What is the Primo Research Assistant?

The Primo Research Assistant is a generative AI-powered library discovery tool that enables users to search the library catalogue using natural language. It provides concise summaries of top-ranked academic sources and offers options to explore additional results or refine research questions for deeper research. 

How does the Primo Research Assistant work?

To use Primo Research Assistant, you must be signed in to the Library catalogue (click on My Library Login). Select the Research Assistant icon in the toolbar at the top of the page and ask a question using everyday language.

The Research Assistant scans the library catalogue to identify five relevant sources and generates concise summaries based on their descriptions and abstracts. Additionally, it provides citations for these top five sources, along with options to view more results and refine search queries for better accuracy.

How do I formulate a good question?

To make the most of the Research Assistant, it's essential to ask clear and detailed questions about academic topics. Be as specific as possible, and phrase your query in the form of a question. Example queries can be found on the Primo Research Assistant starting screen.

What are the limitations of the Primo Research Assistant?

• It does not search the entire library catalogue. Only selected online content is included, excluding print resources, newspapers, and certain open-access and commercial publishers (e.g., JSTOR).
• Search results may include resources that are not available in the SAE Library, as it does not filter by availability (it uses library expanded search).
• Summaries are generated only from abstracts and chapter or article descriptions, not the full text of the sources.
• As Large Language Models may generate inaccurate responses, it is always recommended to verify the accuracy of the information by cross-referencing it with the provided source materials.

• Follow-up questions are not currently supported. Each question stands by itself. For example, if you ask the question: "Does the tempo of music influence emotion?" you cannot ask the follow-up question: "How?" and expect the system to understand its context with the previous question. At this time, you will have to include all relevant information in each question.

The Primo Research Assistant is a great starting point for commencing your research. Continue exploring resources via the Library Catalogue or from our A-Z Databases & eResources list. 

Can I use the tool in my assessments?

Please seek advice from your unit facilitator or check your assessment instructions to confirm that you can use AI tools such as Primo Research Assistant.

For information on using AI tools ethically, see Using AI.

For detailed information about using Primo Research Assistant, see the publisher support pages here.