Elicit Review:
based on real mystery shopping

A*Help Score: 67/100
🔥 published April 1, 2024 - updated April 29, 2024

Quick Overview

Elicit seems to be a bit of an underdog among other various online reference-finding tools, with an A*Help score of 67. It’s a platform that boasts its capacity to scan through academic papers, but it doesn’t appear to provide a full set of facilities for managing references. From the get-go, Elicit presents a straightforward proposition: access to a variety of academic papers with the unique ability to filter by the presence of PDFs. However, it’s akin to window shopping for academic resources—you can see what’s available but will need to venture elsewhere to fully benefit from those finds.

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The Good
  • Ability to filter searches to include only documents with PDFs.
  • Simple, navigable interface.
The Bad
  • No options for citation formatting
  • The functionality for managing references is minimal

Elicit: Searching Quality – 38/50 ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Elicit performs inconsistently in terms of search quality. It provides good access to journals and allows users to apply a “Has PDF” filter, which is useful for individuals seeking for full-text papers. However, its ability to thoroughly cater to varied study kinds and domains falls short, with insufficient help in choosing specific domains for research. The platform’s strengths include relevancy and up-to-date information, as well as the ability to conduct particular searches. However, the total lack of citation formatting choices severely limits its usefulness for academic writing and research.

🔍 SEARCH REQUEST 👍 RELEVANT RESULTS 🏆 FEATURES HIGHLY-CITED SOURCES
Climate change effects on Polar bears
Newest data on Mars rover findings

Elicit: Value for money – 18/25 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

In terms of value for money, Elicit’s Pro plan at $10 per month, billed annually, offers additional credits, high accuracy mode, and priority customer support among other features. The free plan, however, is quite restrictive with a one-time allocation of 5000 credits and limited functionality. The cost-benefit ratio could be improved, as the tool offers less compared to other platforms that might charge similarly but provide more comprehensive services.

An image of the Elicit page showing searching results
Search results at Elicit (click to see a large image)
10/10
Subscription cost
5/5
Free features

Elicit: Overall Experience – 11/25 ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Our overall experience with Elicit was mediocre. The interface is simple to use, with a straightforward structure and a minimal color palette. All this facilitates quick navigation. However, the absence of essential functionality, like saving references, citing, copying, or sharing them, significantly limits its usefulness as a research tool. The lack of an app and the platform’s difficult accessibility on mobile devices increases the friction. Customer assistance appears to be limited, with mainly message and FAQ alternatives, while the majority of users are likely to prefer instant online chat.

A screenshot featuring filtering options at Elicit
Available filter options at Elicit (click to see a large image)
3/10
User experience
4/5
Speed and efficiency
3/8
Mobile accessibility

Conclusion

Finally, Elicit’s concentration on selecting academic publications for PDF accessibility, as well as its credit system, make for an intriguing notion. However, the website feels more like a first step in the research process than a full tool for storing and exploiting academic materials. Its limits in source diversity, citation capabilities, and general user experience make it a less appealing alternative to users seeking a comprehensive reference management system. Elicit may be appropriate for those searching for a simple approach to get academic articles, but it may fall short of thorough research and writing requirements.

FAQ

Elicit Reviews

Our team at AcademicHelp has thoroughly evaluated Elicit, incorporating a blend of user feedback from multiple platforms such as TrustPilot, Reviews.io, Sitejabber, and discussions on Reddit. This approach allows us to capture a wide range of opinions and experiences with Elicit. Coupled with our own hands-on testing of the service, we aim to provide a balanced and comprehensive review.

Is Elicit a scam?

No, Elicit is not a scam. It offers legitimate services aimed at helping users find and filter academic papers, although it has limitations regarding reference management and citation formatting.

Is Elicit legit?

Yes, Elicit is a legitimate tool for researchers and academics looking to find papers with specific criteria, such as the availability of PDFs.

Is Elicit safe?

Yes, using Elicit is safe. The platform provides access to academic papers without compromising user security.

Is Elicit trustworthy?

Elicit is trustworthy for what it offers – a means to discover academic articles. However, users should be aware of its limitations, such as the lack of citation tools.

Is Elivit a good service?

Elicit has its strengths, particularly in filtering for academic papers with available PDFs. However, its utility may be limited for users who need comprehensive reference management and citation features.

Elicit Specs

> Quality and Variety of Sources
journals
booksn/a
conferencesn/a
> Comprehensiveness (study types, domains)
access to full texts or abstracts
Relevance (Up-to-Date Information)
> Citation Formatting
MLA
APA
Chicago
Harvard
Other styles
Subscription Cost / pricing

Free plan (5000 credits one time):

+ searches for papers
+ extracts data from papers
+ finds concepts accross papers
+ saves results to preview later
– can’t buy more credits
– cant’s export results

Pro plan $10 per month billed annually (12000 credits per month):

+ buy more credits
+ export results to CVS and BIB
+ high accuracy mode
+ priority customer support
> User experience
saving
copying
sharing
Integration with Reference Management Tools
search functionality and filtering options
AI assistant
> Support
live chat
blog
help center

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