Abstract
The integration of Large Language Models (LLMs) into scientific research workflows, particularly for bibliographic discovery and literature synthesis, raises significant methodological, epistemic, and regulatory challenges for the Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH), especially regarding disciplinary diversity, multilingual access to sources, and evaluation of results. This paper presents an ongoing use case developed within the European project LLMs4EU and the ALT-EDIC infrastructure, aimed at adapting foundation models to SSH research practices and supporting tasks such as question answering, comparative document analysis, and literature review.
The evaluation framework follows the LLMs4EU protocol and encompasses both independent quantitative benchmarking (retrieval, summarisation, traceability, and hallucination detection) and a qualitative assessment involving a panel of Digital Humanities experts. By embedding model adaptation within research infrastructures and a structured legal and ethical compliance framework, the use case explores how domain-sensitive and regulation-aware generative AI can support SSH scholarship while preserving reliability and epistemic responsibility.
Blogger's Review: This paper illustrates how to effectively leverage LLMs in the complex landscape of Social Sciences and Humanities, reflecting not only technological advancement but also a profound consideration of academic integrity and ethics. The multi-dimensional evaluation framework ensures the reliability of research outcomes, serving as a valuable reference for other fields.