Elicit
Overview
Elicit is an AI research assistant built specifically for academic literature. Unlike general-purpose chat AI, Elicit searches 138+ million academic papers and 545,000 clinical trials using semantic search, and helps with summarization, data extraction, and paper screening. Its target users are researchers, graduate students, clinicians, and evidence-based decision makers.
Key Features
1. Semantic Academic Search
Elicit surfaces relevant research across 138M+ papers based on meaning, not exact keyword matches — surfacing specialized work that general chatbots miss.
2. Systematic Review Support
Elicit automatically screens thousands of papers against custom inclusion/exclusion criteria and explains each decision. The platform claims to cut systematic review time by up to 80%.
3. Sentence-Level Citations
Every AI-generated claim links back to the exact sentence in the source paper, so researchers can verify grounding instantly — a strong defense against hallucination.
4. Data Extraction Tables
Elicit extracts interventions, outcomes, sample sizes, and statistical significance across multiple papers into a comparable table — invaluable for meta-analysis and literature reviews.
5. Collaborative Notebooks
Teams can review papers and edit extractions together in real time, making Elicit suitable for research groups rather than individuals only.
Pricing (2026)
| Plan | Monthly | Key Perks |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | $0 | Search, summaries, limited runs |
| Plus | $12 ($120/yr) | 4 automated reports per month |
| Pro | $49 ($499/yr) | 12 reports or systematic reviews per month |
| Team | $79/seat ($780/yr) | 20 reports, collaboration, sharing |
Typical Use Cases
- Thesis and dissertation literature reviews
- Systematic reviews for medical and clinical research
- Policy and evidence-based decision support
- Patent and technical landscape scouting
Strengths
- Purpose-built for 138M+ academic papers and clinical trials
- Sentence-level citations mitigate hallucination risk
- Dramatically speeds up systematic reviews
Weaknesses
- Weaker for non-academic content (general news, etc.)
- Monthly report limits can feel tight on heavy projects
- Team plan is expensive for small labs
Official
- Website: https://elicit.com