ScholarBot: An Intelligent Chatbot for Research Paper Retrieval
and Summarization
Amarja Kumbhar
October 13, 2024
Abstract
This project focuses on designing a chatbot capable of interacting with users to retrieve relevant research
papers from Google Scholar and university databases. The chatbot will serve as an efficient tool for
researchers, students, and professionals seeking academic information, allowing them to input natural
language queries and receive links and metadata for pertinent research papers. The primary objective
is to streamline the process of discovering scholarly resources by integrating with established research
platforms and university repositories.
As an extension, the project will explore the possibility of incorporating AI-powered features to sum-
marize research papers and answer user queries based on the retrieved information. These advanced
functionalities, if within scope, will use Natural Language Processing (NLP) models to generate concise
summaries and respond to specific questions by analyzing the content of the papers. This enhance-
ment aims to further simplify the research process, helping users quickly comprehend complex research
materials.
The chatbot’s development will prioritize ease of use, seamless access to academic resources, and the
potential for personalized responses based on user preferences. The extended features will enrich the
user experience, making academic research more accessible and actionable for a wider audience.
Problem Statement
The main objective of this project is to design a chatbot that interacts with users to retrieve research
papers from Google Scholar and university databases. The extended goal, if within scope, is to summarize
the retrieved papers and answer user queries based on the content of the papers.
Project Scope
• Develop a chatbot that can process user queries to search and retrieve relevant academic papers
from Google Scholar and university databases.
• Integrate APIs such as Google Scholar API for access to research papers.
• Provide users with metadata (e.g., title, author, and citation) and links to the full paper.
• Optionally, extend the chatbot’s functionality to summarize research papers and answer specific
user questions using NLP techniques.
Technology Stack
• NLP Frameworks: OpenAI GPT-4, Hugging Face Transformers.
• APIs: Google Scholar API, university database APIs.
• Backend: Python for chatbot logic and API handling.
• Frontend: Not decided yet.
• Cloud Hosting: Not decided yet.
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Conclusion
The AI-powered chatbot will revolutionize the way researchers interact with academic literature by
simplifying paper retrieval and comprehension. By potentially extending the project to include summa-
rization and answering user queries, the chatbot will further enhance research efficiency and accessibility.
