Life without AI is in the past. So many new possibilities are available for high school, college students, and researchers! However, together with new exciting opportunities come a bag of questions related to academic honesty. Is it OK to use these techs when writing essays, book reviews, research papers, and other projects? If yes, where is the line between helpful assistance and academic dishonesty? Below, we’ll try to see how you can approach AI tools for essay writing and still stick to ethical standards.
#1 Use AI as Your Partner in Brainstorming
After all, one of the best possible uses of a digital brain is for generating ideas. For example, if you can’t pick the right topic for an essay about Hamlet or Moby-Dick, or don’t know how to start your piece, the
WriteMyEssay AI writer helps you finally get the ball rolling. Let the machine suggest outlines, ideas, topics, sentence starters, or any other ‘ingredients’ of a typical academic paper. The key is that students should still decide the final topic and the plot (if any). AI just helps to start the process of work. In other words, you should never copy and paste an entire text produced by the machine!
#2 Let It Help You with Writing/Learning
The good news is that a-intelligence is a great tutor. It can do something that your college professor has no time for – explain complex topics, simplify difficult texts, and offer summaries or comparisons...for free. With the help of smart tech, college students have a chance to understand their subjects better. And the best part is that they never cross ethical boundaries in the process. For example, ask an online mind to explain the difference between theology and mythology, not to write your theology term paper for you. Thus, AI becomes your partner in study, not a shortcut.
#3 Boost Your Prose with the Help of Smart Tech
Whatever clarity and grammar checkers you prefer, they help hone your texts. They help you write better, just like spell check or style guides. They’re excellent SOS services when you’re tired and have neither time nor energy to fix grammar, tighten sentences, improve flow, etc. At the same time, students should never let the machine rewrite their whole essays from A to Z in a way that removes their (unique!) voice and ideas.
#4 Check Facts & Don’t Forget to Cite
When you use any AI-powered instrument, it 100% gives you a gazillion pieces of information, statistics, or quotes that you are happy to include in your paper to make it more credible. But before you do it, remember that you have to cite every fragment of info. Even though artificial intelligence-based tools don't always cite sources accurately, it’s your responsibility to fact-check and properly attribute anything you ‘steal’ from the cyber brain. In other words, you have to follow a simple rule: If you didn’t know it before and you found it using AI, make sure you can verify and cite it. Thus, you will avoid any sort of misunderstandings and problems when the professor checks your essay.
#5 Stay Away from AI-Generated Plagiarism
If you approach online AI tools to generate essays for you and submit them as your own work, you are actually cheating, i.e., plagiarizing. Most high schools, colleges, and universities treat this seriously. You have to
earn the grade, remember that. That is why if you didn’t structure your essay and its ideas, passing it off as your own is dishonest. AI should only
support you, not write the essay that you have to write.
#6 Find Out More About College Policies
…regarding using AI in essays and other works.
Colleges and universities all over the globe are updating their rules to keep up with AI. Some tutors and professors are open to limited use of tools, while others ban any sort of programs of that kind. To avoid problems in the future, make sure to:
- check out the honor code or AI use guidelines of your alma mater;
- ask your instructor directly, if you're unsure;
- disclose in case you are in doubt.
Transparency is always the key because it demonstrates your integrity and helps you avoid trouble in class.
#7 Ask Artificial Intelligence for Language Support
…especially if you’re an ESL student.
If you have to write an essay in a second language, thinking machines can offer crucial support with grammar, vocabulary, and fluency. Just take a look at the instruments available on the web and use them to deal with awkward sentences or get explanations of idiomatic expressions if you are someone who speaks English as their second language. Thus, you have your personal digital writing coach available 24/7/365. But even in this case, keep in mind that you have to use artificial intelligence to refine your expression, not to invent ideas you don’t understand.
#8 Simulate Classmate Review
If you have no time to ask your tutor or a classmate to review your piece, AI can simulate this experience perfectly. You can copy-paste your essay and ask the cyber mind for feedback, as you do when you exchange papers with your college pals. Here’s what you can ask the machine:
Could you please act like a college student reviewing my essay? Please, show me the grammar and tense errors. But even when AI gives you quick feedback, you have to remember that it lacks a human touch. So, if possible, find human feedback as soon as possible.
#9 Never Over-Rely on Techs
No matter how tempting it is to let AI do all the job, don’t even think about it. As a writer, you need your own unique voice that you will never develop if you fully rely on artificial intelligence. Machines have no idea of the experience you have lived, your character, personal tone, vocabulary, or your academic journey. That’s why we recommend drafting your thesis and introducing yourself before AI becomes part of the game. Thus, the essay won’t lack your own unique ideas.
When you are engaged in essay (or any other paper) writing,
artificial intelligence can be your best friend. However, just like any other AI-based instrument, it should be used responsibly. Benefit from it to boost your writing skills, skip the editing process, or simply combat writer’s block. The goal of using machines for help is to grow your own ability to brainstorm, research, think, process, argue, and express. And that’s something no cyber mind can do.
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