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ZENODO
Preprint . 2025
License: CC BY
Data sources: ZENODO
ZENODO
Preprint . 2025
License: CC BY
Data sources: Datacite
ZENODO
Preprint . 2025
License: CC BY
Data sources: Datacite
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Harnessing AI in Humanities Research: Ensuring Authentic Insight Despite Fabricated Citations and Model Bias

Authors: Harrsch, Mary;

Harnessing AI in Humanities Research: Ensuring Authentic Insight Despite Fabricated Citations and Model Bias

Abstract

As artificial intelligence becomes increasingly embedded in scholarly practice, its role within the humanities requires both methodological clarity and critical scrutiny. This paper presents a practical, multi-agent workflow for integrating generative AI into historical research while maintaining rigorous academic standards. Drawing on the author’s use of DeepSeek for factual retrieval, ChatGPT for dialogic interpretation and narrative synthesis, and ClaudeAI for structural review, the study demonstrates how different models can function as complementary counterparts—mirroring the distributed expertise of peer review. Through case studies—including the development of a quantitative framework for assessing household wealth in Pompeii, the reconstruction of post-catastrophe cultural cycles in Mesoamerica, and the reinterpretation of ancient Mediterranean artifacts—the paper illustrates how iterative questioning enables AI to operate as an intellectual partner rather than a passive search tool. The analysis also highlights the risks inherent in relying on opaque training models, such as citation fabrication, semantic drift, and uncritical reinforcement of user assumptions. To mitigate these challenges, the paper outlines verification protocols grounded in cross-checking with authoritative databases such as WorldCat, Google Scholar, and JSTOR, and discusses the use of generative image tools (Adobe Firefly, DALL·E) to create historically informed visualizations while maintaining ethical and evidentiary standards. Ultimately, the study argues that AI can significantly amplify humanistic inquiry—expanding interdisciplinary reach, accelerating interpretive insight, and supporting the construction of deeper historical understanding—provided scholars remain vigilant stewards of evidence, provenance, and context.

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Keywords

Citation Management, Large Language Models, Artificial Intelligence, Generative AI, Multi-Agent Workflow, Dialogic Inquiry, Ai-assisted research, Verification Protocols, Digial Humanities, AI-assisted Algorithmic development, Research Ethics, AI guardrails

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    popularity
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    influence
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selected citations
These citations are derived from selected sources.
This is an alternative to the "Influence" indicator, which also reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
BIP!Citations provided by BIP!
popularity
This indicator reflects the "current" impact/attention (the "hype") of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network.
BIP!Popularity provided by BIP!
influence
This indicator reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
BIP!Influence provided by BIP!
impulse
This indicator reflects the initial momentum of an article directly after its publication, based on the underlying citation network.
BIP!Impulse provided by BIP!
0
Average
Average
Average
Green
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