Exploring Consensus for AI-Powered Academic Searching (OSU Free Trial Available)

December 2, 2025

Consensus is available through the Library for a free, limited-time trial to Oklahoma State University students, faculty and staff through Sep. 30, 2026. Consensus is an AI-powered search engine designed specifically for combing through academic literature. Semantic Scholar, OpenAlex and PubMed are just a few of the sources of peer-reviewed content that Consensus references. After a search is performed, Consensus uses generative AI to provide cited summaries and syntheses of the findings.

Matt Upson, a research and learning engagement librarian offers some critical thinking advice to keep in mind while using any AI tools for research. “We’ve always spent a lot of time as librarians working to teach students how to critically evaluate any information they encounter, and while GenAI offers some new and potentially frightening twists on source evaluation, we know that this skill, this disposition, remains more important than ever. So, when you use these tools, if you choose to use them, you’ve got to apply those same approaches – be skeptical, follow-up and confirm information, cross-reference information, dig into the true source, rather than just rely on the AI summary.”

The Library has several resources that can help guide researchers as they use AI for research. Register for the next Consensus workshop on Monday, Dec. 1, browse the Library’s guide on AI in Academic Research and Writing, connect with a liaison librarian for personal guidance or watch Inform Your Thinking: Episode 8 – AI on the Library’s YouTube channel at https://youtu.be/YLubij5sqKk.

URL: https://library-dep.okstate.edu/news/latest-news/exploring-consensus-for-ai-powered-academic-searching-(osu-free-trial-available)

Last Updated: 12 January 2026