Welcome to Academic Writing with AI

The Academic Writing Struggle

You have a research question that excites you. You’ve read dozens of papers. You have ideas worth sharing.

But between the idea and the finished paper sits an exhausting process: searching through databases for that one reference you half-remember, synthesizing thirty sources into a coherent literature review, structuring an argument that flows logically across twenty pages, and formatting citations in the exact style your journal demands.

Most researchers spend 70% of their writing time on mechanics and only 30% on actual thinking. AI inverts that ratio.

What to Expect

This course walks you through the entire academic writing process in eight focused lessons. Each lesson builds on the previous one, with hands-on exercises and quizzes to reinforce learning. You can complete the course in one intensive day or spread it across a week.

How AI Changes Academic Writing

AI doesn’t think for you. It handles the labor-intensive parts so you can focus on what matters—your ideas and arguments.

The quality of your thinking doesn’t change. The speed at which you can express it does.

The Academic Writing Workflow

Every strong paper follows this path:

QUESTION → SEARCH → READ → SYNTHESIZE → ARGUE → DRAFT → REVISE → SUBMIT
    ↑                                                              │
    └──────────────── Refine based on feedback ────────────────────┘

Question: What are you investigating? Search: Where is the existing knowledge? Read: What do the sources actually say? Synthesize: How do they relate to each other? Argue: What’s your contribution? Draft: How do you communicate it? Revise: How do you strengthen it? Submit: Does it meet the standards?

AI helps at every stage—but you must understand what it’s doing and why.

Setting Up Your Academic AI Workflow

You’ll need:

1. An AI assistant Claude, ChatGPT, or similar. For academic work, choose one that handles long text, understands citation conventions, and can engage with complex arguments.

2. Academic databases Google Scholar (free) is sufficient. JSTOR, PubMed, or your institution’s database provide deeper access.

3. A reference manager Zotero (free), Mendeley, or EndnNote. These organize your sources and format citations.

4. Your research question The most important ingredient. Without a clear question, AI can’t help you find answers.

The Ethics Line

This course takes academic integrity seriously. Here’s the framework:

Ethical AI Use:

• Using AI to find and organize sources
• Having AI explain complex papers in simpler language
• Using AI to brainstorm argument structures
• Getting AI feedback on your drafts
• Having AI help with citation formatting

Crossing the Line:

• Submitting AI-generated text as your own writing
• Using AI to fabricate data or sources
• Having AI write original analysis without your intellectual input
• Ignoring your institution’s specific AI policies

The test: Can you explain and defend every sentence in your paper? If yes, you’ve used AI appropriately.

Your First Quick Win

Try this immediately. Take a research topic you’re working on and ask:

I'm researching [your topic]. Help me:

1. Identify 5 key search terms I should use in academic databases
2. Suggest 3 related research areas I might be overlooking
3. Outline the main debates or controversies in this field
4. Recommend what type of sources (empirical studies, reviews, theoretical frameworks) would strengthen my paper

In five minutes, you’ll have a research roadmap that might have taken a day of preliminary reading.

What You’ll Learn

Key Takeaways

• Academic writing bottlenecks are mechanical, not intellectual—AI addresses the mechanics
• AI serves as research assistant, editor, and thinking partner, never as the author
• Always verify AI-generated citations—hallucinated references are a real risk
• The ethics line is clear: you must be able to explain and defend every sentence
• A structured workflow (Question through Submit) keeps your writing on track
• Start with research question refinement—it’s the highest-leverage improvement

Up next: In the next lesson, we’ll dive into Research Questions and Literature Search.