Artificial Intelligence and the Automation of Literature Reviews in Educational Research: An Analytical Approach

The aim of the present study was to explore—through an analytical approach to the existing literature—the dimensions of automating literature reviews in educational research using artificial intelligence tools. The study sought to identify the aspects, contributions, challenges, and potential improvements related to the use of automation. A mixed-methods approach was employed, wherein the synthesis of the analytical review was formulated as a checklist that was validated by fifteen experts to assess their evaluations on the matter. The findings indicated that most components of the literature review process can be carried out using AI tools, contributing to time and effort savings as well as enhanced productivity, despite the presence of certain challenges. Experts' ratings across the four main dimensions of the checklist predominantly reached the level of "Strongly Agree." The study recommended implementing the procedures revealed in the findings regarding the enhancement of AI utilization in automating literature reviews in educational research, in order to ensure safe and responsible use within a critical ethical framework that guarantees trust in outcomes while maintaining research originality.