Troubleshooting Common Problems

Solutions for overwhelming paper counts, hallucinated citations, bland synthesis, paywalls, and evolving questions

This chapter addresses the 5 most common problems encountered when using AI for literature reviews, with tested solutions for each.

Remember: Most research problems are process problems, not knowledge problems. When stuck, the issue is usually unclear workflow rather than missing information. Return to the systematic workflow and work through one stage at a time.

Advanced Techniques

Level up your research with multi-round iteration, citation tiers, contradiction analysis, visual synthesis, and living reviews

Quality Control Checklist

Quality standards for research content, process integrity, and red flags to watch for

Troubleshooting Common Problems

Problem 1: I Found 200 Relevant Papers, Not 20

Problem 2: AI Keeps Hallucinating Citations

Problem 3: The Synthesis Feels Generic and Bland

Problem 4: I Can't Access Paywalled Papers

Problem 5: My Research Question Keeps Changing