AI tools offer powerful support for research and the writing process.
Generative AI is artificial intelligence that can create new content like text, images, or music from simple instructions. It’s no wonder these tools are becoming so popular! They can do amazing things and keep improving.
I’ve found a few generative AI products helpful for my research and writing. Let me show you how I use them.
How AI Supports My Research
I use generative AI alongside regular search engines to quickly find research material. Think of it as a research assistant! It helps me gather a list of top articles, papers, books, and more on a specific topic. In my research, I only use generative AI to locate information and provide a summary of the content. These summaries help me decide what to read in more detail. I never use these AI-generated summaries in my work.
Here’s a recent example of an AI prompt I used:
“Find the top 10 articles, papers, or books written since January 1, 2021, about implementing a skills-based hiring process. These should be resources that other researchers found helpful. Provide a summary and citation for each item along with a list of the references found in each item.”
The AI tool found ten sources and summarized each, which helped me decide which ones to investigate. Nine warranted a closer look, which is an excellent hit rate. However, it’s important to remember that AI sometimes misunderstands instructions. In the example above, the AI found ten sources but only listed ten references for each, regardless of how many there were. So, it’s crucial to always double-check its information against the original sources.
AI as My Writing Assistant
Generative AI makes my writing so much faster and better! First, I sketch out a quick outline and write a first draft. Before, I’d get stuck trying to make it perfect as I wrote. Now, I have AI to help me with the editing!
After drafting, I evaluate the manuscript for a strong introduction, key points, and an engaging conclusion, paying attention to ideas and the overall tone. Then, I use an AI tool to help with clarity, consistency, grammar, and spelling. Subsequent steps may involve submitting the draft to one or more AI tools for refinement. Sometimes, I ask the AI tool to edit from a particular perspective, such as that of a recruiter for a healthcare provider.
I will often ask if there’s anything else I should add. I’ve been surprised by some of the great ideas the AIs suggest! Then, I merge my draft with the AI’s edits, add any additional thoughts, and feed it back to the AI for another editing pass. We go back and forth like this until I’m happy with the final result.
Responsibly Using AI in Writing
I want to offer a word or two of caution about using generative AI. As you likely know, generative AI is not built to deliver facts or validated research, and certainly not the truth. It can produce a phrase or a reworded paragraph similar to that available in a paper, but unlike a search engine, an AI doesn’t simply look for existing information. Generative AIs string words together in response to a prompt, and the resulting sentences may be on topic and accurate, or they may not. When these responses are wrong, the AI world refers to them as hallucinations, and it can appear that the AI just made it up. At times, these hallucinations can be glaringly wrong. More dangerously, their errors can be subtle and quickly passed along as accurate information.
Protecting intellectual property and citing others’ works is just as important when using AI as it has been for hundreds of years. Whether you use AI to help you write or not, you should carefully check your work and cite all referenced items accurately. Every phrase, thought, or idea you publish must be something you stand behind, something you own. It is your responsibility to make sure it is accurate and fully cited.
I address AI errors and copyright concerns by carefully researching source documents, drafting every piece I write, reviewing recommended changes, and submitting final products for plagiarism reviews.
OK, that’s how I use AI to help me research and write. These tools have helped me quickly find key research pieces and turn rough drafts into finished pieces much faster than I could without them. They can improve your productivity and maybe your writing too. They sure have mine.
Let’s Talk AI Writing
That’s how I use generative AI! How about you? Do you use these tools for writing? Do you have any tips for me? Share in the comments below!
Are you new to AI? Give it a try!
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