Research Guides: AI Tools for Research: Presenting and publishing

Publishing ethics

Generative AI can blur the lines between genuine research and writing, and fabrication. Use AI with caution in disseminating research and always follow journal, publisher, or conference policy on AI usage. Some common publisher policies:

AI tools cannot be listed as an author of a paper
Authors are liable for any breach of publication ethics
Authors should acknowledge and describe their use of AI in the Methods or other appropriate section
Authors should verify information provided by AI tools
Uploading content submitted for publication to an AI tool, whether by the author or a peer reviewer, may violate publisher agreements and compromise confidentiality

COPE position statement: Authorship and AI tools
The Committee on Publication Ethics’ position statement on Authorship at AI tools articulates some principles common to most publishers.
STM 2023 whitepaper: Generative AI in Scholarly Communications
Academic publishing industry report subtitled Ethical and Practical Guidelines for the Use of Generative AI in the Publication Process. It looks at the ethical, legal, and practical aspects of Generative AI technologies in scholarly publishing. This is a follow up to the STM 2021 whitepaper, AI Ethics in Scholarly Communication.

Tools for writing and publishing

Grammarly
Free tier corrects grammar, sets tone, and includes 100 AI writing prompts.
jenni
Searches for relevant research as you write a document. Substantial free tier, allows uploads of your own sources, including PDFs.
Keenious
Searches for relevant research as you write in a Word or Google Doc. Can also search for research based on a seed article you supply.
QuillBot
Mostly free tool that offers AI writing suggestions like grammar, paraphrasing, and auto-completing sentences. Has extensive help documentation.
thesify
Gives feedback on a manuscript tailored to the journal you hope to publish in. Suggests journals and conferences related to your manuscript. Use code WELCOMETHESIFY for additional initial free credits.
Trinka
AI-powered English grammar checker and writing assistant designed for academic and technical writing. Free tier includes grammar and language checks, journal finder, and publication readiness tools.

Citing for publication

Different publishers may have different policies on whether or not generative AI is allowed and how to cite it. Check your publisher's information for authors webpage, or contact their editorial staff, for details.

If using chatbot or other generative AI-created content, here are ways to acknowledge that usage:

Create a publicly available link to the content (try ShareGPT or A.I. Archives) --> cite it in the text and references of your work
Without a publicly available link to the content --> cite it like a personal communication
Describe your AI use as part of your methodology
Include an appendix with screenshots or transcripts of prompts and AI-generated responses