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Tutorial

Using AI in Scientific Writing: A Senior Scientific Advisor's View

Dr. Gali HaleviEnglishAcademic writing

TL;DR

1-min read

Dr. Gali Halevi, Senior Scientific Advisor at SCImago Research Lab, with a background in scientific publishing, academic libraries, research evaluation and researcher education, offers a candid view of AI in scientific writing. Instead of promising quick papers, the tutorial asks which tasks you can reasonably hand to AI and where you must stay in charge. It is meant for PhD students, postdocs, faculty, supervisors and librarians, and requires no prior SciSpace experience.

Key takeaways

  • Some stages of research and writing, such as organising drafts, improving clarity and finding related work, can reasonably be supported by AI.
  • Framing the research question, interpreting results, building the argument and deciding what the evidence supports should remain with the researcher.
  • Over-reliance begins when the tool starts making choices that carry scientific accountability, so it helps to notice that point early.
  • Live SciSpace demonstrations show concrete cases where AI adds value and cases where it does not.
  • Every claim and reference produced with AI help needs to be checked, because authors remain fully responsible for the published content.
  • Using AI within these limits lets you gain efficiency without compromising rigor or research integrity.
Apply it

To apply this, list the tasks in your current manuscript, assign only the supportive ones to SciSpace, and keep the interpretive and argumentative decisions in your own hands while verifying every output.

How to do it

  1. List the tasks in your manuscript

    Write down every task in your current manuscript, from organising drafts to building the argument. A full list makes it easier to decide where AI fits.

  2. Assign supportive tasks to SciSpace

    Hand only supportive tasks, such as organising drafts, improving clarity and finding related work, to SciSpace. These are the stages where AI in scientific writing can reasonably help.

  3. Keep interpretive decisions in your hands

    Retain framing the research question, interpreting results, building the argument and deciding what the evidence supports. These decisions carry scientific accountability.

  4. Watch for signs of over-reliance

    Notice when the tool starts making choices that carry scientific accountability. Spotting that point early stops helpful assistance from becoming over-reliance.

  5. Verify every claim and reference

    Check every claim and reference produced with AI help, because you remain fully responsible for the published content.

Watch the tutorial27 min

Using AI in Scientific Writing: What to Delegate and What to KeepPlay video: Using AI in Scientific Writing: What to Delegate and What to Keep

Chapters

  1. What you'll learn: AI as a research assistant
  2. Why does every research paper need a literature review?
  3. Can AI find papers without complex Boolean searches?
  4. How does an AI agent turn a simple question into a search?
  5. How do you refine search terms and take control?
  6. Why must you verify every paper, DOI and summary?
  7. How do you keep your literature review balanced?
  8. Why read papers yourself before citing them?
  9. How does Chat with PDF help you understand papers faster?
  10. Can AI start your literature review or academic draft?
  11. Why do AI-written papers lose credibility?
  12. How can AI improve clarity, grammar and academic language?
  13. Prompts to simplify text while keeping your own voice
  14. Review, review, review: you are responsible for what you publish

Try this on SciSpace

Frequently asked questions

Is it acceptable to use AI in scientific writing?

Most publishers now accept AI assistance for tasks such as language editing, summarising sources or organising drafts, provided the use is disclosed where required and the authors take full responsibility for the content. AI cannot be listed as an author, and generating data, results or citations without verification is widely treated as a breach of integrity.

What parts of writing a paper should not be delegated to AI?

Framing the research question, interpreting results, constructing the argument and deciding what the evidence supports should remain with the researcher. These choices carry scientific accountability. AI can help with structure, clarity and finding related work, but every claim and reference it produces needs to be checked against the original source.

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