Artificial intelligence-assisted academic writing: recommendations for ethical use

Abstract Generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools have been selectively adopted across the academic community to help researchers complete tasks in a more efficient manner. The widespread release of the Chat Generative Pre-trained Transformer (ChatGPT) platform in 2022 has made these tools more...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Adam Cheng, Aaron Calhoun, Gabriel Reedy
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMC 2025-04-01
Series:Advances in Simulation
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1186/s41077-025-00350-6
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1849699463040335872
author Adam Cheng
Aaron Calhoun
Gabriel Reedy
author_facet Adam Cheng
Aaron Calhoun
Gabriel Reedy
author_sort Adam Cheng
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools have been selectively adopted across the academic community to help researchers complete tasks in a more efficient manner. The widespread release of the Chat Generative Pre-trained Transformer (ChatGPT) platform in 2022 has made these tools more accessible to scholars around the world. Despite their tremendous potential, studies have uncovered that large language model (LLM)-based generative AI tools have issues with plagiarism, AI hallucinations, and inaccurate or fabricated references. This raises legitimate concern about the utility, accuracy, and integrity of AI when used to write academic manuscripts. Currently, there is little clear guidance for healthcare simulation scholars outlining the ways that generative AI could be used to legitimately support the production of academic literature. In this paper, we discuss how widely available, LLM-powered generative AI tools (e.g. ChatGPT) can help in the academic writing process. We first explore how academic publishers are positioning the use of generative AI tools and then describe potential issues with using these tools in the academic writing process. Finally, we discuss three categories of specific ways generative AI tools can be used in an ethically sound manner and offer four key principles that can help guide researchers to produce high-quality research outputs with the highest of academic integrity.
format Article
id doaj-art-e2f780ce01574c2880ed50e42a2f4577
institution DOAJ
issn 2059-0628
language English
publishDate 2025-04-01
publisher BMC
record_format Article
series Advances in Simulation
spelling doaj-art-e2f780ce01574c2880ed50e42a2f45772025-08-20T03:18:34ZengBMCAdvances in Simulation2059-06282025-04-011011910.1186/s41077-025-00350-6Artificial intelligence-assisted academic writing: recommendations for ethical useAdam Cheng0Aaron Calhoun1Gabriel Reedy2Departments of Pediatrics and Emergency Medicine, Alberta Children’s Hospital, Cumming School of Medicine, University of CalgaryUniversity of Louisville School of Medicine and Norton Children’s Medical GroupFaculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, King’s College LondonAbstract Generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools have been selectively adopted across the academic community to help researchers complete tasks in a more efficient manner. The widespread release of the Chat Generative Pre-trained Transformer (ChatGPT) platform in 2022 has made these tools more accessible to scholars around the world. Despite their tremendous potential, studies have uncovered that large language model (LLM)-based generative AI tools have issues with plagiarism, AI hallucinations, and inaccurate or fabricated references. This raises legitimate concern about the utility, accuracy, and integrity of AI when used to write academic manuscripts. Currently, there is little clear guidance for healthcare simulation scholars outlining the ways that generative AI could be used to legitimately support the production of academic literature. In this paper, we discuss how widely available, LLM-powered generative AI tools (e.g. ChatGPT) can help in the academic writing process. We first explore how academic publishers are positioning the use of generative AI tools and then describe potential issues with using these tools in the academic writing process. Finally, we discuss three categories of specific ways generative AI tools can be used in an ethically sound manner and offer four key principles that can help guide researchers to produce high-quality research outputs with the highest of academic integrity.https://doi.org/10.1186/s41077-025-00350-6Artificial intelligenceLarge language modelsChatGPTAcademic writingEthics
spellingShingle Adam Cheng
Aaron Calhoun
Gabriel Reedy
Artificial intelligence-assisted academic writing: recommendations for ethical use
Advances in Simulation
Artificial intelligence
Large language models
ChatGPT
Academic writing
Ethics
title Artificial intelligence-assisted academic writing: recommendations for ethical use
title_full Artificial intelligence-assisted academic writing: recommendations for ethical use
title_fullStr Artificial intelligence-assisted academic writing: recommendations for ethical use
title_full_unstemmed Artificial intelligence-assisted academic writing: recommendations for ethical use
title_short Artificial intelligence-assisted academic writing: recommendations for ethical use
title_sort artificial intelligence assisted academic writing recommendations for ethical use
topic Artificial intelligence
Large language models
ChatGPT
Academic writing
Ethics
url https://doi.org/10.1186/s41077-025-00350-6
work_keys_str_mv AT adamcheng artificialintelligenceassistedacademicwritingrecommendationsforethicaluse
AT aaroncalhoun artificialintelligenceassistedacademicwritingrecommendationsforethicaluse
AT gabrielreedy artificialintelligenceassistedacademicwritingrecommendationsforethicaluse