Reading Assistant - Frequently Asked Questions

A: Reading Assistant is an AI-powered feature built into ClinicalKey Student. When you open a book chapter or journal article, the assistant panel appears alongside the content. You can request a summary, ask it questions about the chapter or article, and receive answers grounded in that specific source — with references linked back to the exact supporting passages.

A: No. Reading Assistant is specifically designed to answer questions about the article or chapter currently open on your screen. It does not draw on any other source. The assistant helps you understand the content in front of you and does not generate answers from elsewhere.

A: ClinicalKey Student offers three AI capabilities and there is Osmosis AI, each designed for a different purpose:

StudyFinder is an AI-powered study tool for students. Enter a topic or question to receive AI-generated summaries, high-yield exam notes, curated practice questions, and interactive clinical cases — all drawn from the CKS content library. You can also upload a document to generate AI summaries based on your own content StudyFinder works like an intelligent study guide — you bring the topic; it finds and synthesizes the content.

Assessment Creator is an AI tool for faculty. It generates Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) and Problem-Based Learning (PBL) cases based on topics educators specify. Questions can be saved, edited, downloaded, or deployed as assignments via a connected LMS. Assessment Creator is designed to save educators time in building assessments grounded in trusted CKS content.

Osmosis AI for students — is a conversational AI study tutor that helps students understand concepts through clear, cited explanations, Osmosis videos, and AI-generated practice materials including flashcards and questions.

Reading Assistant for students and faculty is an AI panel embedded directly on the content page. While you are reading a specific book chapter or journal article, you can ask questions about that source and receive answers with linked references back to the supporting passage. Reading Assistant does not search across the library — it helps you interrogate the content currently in front of you.

Think of it this way: StudyFinder helps you find and learn about a topic across the CKS library. Reading Assistant helps you go deeper into the specific chapter or article you have already opened.

A: No. Reading Assistant is a proven feature already in production on ScienceDirect and ClinicalKey. ClinicalKey Student is adopting the same underlying technology, so you benefit from an established, tested implementation.

A: Yes. Reading Assistant is built in line with Elsevier's Responsible AI principles. Responses are grounded in trusted Elsevier content; sources are always cited so answers can be verified, and the feature is designed to support — not replace — the judgement of students, educators, and healthcare professionals.

A: Open any supported chapter or article in ClinicalKey Student and look for the Reading Assistant panel. You can:

• Start with a summary to quickly grasp what the chapter covers before deciding whether to read fully.
• Ask targeted questions and surface quick answers.
• Click the references in the AI response to jump directly to the supporting passage in the source.

A: Yes. Reading Assistant is well-suited to high-yield, time-pressured study. Effective exam-prep prompts include:

• "Summarise this chapter in 5 key points."
• "What are the key findings discussed?"
• "If I only have 2 minutes, what should I know from this chapter?"

Always use the linked references to verify answers against the original source before exams.

A: Yes. Within the same content session, you can ask multiple questions and build on previous responses — all grounded in the same chapter or article.

A: No. Reading Assistant does not save your questions or responses. Each time you open a new article or chapter, the conversation starts fresh. If there is an answer you want to keep, copy it before navigating away.

A: Always verify using the linked references. Click the reference number in the response to jump to the supporting passage. If you believe the assistant has misrepresented the content, use the thumbs down button and select a reason — your feedback helps improve the system. Reading Assistant is a study aid, not a substitute for reading the primary source.

A: Reading Assistant can support course preparation and curriculum design:

• Use summaries to quickly assess whether a chapter is appropriate for a given learning objective.
• Ask the assistant to extract key learning points for lecture slides or case discussions.
• Identify high-yield content: "What are the most important takeaways from this chapter?"
• Build a reading list or collection with targeted page references by using the linked source passages.

A: Yes. Reading Assistant is designed to improve comprehension and reduce the cognitive effort required to extract information from dense clinical content — particularly helpful for students studying under time pressure. Encourage students to always verify AI responses using the linked source passages.

A: No. Your data is not used to train AI models. Reading Assistant interactions remain private.

A: No. Reading Assistant only generates responses from content your institution has licensed. If you are not entitled to access a specific article or chapter, the assistant will not activate for that content. AI access never exceeds your content access rights.

A: Every response includes references linked to the specific source passages that support the answer. Click any reference to jump to the highlighted text in the original chapter or article. This allows you to verify the response directly against the trusted Elsevier source. If you find an error, use the thumbs down button to flag it.

A: Access to Reading Assistant is controlled at the institutional level. If you have concerns about the feature, please contact your institution's library administrator or ClinicalKey Student account manager.

A: Reading Assistant currently supports book chapters and journal articles within ClinicalKey Student.

A: Reading Assistant processes the text content of the chapter or article. While image metadata may be included for context, it does not analyse image, figure or table content directly. For questions that require interpreting figures or diagrams, please review the source material directly.

A: Reading Assistant is built to handle the long-form medical content typical in ClinicalKey Student, including full textbook chapters. If a response seems incomplete for a very long chapter, try asking a more specific question to help the system focus on the most relevant sections.

A: Reading Assistant follows the same access rules as the rest of ClinicalKey Student. Check the platform's supported devices page or contact your institution's administrator for the latest information on mobile availability.