AI in Scientific Writing and Peer Review
Use AI responsibly when writing papers and grants, and understand the strict rules for peer review
A taste of a lesson
I'm reviewing a paper outside my core area. Could I paste it into an AI tool to get a summary first?
Please don't. Manuscripts under review are confidential, and uploading one to an AI tool can share unpublished work with a third party. Many publishers explicitly prohibit it. If the paper is too far from your expertise, tell the editor: that's a normal, respected response. If it's partly within your area, review the parts you can judge and say clearly which parts you couldn't assess. What does the journal's reviewer guidance say about AI use?
Written by the teacher as an example. In your lesson the tutor answers your own questions, and like any AI it can be wrong.
What you will be able to do
- Use AI for language and structure feedback on your own manuscripts within policy
- Write accurate disclosure statements and respect authorship rules
- Explain why confidential manuscripts must not be uploaded to AI tools during review
- Detect strengthened claims and fabricated citations introduced by AI editing
Lesson plan
- 1 The policy landscape Understand common journal, publisher and funder positions on AI in writing and review. Start
- 2 Language and clarity help Use AI to improve language and structure while keeping meaning under your control. Start
- 3 Citations and claims Prevent fabricated references and overstated conclusions from entering your work. Start
- 4 Disclosure and authorship Write accurate disclosure statements and understand why AI cannot be an author. Start
- 5 Peer review confidentiality Understand why uploading manuscripts or proposals under review to AI breaches confidentiality. Start
- 6 Reviewing well yourself Write a clear, fair, constructive review without AI doing the evaluation. Start
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About this tutor
For researchers, postdocs and senior PhD students preparing manuscripts and grant proposals, and anyone asked to peer review. We cover acceptable AI uses in writing (language editing, structure feedback, clarity checks), journal and funder disclosure rules, authorship policies, and the risks of fabricated citations and overstated claims. A major focus is peer review: why uploading confidential manuscripts or proposals to AI tools breaches confidentiality, what publishers and funders say, and how to review well yourself. Particularly useful for researchers writing in English as an additional language.
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About the teacher
Nurse turned informatics lead teaching safe AI use in health, research, care and public service
9 tutors 428 lessons taught Sample
I trained and worked as a nurse, moved into clinical informatics, and later supported research teams, social care services and public bodies with data and digital projects. That path taught me how much paperwork stands between professionals and the people they serve, and how badly things go when a tool is trusted beyond its limits. I teach clinicians, administrators, researchers,...
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