How to use generative AI for academic writing: basics, ethics, procedures, and hacks ONLINE

Aims

The course provides fundamental skills in the use of AI for academic writing through four consecutive 90-minute Zoom sessions. Structured in the style of a toolbox, it offers insights into the use of various off-the-shelf AI-tools. Each session addresses key questions and challenges, demonstrates specific tools, and allows participants to experiment with the tools — ideally using their own data, research questions, and texts. Participants will also be encouraged to explore various AI tools beyond ChatGPT.

Content

The first session, introduces the fundamentals of large language models, addressing machine-learning, the datasets on which LLM are trained and discussing the impacts of AI use on texts. Topics will include biases, hallucinations, authorship and responsibility, as well as data security, copyright, and scientific integrity—for example, in terms of disclosing the use of AI in publications. The AI policy of the University of Basel will be addressed and participants will be encouraged to research the disclosure policies of key journals in their research fields.

In the second session AI-supported tools for literature research (e.g., Elicit, ResearchRabbit, or Scispace) and tools for AI-assisted content extraction will be introduced (e.g., summarizing texts or retrieving specific information from documents using tools like ChatPDF).

The third session focuses on prompt engineering and explores the various roles AI can assume in the academic writing process (e.g., ghostwriter, coach, partner). Special attention will be given to effective prompting strategies for using AI as a dialogic sparring partner that supports idea generation, the development and refinement of research questions, conceptual planning, argumentation building, and so on.

The fourth session introduces prompting techniques and strategies for using AI during the writing process—for example, as a writing coach for drafting, formulating, and revising texts. Participants will explore various tools for text editing on their own texts.

Methods

The first session will consist of an introductory lecture and discussions of the practical and ethical implications of a responsible use of AI, as well as the study of AI guidelines of universities and journals.
The remaining three sessions are hands-on: short inputs are followed by demonstrations of tools, procedures, and hacks from the instructors. Participants will have the opportunity to experiment with the tools by solving exercises and applying the tools to their own projects. Each session wraps up with an opportunity for students to discuss and reflect their experiences.

Target Group

All Doctoral Candidates & Postdocs

About the Trainer

Dr. Mirjam Weder is a lecturer in German linguistics at the University of Basel. She studied German and English language and literature at the University of Zurich and completed her doctorate in German linguistics at the University of Basel. She then moved on to research and development in the field of reading and writing education at the University of Teacher Education FHNW.
In her research, she specializes in computer-based analysis of language, language use and writing processes. Her current research project is investigating students' writing processes with AI. She is internationally connected with other writing researchers and lecturers with an interest in the use of AI in academic writing, e.g. the international Thinktank “AI-Tools in scientific writing”.
Her activities at the University of Basel includes the co-organising of the Writing Network together with Anja Matthiä, Stephan Meyer, and Beatrice Mall. Inn this context, a lecture series “Wissenschaftliches Schreiben mit digitalen Tools” was initiated in collaboration with the Project “Digital literacies”.

Dr. Anja Matthiä coordinates the Graduate School Medical and Health Sciences at the University of Basel. Anja is a neuroscientist by training. After her Postdoc, she transitioned into coordination of higher education programs, such as Bachelor’s, Master’s and now PhD programs at the University of Basel. As her role as graduate program coordinator, she implemented courses, workshops and other offerings about scientific writing for doctoral students.

Stephan Meyer studied philosophy, literature and gender studies in Johannesburg, Frankfurt and Basel. His earlier interests were in collaborative writing as well as care in South Africa and Switzerland. Currently he focuses on academic discourse and multilingualism. He presently heads the English division at the Language Center, where he offers courses on academic writing for students and writing for publication for researchers. With Mirjam Weder, Beatrice Mall and Anja Matthiä he convenes the Writing network at the University which initiated the “Ringversanstaltung Wissenschaftliches Schreiben mit digitalen Tools” last year in collaboration with the Project “Digital literacies”.

Workload

Preparation for each session: approx. 0.5h are allocated for participants to register for the tools and prepare the materials for their own project, ready for use during the session.
Attending the four workshop sessions à 1.5h
Follow-up: It is recommended that participants will solve the exercises provided and/or apply the tools and procedures to their own projects.

Preparation: 4 x 0.5 h
Course attendance: 4 x 1.5h
Follow-up: 4 x 0.5 h

Feature

Once registration is open, applications will be collected for 24 hours and course places allocated by lot. All registrations received after the initial 24h period will be put on a waiting list and assigned on a first come, first served basis.

Course places/places on the waiting list will be confirmed by e-mail. Course registrations can only be canceled before the registration period ends (send an e-mail to grace@unibas.ch). Full course attendance is mandatory. Participants who fail to attend a course without prior notification or withdraw after the registration deadline are subject to a fee of CHF 30. In addition, participants who cancel their course registration at a later point in time, are absent without an excuse or do not attend the entire course will, for reasons of fairness, not be considered for course registration in the following semester and will be removed from other courses offered in the same semester. Please find the detailed regulations on the Transferable Skills Homepage.