AAEL Labs #1
Turning Google Scholar Alerts into a Research Intelligence Pipeline
Most researchers subscribe to Google Scholar alerts.
Very few have a system for actually processing hundreds of papers efficiently.
So this week I tested the idea using the AAEL framework (AI-Augmented Exploratory Learning).
The Study (Problem)
Instead of manually scanning alerts, I built a small Python agent that converts Google Scholar alerts into a structured research pipeline.
The goal was simple:
Can a lightweight AI-assisted workflow turn passive research alerts into an active research intelligence system?
Key Results from the First Run
The system processed:
• 256 Google Scholar alert emails
• 1,389 research articles extracted
• 1,113 unique papers after deduplication
The pipeline automatically generated:
• a Research SitRep summarizing the most relevant papers
• a structured research CSV database
• a NotebookLM research packet for literature analysis
Finally, the system deletes the processed Scholar alerts to keep the inbox clean.
Python / Systems Perspective
Technically, the system is very simple.
The pipeline combines:
• Gmail API for alert ingestion
• Python parsing for article extraction
• deduplication logic across alerts
• a lightweight AAEL scoring model
• automated document generation
The result is a small research intelligence pipeline that transforms email alerts into a structured research dataset.
AAEL Perspective
This experiment reflects the core idea behind AI-Augmented Exploratory Learning (AAEL).
AAEL follows a simple learning cycle:
Ask → Adapt → Analyze
Researchers begin by asking questions, adapt their workflow using AI tools, and then analyze the results to improve the system.
The goal is not to replace human thinking.
The goal is to build tools that accelerate discovery and learning.
Discussion
I am curious how other researchers are handling the growing volume of academic literature.
If AI tools can already automate large parts of the discovery pipeline, how should research workflows evolve?
Robert Foreman
Doctoral Student – Educational Technology
Central Michigan University
Email: forem1r@cmich.edu
Phone: 480-415-0783
Research Focus: AI-Augmented Exploratory Learning (AAEL)
Update: 3/27/2026
I referenced a tool I use to process my Google Scholar alerts…
…and realized I hadn’t actually pushed the repository yet.
That’s been fixed.
👉 https://github.com/robazprogrammer/google_scholar_agent
If you want to run it yourself:
✔ Read the README first
✔ You’ll need your own Google OAuth setup
✔ Happy to help if you get stuck