How to use ChatGPT as a student

At the outset of our academic journeys (as students) we often turn to templates to guide us through the process of writing research reports. As we gain experience, these templates give way to mental models and workflows that allow us to produce our work. But what if we could free up even more cognitive capacity and time for the Real Thinking Work? AI has the potential to take on some of the mental labour involved in knowledge dissemination. By automating processes, AI can streamline workflows and allow us to focus on the critical work of developing innovative ideas and the human parts of research. Here are a few ideas on how to use AI smartly and ethically in your studies.

1.?Develop your close-reading skills

Upload a research paper, chunks of text or a book chapter and use prompts like these to explore and deepen your understanding of the text:

"identify any key themes, ideas, or arguments presented in the paper”

“Summarise the following in accessible language”

“Expand on this point with everyday examples”

2.?Engage critically with research papers, develop a deeper understanding of the research and make more informed decisions about how to apply its findings:

"highlight any assumptions or limitations that the research may have overlooked."

3.?Use ChatGPT at the beginning of your writing process to come up with a structured plan for an essay

Input the essay title or the main topic of your essay and prompt "outline the main sections of the essay and suggest how they might be ordered."

However, I would like to point out that the output generated by ChatGPT is only a suggestion, and it is up to you to refine and develop the structure further to best suit your specific needs and argument.

4.?Develop a first draft

Once you have done your readings and started making notes, highlighting key concepts, questions and arguments input your notes into ChatGPT with the prompt: "use my notes to develop a first draft of my essay on [insert topic]."

Keep in mind that the output generated by ChatGPT is likely to be imperfect and will require significant revision and editing. However, it can be a helpful starting point to help you get your ideas down on paper.

5. Edit your work

Upload your essay and ask ChatGPT to proofread, remove redundant words, check for coherence and underdeveloped arguments.

Consider using ChatGPT to generate alternative phrasing or wording for specific sentences or paragraphs, which can help you to refine your writing style and improve the clarity of your argument.

You can also use ChatGPT to generate a summary of the essay's contents, which can help you to identify any areas where the argument is unclear or underdeveloped.

By using ChatGPT in this way, you can identify and correct errors or areas for improvement in your essay, refine your writing style, and improve the overall coherence and effectiveness of your argument. However, it is important to note that ChatGPT is not a substitute for careful, critical reading and editing of your own work, and it is up to you to use the output generated by ChatGPT to guide your own editing process.

6.?Cut your word count

Prompt ChatGPT to "summarise" your essay or identify any areas that can be shortened. For example, you might prompt ChatGPT to "identify any redundant or unnecessary information in my essay."

7. Use ChatGPT to identify where you have unsubstantiated claims in a paper: ????????????

"highlight any statements in the paper that lack evidence or support."

Use this information to revise the paper and add any necessary citations or supporting evidence to strengthen the argument and ensure that all claims are appropriately substantiated.

8. Once you’ve submitted your paper you can use ChatGPT to decipher your marker’s feedback, asking it to translate a piece of feedback in accessible language or generate examples. One piece of feedback I find myself giving over and over in my marking of first-year papers is “Try to write in a more academic style” – my students could take the piece of text this feedback is attached to, copy into ChatGPT and prompt it to rewrite in a formal academic tone, and actually see what is expected of them.?

You can of course apply the tech of ChatGPT in many other areas of scholarship and collegiality, like prompting it to help you draft an email to a lecturer asking for help or a potential PI asking for a collaboration, generating potential interview questions for a specific job or PhD topic, drafting a personal statement, outlining a structure for an academic CV or writing LinkedIn posts that will generate conversation and make connections (wink).

I hope that with this quick post you can already see some of the ways that students and academics can use AI in their work in a way that is both ethical and sensible, combining technological capability with the magic of being a human thinker.