Theoretical Foundations in Human Relationships Research

While using Generative AI (GenAI) tools such as ChatGPT for academic research can be helpful in getting a general overview, explaining complex concepts in simpler terms, or generating keywords or search terms for databases, there are several important reasons why you should avoid relying on the well-known free tools as a primary or sole source for academic research.

1. Limited language model
   • GenAI queries a large language model made up of public, freely available data (web pages, Wikipedia, etc.), and does not include much academic or peer-reviewed content. As of August 2025, Reddit and Wikipedia now dominate ChatGPT citations.
2. Lack of source transparency
   • GenAI doesn’t cite sources unless explicitly asked, and even then, it can generate fake or inaccurate citations. This makes it unsuitable for producing verifiable, citable academic content.
3. Potential for inaccuracy
   • While GenAI is generally reliable, it can produce confident-sounding but incorrect or misleading information, especially in niche or rapidly evolving fields.
4. Lack of critical analysis
   • GenAI summarizes well but does not engage in deep, critical thinking or original analysis, which is essential for high-quality academic work.

If you do use GenAI, remember to acknowledge and/or cite the tool(s) you use.

The following list contains examples of AI Research tools that include scholarly material; tools such as ChatGPT or CoPilot are not included. The list is not meant to be exhaustive, and is likely out-of-date the moment the page was saved (Last updated: August 15, 2025). The tools generally offer basic free or advanced paid versions. 

• Semantic Scholar
• Elicit
• Consensus
• OpenRead
• Scite.AI
• Paper Digest
• Research Rabbit
• Inciteful
• Litmaps
• Scholarcy

Grey Literature is material produced by organizations that are not considered traditional commercial or academic publishers. While it does not usually undergo formal peer-review, grey literature can still be considered authoritative depending on the publishing organization or individual’s recognized expertise. There is a lot of debate over what materials are considered grey literature; if you have any doubt if a resource you would like to use can be considered grey lit for the purposes of your assignment, contact your instructor to find out how they would classify it. Grey literature can include:

• Policy documents
• Government website pages
• Commission reports
• Association publications
• Theses and dissertations
• Technical reports
• Conference papers
• Non-government organization (NGO) publications
• Statistics, surveys, research reports
• Standards or regulations
• Annual reports
• Popular (non-peer-reviewed) magazine articles

You can find some types of grey literature in our databases by changing the "item type." There is no single database that covers grey literature well, so Google is helpful in cases like this. Consider the following tips when searching Google, often using these in combination:

• limit to domain
  • site:ca, site:edu
• limit to document type
  • filetype:pdf, filetype:pptx
• think how a document might phrase something, enclose that in quotes
  • heterodox "sufi islam" filetype:pdf site:edu

 Below are some links to some possible sources of grey literature.

Available through Laurier Library

Available online

• The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives
  • Institute concerned with issues of social, economic and environmental justice.
• Canadian Council on Social Development
  • Connecting not-for-profit, philanthropic, government and business organizations.
• Canadian Think Tanks (McGill University)
  • A-Z list of Canadian Think Tanks.
• The Council of Canadians
  • A social action organization.
• Institute for Social Research (York University)
  • Houses the largest university-based survey research centre in Canada.

"Predatory journals and publishers are entities that prioritize self-interest at the expense of scholarship and are characterized by false or misleading information, deviation from best editorial and publication practices, a lack of transparency, and/or the use of aggressive and indiscriminate solicitation practices.” Phil Hurst (Sept 2022), "Predatory journals: how to avoid being prey?" The Royal Society blog.

"Gaining experience through publishing is all well and good, but if a researcher publishes in a predatory journal before gaining this knowledge, it is too late – a fact acknowledged by the authors." Simon Linacre (August 2025), "Predators Lurk Closer to Home" Cabell's 'The Source' blog.

• International Journal of Arts and Humanities (example)
  • see this call for papers from August 2025

Here are some ways to avoid incorporating predatory content in your research:

• to search for content in Omni or one of the Library's subject databases
• Despite its merits, Google Scholar does not discriminate on what it indexes
• Try to locate the publication title in Ulrich's Global Serials Directory