George Fox Library is pleased to announce access to Consensus, a powerful research tool that searches and analyzes 250M+ academic papers, including licensed, full-text content from leading academic publishers (Wiley, Sage, ACS, APA, and more). Unlike general AI tools like ChatGPT, Consensus exclusively searches peer-reviewed content and only uses generative AI after the scholarly literature is searched. Each Consensus citation links to a real, verifiable source – no hallucinations!
When should I use Consensus?
Wherever you are in the research process, Consensus can help you reach your goals:
- Conducting or strengthening a literature review
- Exploring new or unfamiliar topics quickly
- Identifying key papers, authors, and influential research
- Finding support for arguments and spotting research gaps
- Finding evidence‐based answers and verifying claims
- Grant or scientific writing
Consensus has been extremely valuable for conducting highly specific user-specified searches that mine peer-reviewed biomedical literature. This task was previously a manual process that could be hit-or-miss. Consensus can quickly find relevant and useful references for a variety of queries I have had for my own research in cellular and mitochondrial bioenergetics, as well as for current literature reviews I conduct for updating topics taught in my advanced courses in cell biology and physiology. The links provided by the search allow me to directly access the references for instant validation.
— Jeff Duerr, Professor of Biology
How can I search Consensus?
Consensus can easily handle however you want to search. For example, you can use keyword, natural language, or Boolean logic searches. You may also type in paper titles, author names, or DOI-based queries. This flexibility extends to specific instructions (i.e. “create a table”, “make a bulleted list”, “find the research gaps” etc.).
Finally, Consensus offers three search modes – Paper (Quick), Pro, and Deep – each providing different levels of analysis:
| Mode | What It Does | Best For |
| Paper search (formerly Quick Search) | Provides a list of relevant papers for your query without a summary (located under Tools in the bottom-left corner). | Quick overviews, fact-checking |
| Pro | Analyzes up to 20 papers, providing a more thoughtful summary and connections between findings. | Starting a project, identifying key papers, literature reviews |
| Deep | Conducts a comprehensive literature review across up to 50 papers | In-depth exploration of complex topics, advanced projects |
Can I access full text articles in Consensus?
Yes! Because Consensus searches both paywalled and open access articles within its corpus, citation links are labeled “PDF” for open access content and “Full Text” for content behind a paywall. PDF links will take you directly to the content, and Full Text links will take you to the publisher’s website. To enable Full Text links that lead directly to George Fox content, Consensus will prompt users who sign up with an @georgefox.edu email address to confirm George Fox University as their LibKey institution.
How do I start using Consensus?
To try it out, go to https://consensus.app/ and sign in with your George Fox email address. If you’re interested in a future-focused research tool combining powerful AI-based functionality with vast scholarly literature data, Consensus can be a great place to explore. To learn more, or if you have questions, please check out the library’s Consensus LibGuide or Ask a Librarian!
Learn more:
https://consensus.app/home/resources/consensus-libguide-for-academic-research
https://consensus.app/home/blog/30m-in-new-funding-to-reach-the-next-10m-researchers
https://libguides.health.unm.edu/c.php?g=1514769&p=11331469#s-lg-box-35606426