Using AI tools

AI tools can be meaningfully used at various points in the academic writing process, for example to support …

• the formulation of the research question and narrowing of the topic
• the literature search
• summarizing and understanding academic literature
• structuring content
• generating text
• content-related and linguistic revision
• proofreading

AI tools will not take away the time-consuming and sometimes exhausting thinking work that is an important part of academic work. But they can complement your work and sometimes also ease the burden. The better you know your topic, the requirements of academic work, and the tools themselves, the more they can support you.

Always clarify with your supervisors whether you are allowed to use AI tools for your current academic work and how you should make this use transparent.

Elicit

Elicit is an AI research tool that supports you in finding and analyzing academic articles. The tool can provide a brief summary of articles or compile a research overview from several articles.

Searching in Elicit does not replace systematic literature research. The program only has access to part of the available literature on a topic. Older and print literature is not available.

For all Ohm students, there is the possibility to attend the workshop Literature Research with AI as well as to access the associated training materials here.

ChatGPT & Copilot

AI chatbots like ChatGPT or Copilot can support you with many tasks in the writing process. For example, you can turn to these tools for help when brainstorming ideas by asking a question or entering a topic. Let ChatGPT also suggest research questions and outline drafts and use them as a basis for your own research question, outline, or for narrowing down your topic.

ChatGPT can also generate entire text passages based on your input. Often, keywords and sentence fragments are sufficient as input. This function is especially useful if you are experiencing writer’s block and want to get into the flow of writing.

ChatGPT is also useful for making the language in your work more formal and academic – in German or English.

ChatGPT – like all other AIs – can hallucinate. More precisely: the answers AI gives are sometimes wrong, fabricated, or imprecisely worded. This is often difficult to recognize, especially if you are not yet very familiar with a topic. Academic work still requires you to build expertise yourself – by referring to the original texts. You are responsible for the content of your academic work.

For all Ohm students, there is the possibility to attend the writing workshop Microsoft Copilot: Limits and Opportunities in the Writing Process as well as to access the related Workshop materials.

The Language Tool / Grammarly

In times of AI-based language checking, your work should be perfect in terms of comma placement, grammar, and spelling. Tools like the LanguageTool or Grammarly correct your text for you and rewrite it if necesssary. This can also have a positive influence on the style of your texts.

There is no single academic style that is correct for all disciplines. You must decide for yourself whether the AI-revised text matches the linguistic style of your field.

DALL-E

If you need graphic representations, image generators like DALL-E can be very handy. They generate both simple and complex images and can serve as visual inspiration. In academia, DALL-E can be used to create visual representations of complex data or concepts that support and illustrate your work.

The images generated by AI tools are often subject to strong bias. This means: The images often show a lack of diversity and reinforce clichés. Take responsibility for the outcome of your images!

What does it cost me to use AI tools?

The use of AI tools can involve financial and other costs: Many tools offer basic functions free of charge, but fees are often charged for advanced features. Members of Ohm can use Microsoft Copilot free of charge for 30 requests per day.

Checking the AI-generated results can also cost you time, since AI tools do not always deliver error-free or suitable content. And last but not least, excessive use can impair your own writing skills – therefore, use AI consciously and purposefully.

If a website or an app is free, you usually pay with your data! Get used to replacing names, personal data, internal matters, and details of research projects in your requests with placeholders.

Frequently asked questions

Der Beitrag AI Tools for Academic Writing erschien zuerst auf Online Writing Lab.

The final chapter of the paper contains a summary of the main statements of the work and possible conclusions derived from them. For a conclusion, you revisit the research question, answer it succinctly, and provide a final assessment. You can also comment on the hypotheses you formulated at the beginning of your paper.

What belongs in a conclusion?

• Recommendations for practice
• Placing the problem in a wider context
• Personal conclusions, if they are meaningful for your type of paper
• If applicable, an outlook on research gaps arising from your own scientific work
• Summarized answers to the questions posed in the introduction

The title of the final chapter corresponds to the points you address and is therefore, for example, “Summary and Conclusion,” “Recommendations for Practice,” or “Outlook.”

A good conclusion is brief and written in a neutral tone, despite its evaluative nature.

What does not belong in a conclusion?

• You do not address new content in the final chapter.
• In the final chapter, you do not present your personal opinion (based on gut feeling) but your justified evaluation, which is based on the preceding discussion and your conclusions. If applicable, you may also provide recommendations for action.

The conclusion is a mandatory part of the structure of a scientific paper.

Frequently asked questions

Der Beitrag Writing the Conclusion erschien zuerst auf Online Writing Lab.

Golden thread

The table of contents must be complete and logically consistent. It reflects the structure of your paper: a meaningful, systematic sequence that covers the topic coherently. In a well-structured paper, subpoints connect logically rather than simply following one another. This logical structure is what your table of contents makes visible — a principle sometimes called the golden thread, known in German as the red thread.

The quality of your paper’s structure is a key criterion in assessment.

Objectives and structure

The structure reflected in your table of contents should be self-explanatory. Each heading should give readers an immediate sense of what the chapter or subchapter covers. Clear chapter headings are usually more than one or two words long. Keep your headings concise but as precise as possible.

Depending on the scope and topic of your paper, three to four levels of hierarchy are usually enough; two levels often work just as well. Too many subpoints fragment your paper and suggest that related topics have not been grouped effectively.

The length of individual sections depends on their content, so aim for a reasonable balance across your chapters.

An outline is not a table of contents.

Your outline is a tool for organizing your text. Once you have revised your draft, finalize your chapter structure and headings before setting them out in the table of contents.

Common mistakes to avoid

• The structure of your paper does not suit the subject of your work.
• Topics are not clearly differentiated: main points do not form a logical frame for the subpoints, and subpoints are not mutually exclusive.
• Your table of contents contains residual categories such as “Other.” Consider where this content can be integrated more effectively.
• The research question is used as the heading of a section or the introduction.
• Page numbers are missing.
• Only one subpoint appears under a heading.

Best practice

• Each section heading establishes the organizing principle for the subpoints below it: the upper tier forms a logical frame around the levels beneath.
• Subpoints are mutually exclusive in content.
• A chapter with subpoints must contain at least two.
• The subpoints carry roughly equal content weight.

In most word processing programs, you can generate the table of contents automatically. In Word, it is based on headings defined with formatting styles.

Example of a Table of Contents

The table of contents is a mandatory part of a scientific paper.

Further examples of tables of contents for the Master of Social Work degree are available here:

Example A

Example B

Frequently Asked Questions

Der Beitrag Creating a Table of Contents erschien zuerst auf Online Writing Lab.

How do I create a mind map?

• You can continue to add, change, design: Arrows, symbols, colors, or numbering are suitable for this.
• Main branches can become chapters, while the branches represent chapter contents or subchapters.
• You can write initial first drafts for the individual sub-topics.

Take your time to create your mind map without rushing and reflect on how best to structure your ideas.

Digital mind maps

You can also create your mind map digitally with various computer programs:

• XMind (free)
• Free Mind (free)
• MindManager (campus license)

Frequently asked questions

Der Beitrag How to Structure Your Ideas With a Mind Map erschien zuerst auf Online Writing Lab.