use specific AI tools. Instead, we hope to foster a collaborative and curious environment where we can discuss AI use at the graduate level, leaving you feeling more confident with your understanding of the AI landscape and able to make informed decision on AI use in your search process.  

By the end of this session, you will be able to:  

• Define and identify the different kinds of AI and the mechanisms that underly how they work.  
• Recognize the impacts and ethical considerations of AI use in your search process.  
• Consider what responsible and informed AI use looks like to you.  
• Reference University of Toronto policies and resources for AI use.  
• Understand how AI already is becoming integrated in literature searching – and where your own unique expertise comes into play!  

This session consists of a series of librarian-led lectures, demonstrations, and hands-on work periods and discussions periods where you will have time to explore your own relationship to and perspectives of AI.  

If you have any questions or accessibility needs, please contact Mackenzie Blanchett at mackenzie.blanchett@utoronto.ca. We kindly ask that you provide as much advanced notice as possible. 

Additional sessions: Check out the other sessions OISE Library’s Graduate Search Skills Series! 

• Session 1: Turning Great Ideas into Effective Search Questions (Monday, January 27 OR Friday, January 31)
• Session 2: Fundamentals of Strategic Searching (Monday, February 10 OR Friday, February 14)
• Session 4: Implementing a Critical Citation Practice (Tuesday, March 25 OR Friday, March 28)