Improving the quality of research

ChatGPT Feature requests
1

Subject: Recommendation for OpenAI – Dramatically Empower ChatGPT through Integration with Proprietary Academic Databases

Dear OpenAI Team,

I am an academic researcher specializing in communication science, propaganda studies, psychology and other related fields. I frequently rely on ChatGPT to assist with literature reviews, data analysis, and research synthesis. While ChatGPT provides valuable insights and access to open-access materials, its capabilities are limited by the lack of access to proprietary academic databases such as:

  • SAGE Journals
  • Gale Academic OneFile
  • Communication & Mass Media Complete (CMMC)
  • JSTOR
  • Taylor & Francis Online
  • Elsevier ScienceDirect (beyond open-access content)

Why This Matters

  • Hundreds of high-impact journals and tens of thousands of articles in every academic field are behind paywalls, making it difficult for ChatGPT to retrieve cutting-edge, peer-reviewed research. I have noticed that CHATGPG can offer excellent analysis of scientific concepts, but it cannot provide the impactful citations that explain where it obtained this information. As a researcher, I can’t use ideas that I cannot cite. When I ask it to provide citations, it offers me Wikipedia or blogs that I can’t use in research.
  • Open-access sources are helpful but often do not include the most rigorous and widely cited studies.
  • Advanced literature reviews, theoretical synthesis, and citation analysis would be significantly improved with full-text access to these databases.

Potential Benefits of Database Integration

  1. More Accurate and Comprehensive Research Assistance – ChatGPT would provide better article recommendations and deeper theoretical insights based on proprietary sources.
  2. Improved Citation and Literature Mapping – Access to paywalled citation networks would allow for better meta-analyses and literature trend analysis.
  3. Enhanced Research Productivity – Researchers could streamline literature reviews without needing to manually retrieve articles from multiple databases.

Suggested Implementation Options

  • API Integration with Academic Databases – Collaborate with database providers (e.g., EBSCO, ProQuest, Elsevier) to allow access via institutional login or API access.
  • Subscription-Based Access for Researchers – Offer a premium tier where researchers with institutional credentials can connect their accounts for enhanced search capabilities. This would be especially valuable to me as I am an independent researcher with a real job and not affiliated with a university because I am not a professor. So I do not have access to a university library with proprietary databases. I would pay up to $20 more for this premium tier.
  • Partnerships with Universities and Research Institutions – Enable access via library authentication systems, similar to how Google Scholar integrates with university subscriptions.

Conclusion

Integrating proprietary academic databases would significantly enhance the capabilities of ChatGPT for academic researchers, making it a more powerful tool for literature reviews, knowledge synthesis, and scholarly communication. I strongly encourage OpenAI to consider pursuing partnerships with academic content providers to improve research assistance for scholars, educators, and students.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,
Douglas S Wilbur, PhD