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Main Authors: Ye, Runlong, Lee, Patrick Yung Kang, Varona, Matthew, Huang, Oliver, Nobre, Carolina
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
Subjects:
Online Access:https://arxiv.org/abs/2504.14406
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author Ye, Runlong
Lee, Patrick Yung Kang
Varona, Matthew
Huang, Oliver
Nobre, Carolina
author_facet Ye, Runlong
Lee, Patrick Yung Kang
Varona, Matthew
Huang, Oliver
Nobre, Carolina
contents Synthesizing knowledge from large document collections is a critical yet increasingly complex aspect of qualitative research and knowledge work. While AI offers automation potential, effectively integrating it into human-centric sensemaking workflows remains challenging. We present ScholarMate, an interactive system designed to augment qualitative analysis by unifying AI assistance with human oversight. ScholarMate enables researchers to dynamically arrange and interact with text snippets on a non-linear canvas, leveraging AI for theme suggestions, multi-level summarization, and evidence-based theme naming, while ensuring transparency through traceability to source documents. Initial pilot studies indicated that users value this mixed-initiative approach, finding the balance between AI suggestions and direct manipulation crucial for maintaining interpretability and trust. We further demonstrate the system's capability through a case study analyzing 24 papers. By balancing automation with human control, ScholarMate enhances efficiency and supports interpretability, offering a valuable approach for productive human-AI collaboration in demanding sensemaking tasks common in knowledge work.
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publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle ScholarMate: A Mixed-Initiative Tool for Qualitative Knowledge Work and Information Sensemaking
Ye, Runlong
Lee, Patrick Yung Kang
Varona, Matthew
Huang, Oliver
Nobre, Carolina
Human-Computer Interaction
Artificial Intelligence
Synthesizing knowledge from large document collections is a critical yet increasingly complex aspect of qualitative research and knowledge work. While AI offers automation potential, effectively integrating it into human-centric sensemaking workflows remains challenging. We present ScholarMate, an interactive system designed to augment qualitative analysis by unifying AI assistance with human oversight. ScholarMate enables researchers to dynamically arrange and interact with text snippets on a non-linear canvas, leveraging AI for theme suggestions, multi-level summarization, and evidence-based theme naming, while ensuring transparency through traceability to source documents. Initial pilot studies indicated that users value this mixed-initiative approach, finding the balance between AI suggestions and direct manipulation crucial for maintaining interpretability and trust. We further demonstrate the system's capability through a case study analyzing 24 papers. By balancing automation with human control, ScholarMate enhances efficiency and supports interpretability, offering a valuable approach for productive human-AI collaboration in demanding sensemaking tasks common in knowledge work.
title ScholarMate: A Mixed-Initiative Tool for Qualitative Knowledge Work and Information Sensemaking
topic Human-Computer Interaction
Artificial Intelligence
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2504.14406