Last updated on November 12th, 2024 at 05:43 am
AI tools can be invaluable when used judiciously to perform specific academic writing tasks.
However, it will help to evaluate their benefits and limitations.
In this article, I have examined the advantages, limitations, and drawbacks of employing AI tools for academic writing. Also mentioned are exceptional cases where research papers fully generated using AI tools have been published in reputed journals.
Contents
The pros of AI tools for academic writing
- AI tools take care of routine tasks like automating repetitive writing tasks, e.g., the formatting of references, such as in-text citations and bibliographies. that have to be implanted consistently throughout the paper.
- AI can optimize the tedious tasks of personalizing some research and writing processes, like locating and providing relevant papers and books that could be needed to substantiate the subject or hypothesis under investigation. For instance, Google Scholar’s AI-based Citelighter facilitates scholars with sourcing of academic research databases related to any academic field.
- Sophisticated software like Endnote, Zotero, and Mendeley, among several others, can be extremely beneficial for organizing academic research papers being reviewed and assisting with in-text citations.
- Some AI tools like Grammarly can help with improving the written text by checking for grammar and spelling mistakes and offering suggestions to write better sentences in perfect error-free English, which can be invaluable.
The limitations of AI tools
- Many academic research papers must include methodology, results, and discussion sections that must be conducted and compiled entirely by the researcher(s), as every input has to be monitored and configured manually. As of now, AI tools have limited abilities, and there is no way that AI tools can assist in this process.
- Moreover, AI cannot interpret complex subjects that must be justified with arguments and discussions to provide subtle insights. Briefly, they lack the human touch to write high-quality research papers.
- Presently, AI tools are not designed to write full academic research papers on account of their limited understanding of complex topics. They are built on platforms that have a limited understanding of complex terminology. They do not possess the human element to provide a deeper understanding of most topics.
- AI tools are generally programmed on a specific set of instructions and, due to their limited creativity, cannot provide unique and new ideas, interpretations, or ‘think outside the box’ as humans can.
The Cons of AI tools
- Since most AI tools are programmed on existing historical data and often produce content that is not original as it is more or less similar or copied from other relevant sources, they come with a huge risk of plagiarism.
- As all AI tools include specific algorithms to build their content, most AI detection tools are also developed on similar algorithms and can easily detect between 80% and 100% of AI content, consistently.
- It is a given that academic research papers need to be as authentic as possible, and if generated artificially, they would essentially need extensive paraphrasing.
- There can be no compromises here, for most universities and journal publications have very strict guidelines that must be adhered to in totality. Importantly, they have the best plagiarism-checking tools in the business, like Turnitin and Authenticate, among others.
[I have first-hand experience with journals that have refused students with suspicious, doubtful, or plagiarism-infested papers from publishing them.]
Research papers that have been exceptions
Despite all the debates about academic dishonesty and integrity issues that prevail in the so-called ‘Elite Academia’, there have been rare instances where academic papers that were fully generated by AI tools were published verbatim in reputed high-impact Open-Access journals.
Since journals are independent bodies, there are no universal guidelines or stipulations that bind them. The decision to publish a research paper lies in their sole discretion.
Contrarily, many Universities may not accept them to credit or honor these students with a degree.
- In 2018, a paper about automated image recognition was published by a computer scientist from Northeastern University in the open-access journal ‘IEEE Transactions on Pattern Analysis and Machine Intelligence’. The paper was formulated using an AI-assisted method, and the text of the paper was generated entirely by AI tools.
Journal Impact factor: 8.98
- In 2016, a paper about technology and education was published in the open-access journal ‘Educational Technology Research and Development’. The paper was created using an AI-assisted method, and the text was entirely computer-generated.
Journal Impact factor: 4.95.
- Additionally, in 2017, an AI-generated paper about virtual reality was published in the academic journal ‘Computers in Human Behavior’. Again, all of the text in the paper was generated using AI.
As this paper was not in the Open Access domain, the impact factor is unknown.
FAQ’S
Can AI improve academic writing?
Certainly! AI tools can significantly enhance the research paper writing process. However, remember that these tools are meant to assist, not replace, your effort in research and writing.
Are AI tools a game-changer for academic writing?
The emergence of AI tools has become a game-changer as they can assist with research as well as writing but must be used judiciously and responsibly.
Conclusion
AI tools can be invaluable for saving time when used wisely. They provide accurate assistance for repetitive tasks and personalize some processes. However, the lack of creativity and originality, besides the huge risk of plagiarism, can be a severe deterrent.
It’s worth mentioning that the ethicality of using AI in academic research papers is still widely debated. The principal bone of contention is not ethics alone but more related to academic integrity.
Some researchers argue that when an AI tool generates content for an academic research paper and subsequently submits it to be published, it is a form of academic dishonesty as it is not original, while others suggest that a student is expected to understand the subject well and write the research paper from his/her perspective to be credited with the corresponding degree.
My journey in academia began as a dedicated researcher, specializing in the fascinating world of biochemistry. Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of mentoring Master’s and PhD students, collaborating on research papers that pushed the boundaries of knowledge.
Now, post-retirement, I’ve embarked on a new chapter, sharing my academic expertise through freelance work on platforms like YouTube and Upwork. Here, I investigate the finer points of scholarly research, guiding aspiring writers through the intricacies of formatting, composing compelling narratives, and navigating the publication process.
