How to Use ChatGPT to Write a Research Proposal

One of the most important steps in the research process is writing a proposal. It acts as a guide for your research endeavor, detailing the goals, approach, and importance of your investigation. Creating an organized and persuasive research proposal is crucial to getting money, getting the go-ahead from ethics panels, and eventually directing your research activities. In this post, we’ll look at how to use ChatGPT, an effective language model created by OpenAI, to improve and expedite the research proposal writing process.

Understanding the Basics of a Research Proposal

Prior to using ChatGPT, it’s important to comprehend the essential elements of a research proposal:

The study focus should be made evident in the title, which should be brief but descriptive.

2. Introduction

The background of the research problem, its importance, and the setting in which the study will be carried out are described in this part.

3. Literature Review

To place your research into the larger academic context, a thorough analysis of the body of current literature is necessary. This part highlights the gaps that your study attempts to fill and shows that you have a solid comprehension of the body of current knowledge.

4. Research Questions or Hypotheses

Clearly state the hypotheses or research questions that your study intends to investigate. These need to correspond with the gaps noted in the review of the literature.

5. Methodology

Give an explanation of the methods, strategies, and research design you intend to use. Enough information in this part should enable other researchers to duplicate your work.

6. Significance of the Study

Describe how your research might benefit society, the academic community, or the relevant field.

7. Timeline

Give yourself a reasonable amount of time to finish each research process. This facilitates resource allocation and project management.

If appropriate, enclose a thorough budget that lists all of the materials and financial support needed for your study.

Utilizing ChatGPT for Writing a Research Proposal

Driven by the GPT-3.5 architecture, ChatGPT is a sophisticated language model that can help researchers produce high-caliber content. Here are some ways to use ChatGPT while you’re drafting your research proposal:

1. Generating Ideas and Refining Research Questions

Prompt Example:

“Generate research questions related to the impact of climate change on biodiversity.”

By offering a range of viewpoints and possible study topics, ChatGPT can help with research question brainstorming. It can also help you ask more precise inquiries by improving and clarifying their wording.

2. Literature Review Assistance

“Summarize key findings from recent studies on the relationship between technology use and mental health.”

ChatGPT is useful for summarizing previous research, highlighting important findings, and identifying major themes. While it can speed up the first phases of your literature review and offer insightful information, it cannot replace in-depth study.

3. Drafting the Introduction

“Draft an introduction for a research proposal on the impact of artificial intelligence on job markets.”

By offering background information, context, and a compelling framing of the research problem, ChatGPT may help create an engaging introduction.

4. Methodology Refinement

“Refine the methodology section for a study investigating the effectiveness of a new teaching method in improving student performance.”

ChatGPT may provide advice on how to make your methodology section more coherent and clear. It can also give different approaches based on previous research and insights into potential hazards.

5. Significance of the Study

“Articulate the significance of a research study on the long-term effects of social media use on adolescents.”

To ensure that your audience understands the value of your work, ChatGPT can assist in clarifying its larger implications and contributions.

6. Timeline and Budget Planning

“Create a realistic timeline and budget for a research project investigating the role of nutrition in preventing chronic diseases.”

ChatGPT can help you organize your ideas and create a rough timeline and budget based on industry standards, but it cannot replace careful planning.

Best Practices for Using ChatGPT in Research Proposal Writing

Be specific in your prompts.

To receive more pertinent and focused responses from ChatGPT, give precise and unambiguous prompts.

Review and Refine Output

Based on patterns discovered from a variety of data, ChatGPT produces responses. To make sure the output is accurate and suitable for your research proposal, always check and edit it.

Combine AI Assistance with Human Expertise

Even though ChatGPT can be a great help, you should always supplement its results with your own knowledge and discretion. Instead of replacing critical thought in your work, use it as a tool to improve it.

Iterative Process

Refine and revise your work in an iterative manner. Utilize ChatGPT at different points when drafting your proposal to keep your work getting better and better.

Stay Informed

Remain up to date on the most recent advancements in the field of your study. Because ChatGPT bases its answers on current information, your proposal will always be accurate and relevant.

If researchers want to increase productivity and efficacy, including ChatGPT in the study proposal writing process can be a useful tactic. ChatGPT may be your flexible partner for all phases of the proposal writing process, from brainstorming and honing research topics to writing proposal parts. To create a superior research proposal that stands out in the academic world, it is crucial to employ AI with discernment, fusing its advantages with human knowledge. Researchers can expedite their writing process and increase knowledge in their respective professions by strategically and thoughtfully utilizing ChatGPT’s features.

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ChatGPT Made for Writing Research Proposals

Earlier this year I published a book on writing a winning research proposal. Today, I turned much of the book’s advice into a ChatGPT that is tailored for automatically writing a research proposal. It works amazingly well.

To enable my custom-made “Research Proposal Writer” GPT prepare a research proposal, the user only has to upload a picture of a Research Project Canvas into ChatGPT 4.0 and voilà – out comes a written research proposal, divided into the nine sections of a typical research proposal.

In this post, you will see exactly how it works, I will show an example in a video, and you can certainly try the tool yourself . But first, let’s back up a little. Let me first tell you what a GPT and Research Project Canvas are exactly.

What is a GPT?

Unless you have been living on a different planet, you know what ChatGPT is. Like many, I was impressed by the technology and have played around with it multiple times.

I once tried using ChatGPT for writing a research proposal but I was not impressed. It could not come up with text in a way that was helpful to me, even if I tried using advanced prompts, defined the persona, described the language style and did other fancy things. Sure, it could paraphrase text, convert text into bullet points, and perhaps write an abstract if I uploaded the full proposal text but it could not do much more. I found that I can not profit from it much and stopped using ChatGPT for writing research proposals.

can chatgpt write research proposals

Then on November 6, 2023 OpenAI (the company behind ChatGPT) released a new way ChatGPT can be used – called GPTs. This changed everything. A GPTs can be tailored for a specific purpose. It’s like a custom version of ChatGPT that is made for doing one particular thing.

Of course, I came back to my idea of using it for writing a research proposal. Now I could teach the ChatGPT to automatically follow the proposal writing advice from my book “Write a Winning Research Proposal”. And the custom GPT was perfectly adapted for using the core concept of the book, the “Research Project Canvas”.

What is Research Project Canvas?

Research Project Canvas is a one-page template that holds nine blocks corresponding to key parts of a research proposal, including objective, methodology, resources, etc. A scientist uses sticky notes to outline the key contents of the planned research project on the Project Canvas. This brevity allows conceiving many alternative ideas, discarding the doomed ones, and further refining the good ideas.

Research Project Canvas for a project proposal filled with sticky notes in each block

The premise of my book is that with a filled Research Project Canvas in hand, the task of writing a proposal is less intimidating since the core concept of the proposal is already developed. The scientist only needs to convert the sticky notes into a full proposal. Except – the ChatGPT can now do it for you.

ChatGPT for writing a Research Proposal

It doesn’t take a genius to see how a tailored GPT could use the Research Project Canvas to write the first draft of the proposal. So as soon as the GPTs were announced, I started building a custom GPT that allows converting a research idea into a research proposal. I defined the language my GPT should use, the writing style and some other things to make it would write like an experienced researcher.

Most importantly, I defined the structure or a research proposal, the section headings, and the scientific content that each section of a research proposal should hold.

Then I trained the GPT to recognize what the Research Project Canvas is and showed it how to read each of the Canvas’s blocks.

can chatgpt write research proposals

The result: you only need to upload a single picture of a Research Project Canvas into the “Research Proposal Writer” and voilà – Chat GPT writes the research proposal. The GPT describes project in nine sections of a typical proposal – the research problem, objectives, methodology, dissemination, etc. Everything is based on the project idea you upload using the Research Project Canvas.

How the GPT works

I programmed the GPT to stick closely to the idea in the research project canvas. I wanted it to write a proposal on the user’s idea, rather than coming up with it’s own ideas. So be aware – if the Research Project Canvas is short on information, the ChatGPT will not write a lengthy proposal. If something is unclear, it will ask you to clarify.

ChatGPT Research Proposal Writer using Research Project Canvas

After lengthy testing, it also seems to me that if the idea described in the Research Proposal Canvas is niche – the generated proposal will be shorter. While if a lot of information can be found on the topic, the “Research Proposal Writer” will come up with a longer proposal. It makes sense – after all the Large Language Model that ChatGPT uses is based on training from the web. If there is a lot of information on the topic – it knows better what to write.

Once you upload the Research Project Canvas and click “Send”, the ChatGPT will offer an outline of the research proposal. You can review the outline and if something is not exactly like you want – ask to change it.

Next, tell the GPT to “Write a full proposal”. It will do so section by section – giving you the chance to edit. After you are happy with the section, write “Continue”.

Once the project proposal is finished, I made it do two last things: write an abstract and create a logo. Just like when a human writes a proposal, creating these is better left to after everything else is done. Now that the proposal content is defined the GPT knows better how to summarize it in an abstract and what to include in the logo. The logo is generated using DALL-E2 .

Case study: GPT Generates a Research Proposal

Below you see the end result, generated by the Research Proposal Writer GPT. It’s a 3,405-word research proposal on an imagined project dealing with the interaction between cyclists and self-driving cars. It is the same example I used in my book on proposal writing.

The generated research proposal draft is by no means perfect. It lacks technical details, the descriptions are sometimes mundane, and certainly I would not trust the references it provides. But the ChatGPT did a hell of a job converting a few bullet points on sticky notes into a meaningful proposal.

This “Research Proposal Writer” GPT beats my previous attempts at using ChatGPT for writing research proposals by a mile. And all it took was an upload of one photo of the Research Project Canvas.

Never trust the proposal generated by the “Research Proposal Writer”. Use this just as the starting point of your proposal. Edit it and then keep building upon it until the project is described exactly like you want.

Take care when uploading sensitive information to ChatGPT

It’s important to stress that the “Research Proposal Writing Assistant” did not come up with the idea for the proposal. The research idea is developed by the researcher and uploaded to the GPT using the Research Project Canvas. This is a cause for worries.

OpenAI (the company behind ChatGPT) is a private company. It will use the information you upload for creating the proposal description but it may use it also for other purposes. I suggest not to upload any sensitive data into the program. And certainly review the privacy policy for ChatGPT use. I un-ticketed the box which allows ChatGPT to use the data from the conversation for training its models but whether to trust them is up to you.

can chatgpt write research proposals

Just to make it clear: I do not see what you upload into the Research Proposal Writer, I don’t see your conversation, and I don’t see the answers that ChatGPT generates for you.

Video of the ChatGPT Research Proposal Writer in action

Try the “Research Proposal Writing Assistant” GPT

You can access the Research Proposal Writer GPT using the link below. I am very curious so see how useful you find the tool. Please write me once you have tried it out: [email protected] .

To use the tool, you will need two things:

  • A subscription to ChatGPT 4.0 to use the tool. It costs 20 USD/month.
  • A filled Research Project Canvas. You will receive a template together with the Research Proposal Writer. You can learn more about how to fill it here.

Disclaimer: use the tool at your own discretion. Check the privacy rules with ChatGPT and OpenAI

Scientists need not apply?

For now, I am happy that the GPT does much of the work I dread. I am left with the things I love about dreaming up research projects: coming up with research ideas. I can leave much of the initial burden of writing the proposal to the GPT.  

As the technology evolve, the tool will become even better.

However, this rises some tough questions:

Now scientists will be able to write a nearly infinite number of proposals. This could clog review process of the research funding agencies. Clearly, it will be almost impossible to forbid the use of AI for writing proposals. I imagine one of the solutions in the future might be to employ AI to do part of the review process. Besides the privacy issues that uploading a proposal to a private AI company rises, this poses an ethical question too: if AI is reviewing a proposal that was generated by AI, why bother with the middle man – the scientist?

I actually created a custom GPT for reviewing research proposals. Access it here .

can chatgpt write research proposals

Do we need the detailed proposals at all? Could we just use some brief summary of the planned research (like the Research Project Canvas) for evaluating proposals? This, after all, was the core creative value that I created by putting my ideas and research methodology in it.

Oh, but wait… the Research Project Canvas is a simple template and surely the ChatGPT can generate text to fill it. I actually tried it. The content was not very sophisticated and an expert reviewer would spot it. It is also probably not unique because ChatGPT uses training data to come up with the answers, meaning that someone might have done something similar already.

But what happens if we connect the AI to scientific literature and ask to identify gaps in the scientific knowledge? Undeniably, this can result in some very useful research topics. What is the role of the creativity of a scientist in this process? We could become relegated to mare executors of ideas that one AI comes up with and a different AI approves. In other words – do scientists still need not apply?

It used to be that the burden of writing a research proposal would limit the number of proposals a scientist can submit. It used to be that the thoroughness in which research proposal is written shows demonstrates the capabilities of its authors. That’s becoming less of the case with the advancements of AI language models.

Scientists do need to apply, of course. AI in the form of large language models is just that – a tool that generates text. It doesn’t possess expert knowledge, it doesn’t think critically, it has bias towards the data that was used for training, it can not evaluate the novelty of a research idea.

What the future holds

I think the use of AI will make the job of research proposal reviewers even more important. Reviewers will need to spot and support truly great ideas, rather than just the most coherent proposal. If not – rather than awarding the best scientists with the best ideas, soon we will be awarding research grants to people who can program a more advanced AI version for writing a research proposal.

Besides, there are very real concerns the use of AI creates, including the energy use for running the models, plagiarism and many other things. But that’s a topic for another article.

ChatGPT will not get you a grant – not yet

ChatGPT is still inferior to a scientist writing a research proposal. To write a winning research proposal, you have to know how to add that elusive X-Factor that convinces the reviewers to move your proposal from the category “good” to the category “support”. This includes creating self-explanatory figures, creating a budget, collaborating with co-authors, and presenting a convincing story.

To maximize your chances of receiving research funding, read my book “ Write a Winning Research Proposal “.

Book Cover for "Write a Winning Research Proposal: How to Generate Grant Ideas and Secure Funding Using Research Project Canvas" by Martins Zaumanis. Includes research project examples.

This isn’t just a book. It’s a complete research proposal writing toolkit that includes a  project ideation canvas, budget spreadsheet, project rating scorecard, virtual collaboration whiteboard, proposal pitch formula, graphics creation cheat sheet, review checklist and other valuable resources that will help you succeed.

Martins Zaumanis

Hey! My name is Martins Zaumanis and I am a materials scientist in Switzerland ( Google Scholar ). As the first person in my family with a PhD, I have first-hand experience of the challenges starting scientists face in academia. With this blog, I want to help young researchers succeed in academia. I call the blog “Peer Recognized”, because peer recognition is what lifts academic careers and pushes science forward.

Besides this blog, I have written the Peer Recognized book series and created the Peer Recognized Academy offering interactive online courses.

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Using AI tools

How to Write a Paper with ChatGPT | Tips & Examples

Published on August 17, 2023 by Koen Driessen . Revised on November 16, 2023.

A good research paper demonstrates your academic writing skills and knowledge of your chosen topic.

Your research paper should be based on in-depth independent research. However, generative AI tools like ChatGPT can be effectively used throughout the research process to:

  • Brainstorm research questions
  • Develop a methodology
  • Create an outline
  • Find sources
  • Summarize and paraphrase text
  • Provide feedback

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Table of contents

Brainstorming research questions, developing a methodology, creating an outline, finding sources, summarizing or paraphrasing text, receiving feedback, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions.

You can use ChatGPT to help formulate research questions , brainstorm potential thesis statements , or narrow down a broad subject area to a specific topic that interests you.

However, make sure that the outputs make sense and meet the requirements of your assignment. You can adapt these outputs manually, or use further prompts to ensure they meet your needs. For more information, see our tips for creating effective ChatGPT prompts .

  • Generate three possible research questions for a research paper on the following topic: “The role of virtual reality in enhancing training and skill development in various industries.”
  • “What are the cognitive and skill development benefits of virtual reality-based training compared to traditional training methods across different industries?”
  • “How does the level of immersion in virtual reality training impact knowledge retention and skill transfer in fields such as medicine, aviation, and manufacturing?”
  • “What are the key factors that influence the successful integration and adoption of virtual reality technology for training purposes in diverse industries, and what challenges hinder its widespread implementation?”

Check for common mistakes

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Fix mistakes for free

Your paper should clearly indicate the data collection and analysis methods you used in your research.

You can use ChatGPT to help decide what kind of research you will conduct (e.g., qualitative or quantitative ), how you will analyze the data, and how you will mitigate potential research bias .

Bear in mind that you should be able to rationalize your chosen methodology . For example, you should ensure that it is either a standard methodology in the field or can be justified.

  • Suggest three quantitative research methods appropriate to the following question: “What are the cognitive and skill development benefits of virtual reality-based training compared to traditional training methods in the field of healthcare?”
  • Experimental Study: Conduct a randomized controlled trial (RCT) where healthcare professionals are randomly assigned to either a virtual reality-based training group or a traditional training group. Both groups would receive training in specific healthcare tasks, and their cognitive and skill development outcomes would be measured and compared. Performance metrics, such as accuracy, speed, and efficiency, could be quantitatively assessed to determine the benefits of virtual reality-based training over traditional methods.
  • Survey Research: Design a comprehensive survey targeting healthcare professionals who have undergone both virtual reality-based training and traditional training. The survey could include Likert-scale questions and structured response options to gauge their perceived cognitive and skill development benefits from each training method. Additionally, open-ended questions could be included to gather qualitative insights on specific strengths and weaknesses of each training approach.
  • Task Performance Analysis: Implement a task-based assessment that simulates real-life healthcare scenarios, where participants are evaluated on their ability to handle critical situations. Participants would go through both virtual reality-based training and traditional training before being assessed in the simulated scenarios. Their performance in the assessment could be objectively measured using predefined criteria, allowing for a quantitative comparison of skill development between the two training methods.

A clear outline can help structure your paper, organize your arguments effectively, and make your research more efficient.

You can use generative AI tools like ChatGPT to formulate a potential outline to help guide your research. You can be as specific as you like, giving an overview of your research objectives , main arguments, and any evidence you intend to include in your paper.

However, ChatGPT outputs sometimes contain factual inaccuracies. It’s important to check the headings and subheadings suggested in the output and adapt them to meet your needs.

  • Create an outline for an academic research paper with the following research question:“What are the cognitive and skill development benefits of virtual reality-based training compared to traditional training methods in the field of healthcare?”The paper will be about 10 pages long.

A. Theoretical basis for cognitive and skill development in training

B. Application of cognitive theories to virtual reality-based training

C. The role of immersive learning environments in skill acquisition

D. Conceptual framework for the study

IV. Research Methodology

A. Research design and approach (e.g., quasi-experimental, pre-post intervention)

B. Selection of participants and sample size calculation

C. Description of the virtual reality-based training and traditional training programs

D. Instruments and measures for assessing cognitive and skill development

E. Data collection procedures and ethical considerations

V. Data Analysis

A. Overview of statistical methods used for data analysis

B. Treatment of data and data cleaning

C. Quantitative analysis of cognitive and skill development outcomes

D. Presentation of findings with charts and tables

VI. Results

A. Presentation of the results of the cognitive and skill development assessments

B. Comparison of outcomes between virtual reality-based training and traditional training

C. Statistical significance and effect size analysis

D. Interpretation of the results and implications

VII. Discussion

A. Interpretation of findings in the context of the research question

B. Comparison of results with existing literature

C. Explanation of how virtual reality-based training impacts cognitive processes and skill development

D. Limitations of the study and areas for future research

VIII. Practical Implications

A. Practical applications of virtual reality-based training in healthcare settings

B. Recommendations for integrating virtual reality training in healthcare education

C. Benefits of virtual reality for continuous professional development in healthcare

IX. Conclusion

A. Summary of key findings

B. Reiteration of the research question and hypothesis

C. Contributions of the study to the field of healthcare training

D. Concluding remarks

X. References

You can use ChatGPT to help find sources relevant to your research. However, it’s important to be aware of the limitations of ChatGPT (for example, it occasionally cites nonexistent sources).

Instead of asking ChatGPT for specific source recommendations, try asking it for recommendations on the types of sources relevant to your research topic. You can also use it to generate a list of relevant keywords to use in your literature search.

  • What types of sources could I use to write a research paper on the following research question?“What are the cognitive and skill development benefits of virtual reality-based training compared to traditional training methods in the field of healthcare?”
  • Academic Journals: Peer-reviewed journals are valuable sources of scholarly research. Look for articles in medical education, cognitive psychology, virtual reality applications in healthcare, and technology-enhanced learning.
  • Research Studies: Seek out published research studies that specifically investigate the impact of virtual reality-based training on cognitive and skill development in healthcare professionals.
  • Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses: These studies provide comprehensive overviews of existing research on a specific topic, making them a valuable source for summarizing and analyzing the overall evidence.
  • Books and Book Chapters: Academic books and book chapters authored by experts in the fields of medical education, virtual reality, cognitive science, or instructional design can provide in-depth insights and theoretical foundations.
  • Conference Proceedings: Proceedings from relevant conferences and symposiums may present the latest findings and advancements in virtual reality-based training and healthcare education.
  • Educational Institution Websites: Universities and medical schools often publish research papers, case studies, and whitepapers related to medical education and virtual reality training.
  • Industry Reports: Reports and whitepapers from healthcare organizations or technology companies exploring the benefits of virtual reality-based training in the healthcare sector.
  • Government and Non-profit Organizations: Look for reports and publications from government agencies and non-profit organizations that focus on medical education and healthcare training.
  • Online Databases: Utilize academic databases such as PubMed, Google Scholar, IEEE Xplore, and ScienceDirect to search for peer-reviewed research articles and conference papers.
  • Expert Interviews: If possible, conduct interviews with experts in medical education, cognitive science, and virtual reality to gain valuable insights and perspectives.
  • Surveys and Polls: Refer to reputable surveys and polls related to virtual reality-based training in the healthcare industry for additional statistical data.

You can use ChatGPT to paraphrase or summarize text. This can help you to condense sources to their most important points and explore new ways of expressing your ideas.

Alternatively you can use the more specialized tools featured on Scribbr’s AI writing resources page (including Scribbr’s free text summarizer  and  Scribbr’s free paraphrasing tool ) which are designed specifically for these purposes and will give a smoother user experience.

  • Provide a short summary of the following text:“One of the most profound applications of VR in healthcare is its use in surgical training. Traditionally, surgical training has relied on a combination of didactic lectures, observation of procedures, and hands-on experience in the operating room. However, these methods may not provide the ideal environment for novices to develop the necessary dexterity and spatial understanding essential for complex surgeries. VR overcomes these limitations by offering immersive, true-to-life simulations that allow surgeons to navigate through intricate anatomical structures, practice incisions, and learn to manage unexpected challenges that may arise during surgeries. This hands-on experience in a risk-free environment not only enhances technical skills but also builds confidence and reduces the learning curve for new surgical techniques.”
  • Virtual Reality (VR) has a profound impact on healthcare, particularly in surgical training, as it provides immersive simulations that help surgeons develop dexterity, spatial understanding, and confidence for complex surgeries in a risk-free environment, ultimately enhancing their technical skills and reducing the learning curve.

When you’ve finished writing your research paper, you can use ChatGPT to receive feedback. You can be as specific as you like, selecting particular aspects the output should focus on (e.g., tone, clarity of structure, appropriateness of evidence to support your arguments).

You can also use ChatGPT to check grammar, spelling, and punctuation. However, it’s not designed for this purpose and occasionally misses errors. We recommend using a more specialized tool like Scribbr’s free grammar checker . Or, for more comprehensive feedback, Scribbr’s proofreading and editing service .

  • Feedback the above text with regard to appropriateness of evidence and coherence of structure.
  • The research paper demonstrates a well-structured and coherent presentation of the cognitive and skill development benefits of VR-based surgical training. The introduction effectively sets the context and rationale, while the literature review incorporates relevant historical and empirical evidence. The theoretical framework strengthens the foundation for the analysis.The methodology section could provide more details on the research design and study selection criteria. However, the sections on cognitive and skill development benefits present compelling evidence, supported by appropriate sub-sections.The exploration of improved patient outcomes lacks concrete examples but effectively outlines potential benefits. The section on challenges and future directions raises relevant points, but suggestions for solutions could enhance practicality.Overall, the paper combines theoretical, empirical, and practical evidence, offering a well-rounded approach. It establishes the significance of VR-based surgical training and concludes with a concise summary of key findings.

If you want more tips on using AI tools , understanding plagiarism , and citing sources , make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations, examples, and formats.

  • Citing ChatGPT
  • Best grammar checker
  • Best paraphrasing tool
  • ChatGPT in your studies
  • Is ChatGPT trustworthy?
  • Types of plagiarism
  • Self-plagiarism
  • Avoiding plagiarism
  • Academic integrity
  • Best plagiarism checker

Citing sources

  • Citation styles
  • In-text citation
  • Citation examples
  • Annotated bibliography

Yes, you can use ChatGPT to summarize text . This can help you understand complex information more easily, summarize the central argument of your own paper, or clarify your research question.

You can also use Scribbr’s free text summarizer , which is designed specifically for this purpose.

Yes, you can use ChatGPT to paraphrase text to help you express your ideas more clearly, explore different ways of phrasing your arguments, and avoid repetition.

However, it’s not specifically designed for this purpose. We recommend using a specialized tool like Scribbr’s free paraphrasing tool , which will provide a smoother user experience.

No, it’s not a good idea to do so in general—first, because it’s normally considered plagiarism or academic dishonesty to represent someone else’s work as your own (even if that “someone” is an AI language model). Even if you cite ChatGPT , you’ll still be penalized unless this is specifically allowed by your university . Institutions may use AI detectors to enforce these rules.

Second, ChatGPT can recombine existing texts, but it cannot really generate new knowledge. And it lacks specialist knowledge of academic topics. Therefore, it is not possible to obtain original research results, and the text produced may contain factual errors.

However, you can usually still use ChatGPT for assignments in other ways, as a source of inspiration and feedback.

Cite this Scribbr article

If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the “Cite this Scribbr article” button to automatically add the citation to our free Citation Generator.

Driessen, K. (2023, November 16). How to Write a Paper with ChatGPT | Tips & Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved April 2, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/ai-tools/chatgpt-research-paper/

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How to use ChatGPT to do research for papers, presentations, studies, and more

screenshot-2024-03-27-at-4-28-37pm.png

ChatGPT is often thought of as a tool that will replace human work on tasks such as writing papers for students or professionals. But ChatGPT can also be used to support human work, and research is an excellent example. 

Whether you're working on a research paper for school or doing market research for your job, initiating the research process and finding the correct sources can be challenging and time-consuming. 

Also:  5 handy AI tools for school that students, teachers, and parents can use, too

ChatGPT and other AI chatbots can help by curtailing the amount of time spent finding sources, allowing you to jump more quickly to the actual reading and research portion of your work.

Picking the right chatbot 

Before we get started, it's important to understand the limitations of using ChatGPT . Because ChatGPT is not connected to the internet, it will not be able to give you access to information or resources after 2021, and it will also not be able to provide you with a direct link to the source of the information. 

Also :  The best AI chatbots: ChatGPT and other noteworthy alternatives

Being able to ask a chatbot to provide you with links for the topic you are interested in is very valuable. If you'd like to do that, I recommend using a chatbot connected to the internet, such as Bing Chat , Claude , ChatGPT Plus , or Perplexity . 

This how-to guide will use ChatGPT as an example of how prompts can be used, but the principles are the same for whichever chatbot you choose.

1. Brainstorm

When you're assigned research papers, the general topic area is generally assigned, but you'll be required to identify the exact topic you want to pick for your paper or research. ChatGPT can help with the brainstorming process by suggesting ideas or even tweaking your own. 

Also:  How ChatGPT (and other AI chatbots) can help you write an essay

For this sample research paper, I will use the general topic of "Monumental technological inventions that caused pivotal changes in history." If I didn't have a specific idea to write about, I would tell ChatGPT the general theme of the assignment with as much detail as possible and ask it for some proposals. 

My prompt: I have to write a research paper on "Monumental technological inventions that caused pivotal changes in history." It needs to be ten pages long and source five different primary sources. Can you help me think of a specific topic? 

As seen by the screenshot (below), ChatGPT produced 10 viable topics, including "The Printing Press and the Spread of Knowledge", "The Internet and the Digital Age", "The Telegraph and the Communication Revolution", and more. 

Also:  How to use the new Bing (and how it's different from ChatGPT)

You can then follow up with ChatGPT to ask for further information. You can even tweak these topics with an angle you like more, and continue the feedback loop until you have a topic you are settled on. 

2. Generate an outline

Once you have selected a topic, you can ask ChatGPT to generate an outline, including as much detail for your assignment as possible. For this example, I used the first topic that ChatGPT suggested in the previous step.

My prompt: Can you give me an outline for a research paper that is ten pages long and needs to use five primary sources on this topic, "The Printing Press and the Spread of Knowledge"? 

ChatGPT generated a 13-point outline that carefully described the areas I should touch on in my paper, as seen in the photo (above). You can then use this outline to structure your paper and use the points to find sources, using ChatGPT as delineated below. 

3. Tell ChatGPT your topic and ask for sources

Now that you have a topic and outline established, you can ask ChatGPT about the topic of your project and ask it to deliver sources for you.

My prompt: Can you give me sources for a ten-page long paper on this topic, "The Printing Press and the Spread of Knowledge"?

ChatGPT outputs a list of five primary and five secondary sources that you can include in your paper. Remember, because ChatGPT can't give you internet links, you will need to seek out the specific resources on your own, whether that's Googling or visiting your school library. 

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When I asked Bing Chat the same question, it provided sources with clickable links that you can use to access the material you need quicker. For that reason, I would use Bing Chat for this step. 

4. Describe a specific idea and ask for sources

Instead of describing the whole topic, you can also use a chatbot to find sources for a specific aspect of your paper.

Also:  How (and why) to subscribe to ChatGPT Plus

For example, I asked ChatGPT for sources for a specific bullet in the paper outline that it generated above. 

My prompt: Can you give me sources for the social and intellectual climate of when the printing press was generated?

As in the prior example, ChatGPT generated five primary and five secondary resources for the topic. 

Using this feature for smaller chunks of your essay is a good alternative because it gives you more options on sources and provides tailored insight that you can use to carefully craft your piece. 

5. Ask for examples of a specific incident

I use this prompt a lot in my workflow because I can sometimes remember that something specific happened, but can't pinpoint what it was or when it happened. 

This tool can also be used when you need to find a specific example to support your topic. 

Also:  How to use ChatGPT to write an essay

In both cases, you can ask ChatGPT to help you identify a specific event or time period, and incorporate those details in your article. 

In our essay example, if I wanted to include a rebuttal and delineate a time when implementing technology had negative impacts, but couldn't think of an incident on my own, I could ask ChatGPT to help me identify one.

My prompt: What was a time in history when implementing technology backfired on society and had negative impacts?

Within seconds, ChatGPT generated 10 examples of incidents that I could weave into the research as a rebuttal. 

6. Generate citations

Creating a page of the works you cited, although valuable and necessary for integrity, is a pain. Now, you can ask ChatGPT to generate citations for you by simply dropping the link or the title of the work, and asking it to create a citation in the style of your paper. 

Also:  How to make ChatGPT provide sources and citations

I asked ChatGPT to generate a citation for this article for ZDNET. As seen by the photo (above), the tool asked me to include the access date and the style for the citation, and then quickly generated a complete citation for the piece.

ChatGPT generated: 

Great, here's the MLA citation for the web link "How to Use ChatGPT to Write an Essay" from ZDNET, accessed on September 15: "How to Use ChatGPT to Write an Essay." ZDNET, https://www.zdnet.com/article/how-to-use-chatgpt-to-write-an-essay/. Accessed 15 Sept. 2023.

If you used something other than a website as a source, such as a book or textbook, you can still ask ChatGPT to provide a citation. The only difference is that you might have to input some information manually. 

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ChatGPT in academic writing: Maximizing its benefits and minimizing the risks

Himel mondal.

Department of Physiology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Deoghar, Jharkhand, India

Shaikat Mondal

1 Department of Physiology, Raiganj Government Medical College and Hospital, West Bengal, India

This review article explores the use of ChatGPT in academic writing and provides insights on how to utilize it judiciously. With the increasing popularity of AI-powered language models, ChatGPT has emerged as a potential tool for assisting writers in the research and writing process. We have provided a list of potential uses of ChatGPT by a novice researcher for getting help during research proposal preparation and manuscript writing. However, there are concerns regarding its reliability and potential risks associated with its use. The review highlights the importance of maintaining human judgment in the writing process and using ChatGPT as a complementary tool rather than a replacement for human effort. The article concludes with recommendations for researchers and writers to ensure responsible and effective use of ChatGPT in academic writing.

Academic writing is an essential skill that plays a crucial role in academic and professional success. However, writing a research paper is often a daunting task, even for experienced writers. It requires a substantial amount of time, effort, and skill to conduct research, organize ideas, and present findings effectively.[ 1 , 2 ] As a result, many authors face difficulties during the research and writing process. Non-native speakers face more challenges in writing in English.[ 3 ]

With the recent advancements in artificial intelligence (AI), ChatGPT has emerged as a potential tool for assisting writers in the research and writing process.[ 4 ] ChatGPT is an AI-powered generative language model that can generate human-like text based on the input provided by the user. Its ability to understand natural language and generate coherent and relevant responses has made it an attractive option for writers looking to streamline their writing process.[ 5 ]

However, there are concerns regarding the reliability of ChatGPT and the potential risks associated with its use. This review paper aims to explore some features of ChatGPT that a novice author can use for academic writing. We also discuss the judicious use of the model to get maximum help for generating scientific content.

Research Map

The steps involved in research writing can vary depending on the nature of the research project, the discipline, and the requirements of the intended audience or publisher. However, here are some common steps involved in the research writing process. The steps are shown in a flowchart in Fig. 1 .[ 6 ]

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A research map showing steps involved in the publication process where novice authors may need help, from identifying the research question to publication in a journal

The first step of a research project is to find a unique research question or problem that has not been explored before. This question should be clear, concise, and relevant to the field of study.[ 7 ] The thought process of novice authors may be so involved with minute details about the research that they may find difficulty in framing a clear research question.

The next step is to conduct a literature review. In this phase, researchers perform a comprehensive review of existing literature related to the research question or problem. This helps to identify if the question that came to mind is already answered or if there are gaps in the literature.[ 8 ] The research question can be modified accordingly. This step also helps in choosing the research methodology.

After finding the research gap, researchers find a suitable methodology for the study. This includes selecting a sample population, calculating the minimum requirement of sample size, data collection methods, methods to reduce bias, and data analysis techniques. This is one of the most important tasks as the whole study depends on choosing the appropriate methodology.[ 9 ]

In the next phase of research, the researchers collect data from the sample. Here, the researchers need to write an easy-to-understand informed consent form.[ 10 ] This may also involve conducting surveys, interviews, experiments, and collecting data from secondary sources. While conducting a survey, drafting the questions or making interview questions and probes also requires expertise.

The next phase is data analysis. This may involve using statistical software or other analytical tools. However, the statistical output should be clearly stated so that the actual meaning is understood by the audience.[ 11 ] Simplification of the complex statistical result is also important for the dissemination of the study results to common people.

After analysis and interpretation, researchers start writing a research report or manuscript for publication. This involves writing the research report, which typically includes an introduction, literature review, methodology, results, discussion, and conclusion. The report should be written in a clear, concise, and organized manner, and should adhere to the formatting and style requirements of the intended audience or publisher. A quick guideline about the sections of a research paper is found in the article by Mondal et al .[ 12 ] In addition to writing the manuscript, researchers need to write a cover letter to provide a glimpse of the research paper. This letter may be the first thing the journal editor would see. Hence, it should be written with utmost care to impress the editor with the novelty and scientific vigor of the study.[ 13 ]

When the manuscript is sent to a journal, it is rarely accepted as it is. One or more rounds of revisions are required in the publication process. This involves revising and editing the research report to ensure that it becomes more accurate, clear, and well-organized. Along with revising the manuscript, a letter is also written to reply to queries raised by reviewers. This is also an important task as reviewers are human and so are biased to some extent; a letter with humility always wins the hearts of the reviewers.[ 14 ]

Difficulty Faced

Authors often face several difficulties when preparing a research protocol or writing a research article.[ 15 ] In Indian medical undergraduate medical courses, research is rarely taught. Hence, after joining post-graduation, students are suddenly exposed to a research environment that may seem alien. Immediately after joining post-graduation, students are asked to submit a synopsis of the research project or thesis. Many students might have heard the term “synopsis” first time in their lives.

Novice authors may not have enough experience in writing a research proposal or synopsis, which can make the process seem overwhelming and confusing. They may find difficulty in searching the literature and may end up with unclear research questions. This is common for even experienced researchers. Hence, the struggle to define a clear research question or hypothesis is universal.[ 16 ] However, it is crucial for guiding the research and writing process.

Furthermore, after studying too many subjects in preparation for the entrance examination, a newly joined post-graduate student may have limited knowledge of the subject matter they are writing about. This can make it challenging to conduct research and synthesize information. The next problem is the lack of adequate time or poorly managed time for research work. The majority of Indian medical institutions have a high patient load; as such, clinicians may face time shortages for research work.[ 17 ]

When students start writing a synopsis or an article, it is a new endeavor. They may be unfamiliar with the formatting and style requirements for academic writing, which can lead to errors and inconsistencies in the paper. In addition, almost all medical journals are written in English. Hence, those who are not native English speakers may face additional challenges in expressing their ideas clearly and concisely in English.[ 18 ] Furthermore, authors may not have access to the necessary resources, such as research databases (e.g. Scopus and Embase) or specialized software (e.g. SPSS), which can limit their ability to conduct thorough research. Moreover, they may not get sufficient feedback from their peers or mentors, which can hinder their ability to improve their writing skills and produce high-quality research.

These difficulties can make the research and writing process challenging for novice authors. However, with guidance and support, they can overcome these challenges and produce a high-quality research article. In this context, AI may help a lot in gliding through the journey of a research cycle.[ 19 ]

Solution with CHATGPT

ChatGPT, as a large language model trained by OpenAI, has proven to be a powerful tool for research and academic writing. Its ability to generate human-like text, answer questions, and summarize information has made it a valuable resource for researchers and academics across a wide range of disciplines. ChatGPT can assist in tasks such as literature review, data analysis, and even writing entire sections of academic papers. Furthermore, it can help scholars save time and energy by generating ideas, providing summaries, and offering suggestions for further research. As ChatGPT continues to improve and evolve, it is likely to become an increasingly important tool for researchers and academics in the years to come.[ 20 ] In this section, we discuss its potential use by novice researchers and authors. Some of the capability and related examples of prompts we checked are enlisted in Table 1 and described briefly below.

Components of research map and related example prompts

Research concept

The most difficult task perhaps in a research cycle is the selection of a research topic that is novel and feasible to conduct. ChatGPT can suggest some relevant topics based on your area of interest. It is important to remember that this language model may not always provide novel ideas but can help generate some for further consideration and modification. An example of such a question is shown in Fig. 2 . As ChatGPT remembers the previous conversations, authors can continue chatting with threaded questions. For example, after generating some research titles as shown in Fig. 2 , one can ask to “write in detail about the third proposal.” Researchers need not worry about asking grammatically correct questions. It can understand the questions like a human does.

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Object name is IJO-71-3600-g002.jpg

Response of ChatGPT to a request – “Provide some novel research topics on diabetic retinopathy”

Hypothesis generation

When the research title is provided to ChatGPT, it can synthesize the components in the title and provide the related hypothesis. However, the title should contain the most important tenets of the study; otherwise, it may provide the wrong hypothesis.

Literature review

Perhaps the domain where ChatGPT can help authors at a large scale is the literature review. With its vast knowledge base and ability to comprehend natural language, ChatGPT can quickly access numerous academic papers, books, and articles to identify relevant sources to write text for a topic. However, specific keywords or research topics should be provided for efficient output. In addition, ChatGPT can suggest new angles or lesser-known studies to enrich the literature review. For a better response, authors may divide the topic of the literature review into several segments and get the text generated for each segment at a time and then combine those. In many cases, ChatGPT starts providing text with bullets or numbering. In those cases, ask ChatGPT to “write the text in a paragraph.” It is important to remember that the literature may not be updated as the training data of the AI may be old.[ 21 ]

Generating references

The literature review is never complete without citing the source of the text. However, the generation of references from a language model is risky as it often provides fictitious references.[ 22 ] Furthermore, ChatGPT's responses are based on its training data, and it does not have real-time access to current databases or sources to verify references. Therefore, it is essential to manually verify and cross-check any references provided by ChatGPT before using them in academic or research work to ensure their accuracy. For the example in Table 1 , two references were correct and the other two were incorrect.

Selecting methodology

Based on the research objectives, ChatGPT can suggest the most suitable study design that can best address the research questions and provide the desired outcomes. It can explain various types of research designs, such as experimental, correlational, cross-sectional, longitudinal, and qualitative approaches. It can provide insights into the strengths, weaknesses, and appropriate contexts for each design.

Sample size

One of the challenging tasks for the majority of the researchers is the calculation of the sample size. If the relevant information is provided, it can calculate the sample size along with the steps of calculation and details of the formula used. However, we observed that although the formulas were correct, some calculations were wrong. Hence, the calculations should be checked when finally using it in the synopsis, thesis, or research paper.

Data collection

Although language models may not help in data collection directly, they can help generate content used for data collection. They can help in writing an informed consent form for research. If the attributes are provided, they can draft a questionnaire for a survey. In addition, they can translate the questionnaire or consent form into various languages such as Hindi, Spanish, French, German, Japanese, and Chinese. It is also capable of translating regional languages such as Assamese, Bengali, Kannada, Odia, Tamil, and Telugu. However, those translations are not accurate and need further modification for use in a consent form or any other material used for research purposes.

Data analysis

After data collection, researchers generally use a spreadsheet to store the data and conduct descriptive statistical tests to find the central tendency of the data.[ 23 ] In this phase, ChatGPT can help generate Excel formulas that can be copied and used. Those who are not aware of the basic inferential statistics that can be computed in Excel can get the idea to run tests such as t -tests, and Pearson correlation. Hence, ChatGPT can help in data analysis in Excel. In addition, those who are using SPSS or other statistical software packages and want guidance for any statistical test method can ask ChatGPT. As a trained language model, ChatGPT is a good option for analyzing the text for sentiment or finding themes from the text in qualitative data analysis.

Interpretation

Result interpretation, although not a daunting task, many novice authors find difficulty in writing to convey the findings effectively. After researchers have conducted their data analysis, ChatGPT can assist in making sense of the findings by providing detailed explanations and insights. In addition, ChatGPT can answer specific questions about the research findings, assist in summarizing key points, and even suggest possible avenues for further investigation.

Manuscript drafting

Title: The title of a research paper should be catchy to attract readers by providing the whole research expressed in a line. ChatGPT has the capability of generating a title if the study details are provided. In addition, authors can get alternative title suggestions and choose the most appropriate one from the alternatives.

Abstract: The abstract is the next part of a published paper where the research is summarized in approximately 250–350 words. ChatGPT can help write the outline of the abstract, whether structured or unstructured. It can efficiently write the abstract if the exact prompt is provided, especially the sample and methodology details and key findings from the analyzed data.

Keywords: ChatGPT can generate the keywords from the abstract of a research paper. However, it may not provide keywords according to Medical Subject Headings, which is a criterion of the majority of the journal for better indexing of their articles.[ 24 ]

Introduction: The background of the study constitutes the base of the study. Here, the authors need to provide the answer to the question - “Why was the study conducted?” along with already available literature to provide a solid background. ChatGPT can write the introduction as a single prompt. However, we suggest dividing the prompt into several parts for better text output. Alternatively, clear instruction can be provided in a single prompt as shown in Table 1 . However, this language model may not have updated literature as it is not yet trained using real-time data that comes daily from the internet, biomedical databases, and journal websites.

Methodology: The overall methodology or an outline is the next step. ChatGPT can assist in creating an outline for a research paper. Main points such as sample size, method of recruitment, and sample population can be provided to get the methodology written in detail. In the methodology of a research paper, many researchers face some challenges in calculating the sample size. ChatGPT can suggest the formula suitable for sample size calculation or can do the calculations and provide the calculated values. In this section, researchers need the highest input in their prompts to provide all essential components to make ChatGPT understand the study.

Result: It is a common practice to write the major findings of the study in text format and provide tables and figures presenting the major as well as minor findings. ChatGPT can write the textual interpretation of the result presented in a table and can summarize it.

Discussion: The discussion section of a study typically includes the main findings, meaning or reason of the finding, comparison with other studies, and novelty and limitation of the study along with future direction. If the discussion is not adequately written in one prompt, it can be divided into subsections, and texts can be generated for each subsection and compiled for the comprehensive discussion.

References: Although ChatGPT can generate references from journal articles or books, its accuracy is very low. It may generate fictitious references. If authors would like to find relevant literature in addition to the literature they have, they can take help from Journal/Author Name Estimator available at https://jane.biosemantics.org . ChatGPT can also assist in formatting citations and references according to the specific style guide required for your research paper. For example, if a reference needs to be changed from the NLM style to the APA style, it can be done within seconds by ChatGPT.

Grammar: This is another segment where non-native speakers can benefit a lot from the language models. ChatGPT can correct the grammatical errors of a given text and improve the presentation of the text to bring more clarity.

Paraphrasing: In many situations, authors need to paraphrase the sentences of a part of the text to present the message in a more coherent manner to avoid textual plagiarism. From our personal experience, we suggest that if authors need to present the concept in a better manner, they can use ChatGPT. However, if the objective is to avoid textual plagiarism, QuillBot (the free version allows checking 125 words at a time; users can check multiple times) available at https://quillbot.com is a better alternative.

Plain language summary: Many journals require a plain language summary of the study, which can be generated using ChatGPT. The abstract can be submitted to ChatGPT, and a prompt can be provided to generate a plain language summary from the abstract. In addition, further instructions can be provided to make it suitable for various levels of learners .

Cover letter: The cover letter appraises the editor about the research and gauges its suitability in the journal for publication. It should be short yet coherent to inform the importance of the study. ChatGPT can generate it for you. However, it may generate a long letter if not prompted properly. Those who are writing a cover letter themselves can use ChatGPT for correcting grammar and/or paraphrasing sentences for fluency and clarity.[ 25 ]

Manuscript revision

When a manuscript is rejected, it is revised either for submission in the same journal or to other journals. From our personal experience, we found that the majority of peer reviewers comment about grammar and punctuation errors. Hence, while revising, copy editing is a must, and ChatGPT can help in correcting grammar and language errors.

In addition, writing a rebuttal letter is a must in the resubmission process. It is written by an author to respond to the reviewers explaining how and where they amended the manuscript, clarify any misunderstandings, or justify why reviewers' suggestions were not addressed. Whatever may be the content, the letter should thank the editor and the reviewers for their effort in handling and reviewing the article. As this letter contains a detailed tabular reply to individual comments, a short description of points on what authors addressed (if not addressed all) and what did not address is sufficient. The letter can be generated by ChatGPT. Along with it, the textual reply to the comments of reviewers can be edited using ChatGPT for grammar and presentation.

Research promotion

After the publication of a research paper, authors can generate text for social media posts or generate highlights of the paper to share in social messenger with the link of the study. For example, it can write a catchy Twitter (now known as X) post with relevant emojis if the title of the paper is provided to it. One such example is shown in Fig. 3 .[ 26 ]

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Object name is IJO-71-3600-g003.jpg

A social media post written by ChatGPT for the promotion of an article

Precautions to Take

Although ChatGPT can be a useful tool for academic writing, it is important to take precautions to ensure that it is used effectively and responsibly. ChatGPT should be a complementary tool, not a replacement for human effort. ChatGPT can assist in the writing process; however, it is important to maintain human judgment and critical thinking in the writing process. Authors should not rely solely on ChatGPT to write a paper. ChatGPT can sometimes perpetuate biases or inaccuracies, particularly if it has been trained on biased data.

The program does not take any responsibility for generated content. Furthermore, while ChatGPT can suggest phrasing and sentence structure, it is important to check the accuracy and intended message in the sentence as literary accuracy and scientific accuracy may differ.[ 27 ]

ChatGPT-generated text may also have plagiarized content with variations in the percentage, sometimes beyond the tolerance level as it generates text from its training data. If the text is of a common topic of interest and research in this field has been conducted since a long time, the chances of plagiarism may be high.[ 28 , 29 ] Hence, it is wise to check the plagiarism of the text or idea when it is being used for a research paper. We suggest the use of a model shown in Fig. 4 for judicial use of the ChatGPT-generated textual content. In addition, writers should be careful to properly cite all sources and avoid copying and pasting text directly from ChatGPT without proper attribution. Furthermore, writers should ensure that any sensitive data is kept secure and that they are aware of the legal implications of using ChatGPT for academic writing.

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Object name is IJO-71-3600-g004.jpg

A guideline for using ChatGPT-generated text on research articles

There is some risk if confidential data is shared during a conversation with ChatGPT or other AI-powered tools. The model is continuously being improved with user interactions and may compromise intellectual property rights.[ 30 ] Hence, data that need full security should not be shared with any AI-powered tool. In addition, any research-related work should not be done on public computers, which are at risk of being misused. This is true for ChatGPT too. It is recommended to use ChatGPT in a secure environment that is not vulnerable to hacking or data breaches.

Although machines are fascinating, they cannot replace human judgment in academic writing. ChatGPT can provide useful information and suggestions on various topics; however, it cannot think critically and creatively in the same way that humans can. Academic writing involves not only providing accurate information but also interpreting that information, evaluating it, and synthesizing it into a coherent argument or analysis. These complex tasks may require human expertise and judgment.[ 31 , 32 ]

Many authors may have a question about whether the use of AI in writing an article is allowed in academia.[ 33 ] Before the rise of LLMs, many authors used to take the help of medical writers or companies to write the draft on their behalf; this is well accepted in academia. However, authors need to clearly mention why and to what extent the help was taken from whom. Such service providers used to charge a hefty fee for the task. Now, LLMs can help authors who cannot afford third-party writing services. The only matter is that the authors need to take responsibility of the text.

ChatGPT has emerged as a potentially revolutionary tool for academic writing. It can increase efficiency and accuracy and can assist writers in producing high-quality research papers. However, it is important to recognize the potential risks associated with its use and take appropriate precautions to mitigate these risks. To ensure this, it is crucial to maintain human judgment and critical thinking in the writing process and to use ChatGPT as a complementary tool rather than a replacement for human effort. By using ChatGPT responsibly, researchers and writers can take advantage of its benefits while avoiding its potential pitfalls and contributing to the ongoing evolution of academic writing. However, excessive use of AI in writing would alter the cognitive abilities of humans. As an example, it was fascinating to write letters to family, friends, and even pen-friends to express love, care, and affection in the bygone era. How many young individuals of the present era can or have written a letter on paper to communicate with friends or families? The answer points toward the future of medical writing!

Financial support and sponsorship

Conflicts of interest.

There are no conflicts of interest.

Acknowledgement

We thank Sarika Mondal and Ahana Aarshi for sacrificing their family time during the preparation of this manuscript. We also thank Dr. Amita Kumari and Dr. Pradosh Sarangi for their continuous encouragement for writing this article. We acknowledge the help of ChatGPT (free research version of GPT-3.5, May 20 version, accessed on 28-07-2023) and Grammarly (free plugin for browsers) for correction of grammar and improving the presentation.

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  • NATURE PODCAST
  • 12 July 2023

ChatGPT can write a paper in an hour — but there are downsides

  • Noah Baker ,
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Hear the latest from the world of science, with Noah Baker, Benjamin Thompson and Dan Fox.

In this episode:

00:23 Using ChatGPT to generate a research paper from scratch

A pair of scientists have produced a research paper in less than an hour with the help of the generative artificial intelligence (AI) ChatGPT. The aim of this exercise was to explore the technology’s ability to act as a research ‘co-pilot’ and spark debate about its use. While AI tools like ChatGPT have the potential to speed up research, it is still unclear what role they should play in research.

Nature News: Scientists used ChatGPT to generate an entire paper from scratch — but is it any good?

06:28 Last week saw the world’s hottest day on record – twice

On Monday last week the average worldwide temperature reached 17.01 °C, beating a record set in 2016. Then, on Tuesday that record was broken again, as average temperatures hit 17.18 °C. Further record-breaking days may follow this year as a result of climate change, and the arrival of the El Niño weather phenomenon, which is expected to strengthen in the coming months.

Bloomberg: Earth Keeps Breaking Temperature Records Due to Global Warming

Nature News: El Niño is here — how bad will it be?

10:03 Anti-ageing protein boosts monkey memories

Injecting monkeys with the naturally occurring protein klotho can improve their cognition. Previous work had shown that elevated levels of the enzyme could improve cognitive functions in mice, now researchers have shown that injecting klotho into old rhesus macaques caused them to perform better in memory-related tasks. While the mechanism behind this effect is unclear, it’s hoped that the finding could ultimately lead to new treatments for neurodegenerative diseases in humans.

Nature News: Anti-ageing protein injection boosts monkeys’ memories

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Benjamin Thompson

Hi, Benjamin from the Nature Podcast here. We're going to change things up a little bit this week. And we're going to take a deep-dive into some stories that have been in the Nature Briefing over the past few days. And joining me to do so are Noah Baker. Noah, how're you doing today?

I'm very well. Thank you. Looking forward to chatting about Briefing items.

And Dan Fox, Dan. Hello.

Hi. How's it going?

Yeah, it's going very, very well. Well, listen, three stories to go through today. Noah, why don't you go first? You're talking about AI? Right?

Yeah. So I think probably one of the hottest topics at the moment is generative AI. And this is a story all about ChatGPT, the poster child of said movement in the news. But specifically, this is about some researchers that have used ChatGPT to generate an entire paper from scratch. And so there's a news article in Nature that I've been reading about whether or not that paper is any good, what the limitations are. Should we be scared? Spoiler alert. No, not really yet. But maybe it could be useful as a tool in the future.

When you say an entire paper, do you mean what abstract, introduction, methods, conclusion? The whole business?

Absolutely the whole thing. So it did the analysis with some prompts. And it created an article that was quote, fluent, insightful and presented in the expected structure for a scientific paper. But it did it with a lot of help. So the researchers wrote a program which prompted ChatGPT to do this in stages. And I can talk you through what those stages were from the sort of beginning of the research all the way through to the published paper in the end, but this entire process took less than an hour, which is I guess, a big part of why this is something that's worthy of talking about now.

Maybe we start off with, with what was this paper about? And how did the researchers go about making it?

Yeah, so it's two researchers from Israel from Technion in Haifa. And they essentially started with the data, right. So they started with some freely available data, CDC telephone survey data about 250,000 people talking about their diabetes status. And then they wrote this program, which essentially prompted ChatGPT in an automated way. So it said, 'Hey, ChatGPT write some code that could uncover patterns in this data'. And so it wrote some code to uncover some patterns. And its first attempt, it was a nightmare. Loads of errors, things that didn't work. But the program took those error messages, fed it back into ChatGPT and said 'do better'. And eventually it did, it produced code that could be used to explore the dataset. And then they said, 'Okay, cool. You've got a structured data set now, look for some things'. And so it said, 'why don't you explore how physical activity and diet are related to diabetes risk', so it generated more code. And it found yep, sure, eating more fruit and vegetables and exercising is linked to a lower risk of diabetes according to these data. And then still via this program, it prompted ChatGPT to summarize those findings in a table, then write the whole results section. Then step-by-step, they got it to write the abstract, the introduction, the methods and the discussion section of the manuscript. And then after that, refine all the text so that it could go through and refine it all. So there was lots and lots of prompts. But what they ended up with is in less than an hour, they've essentially done some research and written a paper, or rather ChatGPT had done some research and written a paper.

I mean, that's really interesting. But I guess diabetes, and correlation with eating fruit and veg and physical activity is not the most, not the most novel piece of research.

Yeah, for sure. I mean, this is one of the things that the researchers quoted in this story have said, you know, this is not something that's going to surprise any medical expert. It's not close to being novel. But really importantly, one of the things that ChatGPT did do when it was generating the text for this paper is it used quotes like this "addresses a gap in the literature", which this very much isn't. There's very little novel about this finding, in terms of our understanding of diabetes and risk factors for diabetes. And this is one of the big concerns that scientists have about using ChatGPT for this kind of purpose.

So it's not necessarily what it found then. But it's the fact that it could be done that that is so interesting about this work.

Yeah. I mean, researchers are trying to find ways that ChatGPT could be used as a tool, essentially, it's like, how could it help the scientific process? How could it be used to make things more efficient for researchers to be able to do more work, more insightful work, see things that perhaps aren't seen otherwise? But there are lots and lots of questions around whether or not you can do that. This approach of trying to get it to create an entire paper means that you end up with a paper that's not super novel or exciting, and equally has lots of made up citations. It's another thing that it did, it hallucinated concepts it didn't really understand, well, because ChatGPT doesn't understand anything, it doesn't really understand any of that context. And so it needs a lot of support from the researchers, however, a lot happened in an hour. So there's a discussion in this piece about how it might be useful and where the problems might lie. And there are suggestions that it could be very useful to just throw up a bunch of potential avenues for research, or perhaps things like summarization of results could be something that ChatGPT could do very quickly. Or perhaps even things like writing code is something that ChatGPT can do very quickly. So there are places it could be useful, but building an entire paper, perhaps not. And there are other reasons that this could be concerning. So one of the things that's that's mentioned here in this story is things like P-hacking. So P-hacking is when scientists just test a bunch of hypotheses on datasets, hoping that one of them's going to work and then they just only talk about that thing. And in a world where you can essentially say, 'Hey, ChatGPT, do some P-hacking for me' because it can look at so many things so quickly, then potentially you end up with a situation where you're using an AI to enhance this relatively dishonest practice. So concerns abound, but potentially a very powerful tool. There's just a lot of kinks to work out before we can really get there and use it appropriately. And that includes in publishing research as well.

Yeah, I mean, quite the quite the sort of two-way street and for a number of reasons, right, because you said you could do it in an hour. And I can almost hear some of the researchers listening to this podcast, rubbing their hands going 'writing papers is boring and takes ages, this will be super useful'. But the other side of that is, it could be used to just churn out absolute dross, right. And these kind of, we've heard about paper mills before publishing fake research.

Yeah, absolutely. And I think there's a lot to be watched here, you know, there's a lot of onus on journals like Nature and other journals to continue to develop their process for how AI use can be declared. I mean, this is something that is very important to try to declare how AI tools are used in papers so that we can better see and spot places where there may have been biases or hallucinations, inputted by the generative AI. And that's something that editors can do. It's something that scientists need to do, because the stuff that's created can be so fluent ChatGPT can make stuff that sounds so convincing, that even experts in the field can sometimes struggle to see places where it's made stuff up, or it's seen things that aren't there. So, lots to watch, but perhaps smaller steps at the moment, so we can make things actually useful.

Well, I have a feeling that isn't the last we're going to hear about ChatGPT on the Nature Podcast . But let's move on to our second story today. And it's a story that I've brought, and I read about it in Bloomberg . And it's about some records that have been broken, but sadly, not in a good way. It's how data suggests that last week, the average global temperatures across the world broke the existing record, not once but twice.

Yeah, this is the record in like human history, right, a really significant record to break twice in one year.

Yeah it's not a good one. And this is according to data from the US National Centers for Environmental Prediction. In terms of the numbers then, the average worldwide temperature reached 17.01 ° on Monday last week. And that was then shortly broken on Tuesday, when they reached 17.18 °C. This record isn't official, it has to be said. But I think it is quite a sobering indication of where things are right now.

Yeah, I mean, point two-degree rise doesn't seem much on any given day. But across, you know, when you start to bring in averages, and also when you start to think about this as a global temperature, it's a really significant jump in temperature. Right?

Absolutely. And this comes against a backdrop of a lot that's going on across the world right now. I mean, there's been huge heatwaves in China with records are broken there. The hottest June in the UK on record, Antarctica had its highest temperature recorded in July, at 8.7 °C, heatwaves in Spain, you know, across the land and sea.

So is there a sense of some of the reasons behind it being the hottest day on record sort of two, two days in a week?

WellI mean, you'll be you'll be shocked to know that climate change is clearly playing a part in the fact that the world is warming. But there's something else involved here as well, and that is El Niño, which is this sort of global weather phenomenon that happens every sort of two to seven years.

Right, So we have a record broken twice in one week. And then at the same time, we have a new El Niño cycle starting, which we know is associated with particularly high temperatures. This doesn't sound like good maths, is this gonna be a particularly big El Niño cycle?

Well, that's a great question. And it's actually yet to be decided. Researchers don't quite know yet. But what I can say is last time, there was a strong El Niño that corresponded to the hottest year on record, and that was in 2016. So from what I've read, there is a sense that really, maybe 2023, or maybe even 2024, when El Niño really kicks in, could break the record for the for the hottest year.

And with hot temperatures also comes more extreme weather and loads of other potential knock ons, right?

So this changes weather patterns across the globe, due to a slackening of the trade winds above the tropical Pacific Ocean. It could lead to droughts in Australia and southeast Asia, increased rainfall in places like the Horn of Africa. And that can lead to localized flooding, which can damage crops. But also other things as well, which maybe not entirely obvious. For example, strong rainfall could lead to an increase in the number of mosquitoes, which could then lead to more diseases being spread. Something similar was seen in Peru, weather pattern change was linked to a severe outbreak of the disease, dengue, which of course, is a viral disease spread by mosquitoes. So there's a great deal going on here, which could have really quite severe effects on life and livelihoods. And of course, you know, in the face of a warming world, one of the only ways we can get on top of this is reducing emissions, right. And of course, COP28 is coming up in November. And it'd be interesting to see in the face of of what is potentially going to happen, whether that will affect negotiations and discussions at that meeting at all.

I wonder whether or not this will change the urgency with which people discuss things. Anyway. Dan, do you have anything a little bit more uplifting? Perhaps maybe something a little bit less doom-and-gloom to talk about as a final story for the show.

Yeah. So this is I think it's quite a positive research development. So some researchers have published a paper that's come out in Nature Aging , where rhesus macaques were injected with a protein called klotho. And that increased their cognitive ability, quite significantly, for well over two weeks, and is potentially a treatment for degenerative diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's and dementia.

So, I know this is probably trivializing, but it sounds to me like scientists have injected monkeys with a super smart-serum.

I mean, it's very much the plot of 2011's Rise of the Planet of the Apes , starring James Franco. But this is a bit more exciting in that...

But I mean, it's probably less exciting. There's no talking monkeys. But they are they are 15% better at finding snacks.

I was interested in that. So what is it that they've actually done to measure cognitive ability here? Is this a series of behavioral tasks?

So the tests the researchers used, involved putting a treat reward into one of a variety of different wells, so different sort of geographical location, spatial locations. That experiment was hidden from the monkeys for a period of time. And then when they returned, they had to find the treat that they'd seen hidden previously. So the researchers say, this is similar to a task like finding your car in a busy car park, and it's something that specifically gets harder as you get older. So the rhesus macaques were older macaques as well. So the average age of these monkeys was around 22 years old, which the authors of the paper say corresponds to being about a 65 year old human. And before they were injected with this protein, they successfully found the treat in the correct well 45% of the time,after an injection with this protein klotho, they found that 60% of the time. So a 15%, increase in their ability to find their car in a car park, find their their tasty snack, and that lasted for two weeks.

Klotho that is a protein, I have to say, I've never heard of. What is klotho, and what's the scientists know about it?

So klotho is protein that's expressed in the body in a few different places, it comes in a few different varieties. And these researchers are looking at alpha klotho. So it's something that actually decreases in the body as you age. And the researchers have called it a 'longevity factor'.

Hence it becoming a target to try to understand what's going on with aging, because it's something that seems to be correlated with aging.

Wow, what was going on in the brains of these monkeys then? Because it seems like fairly straightforward to inject them with protein, but I'm sure there's more to it than that.

Well, I think that's one of the fascinating parts of the story is they don't really know. The actual mechanics of how this protein is working, is not very well understood. So it's previously been shown that they get a similar effect from injecting this protein into mice, increases in synaptic plasticity and cognition and in resilience against aging and Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. But they also know that this protein doesn't pass the blood-brain barrier. So there's some sort of intermediary that's communicating this effect into the brain. And that isn't well understood. And something else that complicates matters, and shows that there's kind of a more complicated process going on then the researchers initially thought is that, while a low-dose works very well, and gives this two-week effect, at higher doses, there's no cognitive improvement. And they think that possibly even higher doses, there'd be cognitive impairment. So it's not really clear exactly what's going on inside the body.

Well, so you can improve a monkey memory using a protein without really understanding how the protein works. Could you improve a human memory by doing a similar thing?

The short answer is, is yes. So it's already been shown that individuals that have elevated klotho levels due to natural variation show improved cognition and decreased risk of dementia and Alzheimer's. So there's already been a demonstrated benefit to klotho in humans. And the researchers behind this work have said that there's a very strong reason to jump into human clinical trials now.

So lots of excitement in the field. But knowing scientists as I do, I can imagine there are certainly people that are saying, Sure, clinical trials will be interesting. But we do really need to understand this mechanism a little bit better, right?

Absolutely. And there are research saying that a better understanding of the proteins mode of action will be crucial for realizing its clinical potential and the authors of the paper, and the authors also mentioned in the paper, that identifying these intermediaries that are taking the message from this klotho across the blood-brain barrier into the brain itself, is going to be key.

When they do work out what's going on with that intermediary, please come back on and let us know. But let's leave it there for this week's Briefing Chat and listeners, for more of these stories, look out for links in the show notes, where you'll also find a link where you can sign up for the Nature Briefing to get even more science stories like this delivered directly to your inbox. But for this week, all that's left to say is Noah and Dan, thank you so much for joining me.

Cheers, Ben.

Yeah, thanks for having me.

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-023-02298-x

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Introduction

Step 1: title and title page creation by chatgpt, step 2: abstract/summary creation by chatgpt, step 3: introduction creation by chatgpt, step 4: can chatgpt create a literature review, step 5: can chatgpt assist in brainstorming the methodology of studies, step 6: do not use chatgpt for fabricating patient data or results, step 7: discussion and conclusions, step 8: references, disadvantages of using chatgpt in research, acknowledgment., chatgpt for research and publication: a step-by-step guide.

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Som S. Biswas; ChatGPT for Research and Publication: A Step-by-Step Guide. The Journal of Pediatric Pharmacology and Therapeutics 1 October 2023; 28 (6): 576–584. doi: https://doi.org/10.5863/1551-6776-28.6.576

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This commentary provides a concise step-by-step guide on using ChatGPT, an advanced natural language processing (NLP) model, for research and publication purposes. The guide assesses crucial aspects, including data preprocessing, fine-tuning techniques, prompt engineering, and ethical considerations. By addressing challenges related to biases, interpretability, and plagiarism, this commentary offers insights and recommendations for the responsible and ethical use of ChatGPT. The guide empowers researchers to ethically integrate ChatGPT effectively into their workflows, enhancing productivity and improving the quality of their scientific publications. Through clear instructions and guidelines, researchers can tap into the transformative potential of ChatGPT, driving scientific progress in a language-driven world.

In recent years, the field of NLP has witnessed remarkable advancements, bringing us closer to the realm of humanlike language generation. Among these advancements, ChatGPT, based on the groundbreaking GPT-3.5 architecture developed by OpenAI, stands as an impressive language model capable of generating coherent and contextually relevant text responses. With its ability to understand and respond to user inputs, ChatGPT has opened up new possibilities for various applications, including research and publication. 1 – 3  

The traditional process of conducting research and publishing scientific papers has been significantly transformed by the emergence of ChatGPT. Researchers and authors can now leverage the power of this sophisticated language model to streamline and enhance their workflow, leading to improved efficiency and higher-quality publications. However, using ChatGPT effectively in the research and publication domain requires a comprehensive understanding of its capabilities, limitations, and best practices.

In this commentary I offer my thoughts for a step-by-step guide for researchers and authors who seek to harness the potential of ChatGPT in their research endeavors and publication efforts. By exploring various aspects, such as data preprocessing, fine-tuning techniques, prompt engineering, and ethical considerations, this guide will equip researchers with the necessary knowledge to harness the full potential of ChatGPT in their scientific pursuits. Moreover, this commentary will delve into the challenges associated with using ChatGPT for research and publication, including biases, interpretability, and concerns regarding plagiarism. By addressing these challenges directly, I aim to provide researchers with valuable insights and recommendations to navigate these important issues and ensure the responsible and ethical use of ChatGPT as a research tool. 4  

The significance of my guide lies in its potential to bridge the gap between the rapid progress of language models like ChatGPT and the research and publication process. By elucidating the intricacies of integrating ChatGPT into scientific workflows, researchers will be empowered to leverage this advanced technology effectively, thereby enhancing the overall quality and impact of their research output. 5   In the following sections, I present a comprehensive overview of the steps involved in using ChatGPT for research and publication.

ChatGPT can be a valuable tool in generating titles for research papers. Its ability to understand and generate humanlike text allows it to analyze and synthesize information provided by researchers to craft concise and impactful titles. By leveraging its vast knowledge base and language capabilities, ChatGPT can assist in capturing the essence of a research paper, conveying the main focus and contributions succinctly. Researchers can collaborate with ChatGPT by providing relevant information, such as the subject, objectives, methodology, and key findings of their study. ChatGPT can then generate multiple title options, offering different perspectives and angles that researchers can consider. This collaboration with ChatGPT can save time and stimulate creativity, helping researchers refine their titles to accurately represent their work and engage potential readers. ChatGPT can then be used to create the entire title page and then can also customize based on each journal’s recommendations.

For example:

graphic

Thus, we see that ChatGPT can write an entire title page based on just the title and author details. We notice that ChatGPT has created an email address that is incorrect and needs manual rectification. However, the rest of the title page, including keywords and the running title, is appropriate.

ChatGPT can assist in condensing complex information into a clear and engaging abstract/summary, helping researchers communicate the significance and novelty of their research to a wider audience. By leveraging the language proficiency of ChatGPT, researchers can save time and effort in crafting abstracts while ensuring that the key aspects of their study are accurately represented.

In this example, we demonstrate that ChatGPT can create an entire abstract just by using the title alone. However, the more information researchers provide (preferably the entire body of the paper should be entered into chatGPT), the more accurate the abstract becomes.

graphic

By collaborating with ChatGPT, researchers can provide key information, such as the background, significance, and objectives of their study. ChatGPT can then generate a well-structured introduction that sets the context, highlights the relevance of the research, and outlines the paper’s objectives. Also, ChatGPT can be used to generate keywords and generate an abbreviations list from the article by using prompts. However, it is important to note that the generated introduction should be reviewed, customized, and refined by the researchers to align with their specific study and writing style.

In the example below, we note that ChatGPT has not only created an introduction but also the objectives of the study, which can then be edited by the human author.

graphic

Yes, ChatGPT can help generate a literature review, but it is important to note that it may not have access to the most up-to-date research articles and studies due to copyrights and limited access to some journals. Additionally, a literature review typically requires a comprehensive analysis of multiple sources, so the generated response may not cover all relevant studies. Nonetheless, it can assist in providing a basic literature review on a given topic, which will need human authors to add to and edit it.

graphic

As we can see, ChatGPT is not as good at giving a detailed review of the literature as it is at summarizing contents or creating an introduction. Thus, its use is limited, if there is any at all, in this section of the paper.

ChatGPT can be a helpful tool in conceptualizing the methodology for research papers. By engaging in a conversation with ChatGPT, researchers can discuss their research objectives, study design, data collection methods, and data analysis techniques. ChatGPT’s natural language understanding allows it to provide suggestions and insights based on its knowledge base and understanding of research methodologies. Although ChatGPT can assist in generating ideas and providing guidance, it is important for researchers to critically evaluate and adapt the suggestions to align with their specific research goals and requirements.

Although the methodology is something that is unique to each paper and needs a human researcher to conceptualize it, we see in this example that ChatGPT can assist by giving ideas and examples based on the input of the title by the human researcher. Thus, ChatGPT can be part of brainstorming sessions when conceptualizing a study, although this section needs significant editing by a human, unlike the introduction or summary.

graphic

This section of the paper must be authentic, and ChatGPT has a limited role, if any, because patient data have to be original. ChatGPT also currently cannot analyze clinical data compared with statistical software, like SPSS Statistics and Base SAS. However, Microsoft appears to be developing an Excel copilot that uses AI to create graphs and plots, and its use needs to be evaluated once it is released to the public. 6  

This section of the paper can be generated by ChatGPT if all results are pasted as input; however, this section also needs manual editing because inaccuracies are common. By discussing their research with ChatGPT, researchers can also identify potential limitations, discuss the broader implications of their findings, and propose future research directions. Although ChatGPT can generate suggestions and facilitate the thought process, it is important for researchers to critically evaluate the information provided and ensure that the Discussion and Conclusion sections align with the specific research objectives and findings of their study. Ultimately, ChatGPT can serve as a supportive tool in developing a comprehensive and well-rounded discussion and conclusion for research papers.

As per the author's experience, although ChatGPT is capable of creating references for an article, most of them are incorrect. So, using ChatGPT for creating references is not recommended. However, ChatGPT can convert references into any journaling style if the references are entered into ChatGPT and it is asked to convert them into a specific style.

Lack of domain expertise: ChatGPT is a general-purpose language model trained on a diverse range of Internet text, which means it may lack the specific domain expertise required for certain research topics. It may generate responses that are not accurate or well informed in specialized fields, potentially leading to incorrect or misleading information in research papers.

Inconsistency and variability: ChatGPT’s responses can be inconsistent and vary depending on the input phrasing or prompt formulation. This can lead to unpredictability in generating reliable and coherent content, requiring additional effort to refine and ensure accuracy in research papers.

Limited control over output: Although researchers can guide the model’s responses through prompts, ChatGPT’s generation process is still primarily autonomous. Researchers have limited control over the precise content and structure of the generated text, which may require careful editing and review to align with specific research goals, standards, and above all, accuracy.

Biases and ethical considerations: Language models like ChatGPT can inadvertently reflect biases present in the training data. These biases may perpetuate existing societal or cultural biases in research papers, potentially leading to unfair or discriminatory content. The careful examination and mitigation of biases are crucial to ensure ethical and unbiased research output. 7  

Lack of interpretability: ChatGPT’s decision-making process is complex and not easily interpretable. Researchers may struggle to understand the reasoning behind the model’s generated responses, making it challenging to assess the reliability and credibility of the information provided. Ensuring transparency and interpretability in research papers becomes more challenging with such models. ChatGPT should cite the sources for its data, like Google Bard does.

Plagiarism concerns: Because of its vast training data from the Internet, ChatGPT may inadvertently generate text that resembles or replicates existing content without proper citation or attribution. Researchers must be cautious about unintentional plagiarism and ensure that generated content is appropriately referenced and original. So, all ChatGPt-generated articles need to be double checked using antiplagiarism software.

In this commentary I have provided a comprehensive step-by-step guide for researchers and authors on harnessing the power of ChatGPT in the realm of research and publication. By exploring crucial aspects, such as data preprocessing, fine-tuning techniques, prompt engineering, and ethical considerations, the guide equips researchers with the necessary knowledge and tools to effectively integrate ChatGPT into their scientific workflows. 8  

Through clear instructions, examples, and guidelines, researchers can navigate the complexities of using ChatGPT, leading to enhanced productivity and improved quality in their research output. Moreover, I address the challenges associated with biases, interpretability, and plagiarism concerns, ensuring the responsible and ethical usage of ChatGPT as a research tool.

The significance of this research lies in its ability to bridge the gap between the rapid advancements in language models like ChatGPT and the research and publication process. By empowering researchers with the skills to leverage ChatGPT effectively, this guide fosters innovation, drives scientific progress, and opens up new possibilities for transformative contributions to various fields. 9  

As language-driven technologies continue to evolve, researchers must stay abreast of the latest advancements and best practices. The step-by-step guide presented in this commentary serves as a valuable resource, providing researchers with the knowledge and guidance necessary to maximize the potential of ChatGPT in their research endeavors. By embracing the capabilities of ChatGPT and ensuring its responsible and ethical use, researchers can revolutionize the way research and publications are conducted. With ChatGPT as a powerful tool in their arsenal, researchers are poised to make significant strides in their respective fields, pushing the boundaries of scientific knowledge and ushering in a new era of language-driven innovation. 10  

However, and to reiterate, I cannot overemphasize that ChatGPT has, at present, many disadvantages, including inconsistencies, bias, and plagiarism concerns, that must be addressed by the human author before the article is submitted for publication to a journal, as well as prior to publication, because the human author(s) is solely responsible for their research integrity and accurate reporting.

In conclusion, I have attempted to provide researchers with a comprehensive understanding of how to effectively leverage ChatGPT for research and publication purposes. It has also highlighted the problems and precautions that the human author(s) must take before publishing ChatGPT-generated content. By embracing this step-by-step guide, researchers can unlock the full potential of ChatGPT, driving scientific progress and shaping the future of research and publications.

Please use ChatGPT only if allowed by your institution, research lab, and the journal in question.

Please acknowledge ChatGPT within your manuscript/published paper wherever you are using it.

Please do not fabricate or plagiarize data. ChatGPT can be used only for summarizing texts, improving English writeups, and brainstorming ideas, and not for creating fabricated research raw data.

The author acknowledges that this article was partially generated by ChatGPT (powered by OpenAI’s language model, GPT-3; http://openai.com ). The editing was performed by the human author.

Disclosure. The author declare no conflicts or financial interest in any product or service mentioned in the manuscript, including grants, equipment, medications, employment, gifts, and honoraria.

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How to Write Persuasive Proposals With ChatGPT

Want to write a proposal that gets results? ChatGPT can help you craft a persuasive and engaging document that will win over your clients.

In today's competitive business landscape, a persuasive proposal can significantly influence your chances of success. Whether you're bidding for a project, seeking funding from academia, or presenting a new idea, a well-written proposal can make the decisive difference between winning an opportunity or losing it.

Writing proposals can be daunting and time-consuming, especially if you haven't done it before. ChatGPT can be a valuable tool to assist you in this endeavor. With ChatGPT's help, you can quickly generate an outline for your proposal and elaborate on it to produce a full proposal that is both professional and persuasive.

1. Figure Out the Details of Your Proposal

Before delving into writing the proposal, it's crucial that you articulate your proposal and what you want to achieve with it. After all, you can't propose a project if you yourself don't have a clear understanding of it.

This step involves defining your project's scope, goals, budget, and timeline. Outlining these aspects gives you a solid foundation to build your proposal. Since ChatGPT can't read your mind, this step largely depends on you. Take time to contemplate key questions such as:

  • What is the main objective of your proposal?
  • What problem does it solve?
  • What is your target audience?
  • What resources, expertise, and budget do you need?
  • How much time do you need?

Once you figure these out, you'll have enough information to create a proposal. At this stage, you can use ChatGPT to brainstorm ideas and add more to your overall project. For instance, you can ask ChatGPT to express the main objectives of your proposal.

Prompt example : "Generate the main objectives of research for developing water-soluble cigarette filters."

It's crucial that you fact-check and verify the information ChatGPT provides. The chatbot is still prone to AI hallucinations and may provide false information. It's best to use ChatGPT as a source of inspiration rather than a direct source of material.

2. Get the Standard Proposal Outline in Your Industry With ChatGPT

Different industries and projects require a certain outline and structure for their proposals. It's important that you write your proposal in a format that aligns with the standards of your industry. This will help you structure and organize your proposal in a way that's familiar to your audience, making it easy for them to understand and follow your points.

ChatGPT can assist you by generating a blank standard outline for your proposal. If your audience requires you to include particular sections in your proposal, you can mention them in your ChatGPT prompt. Academia usually provides pre-defined proposal outlines that you can use instead of creating a new one.

Prompt example : "Generate a standard proposal outline for research in industrial chemistry."

3. Generate an Outline for Your Proposal With ChatGPT

Once you have the standard outline, it's time to tailor it to your specific proposal. ChatGPT remembers the messages in a specifc conversation, so all you have to do is to ask it to fill in the blank outline for your proposal's title.

It's best to feed ChatGPT the professional title for your proposal rather than a vague explanation. Once you submit your prompt, you'll have a concise outline of your proposal.

Prompt example : "Fill this outline for a research proposal titled Development of Water-Soluble Cigarette Filters for Harm Reduction and Environmental Sustainability."

Note that this prompt works best if you use it right after getting the standard proposal outline from the previous step. Otherwise, you'll have to copy the standard outline into your prompt, which isn't ideal.

4. Write Out the Full Proposal With ChatGPT

With your outline at hand, you can now flesh out the proposal and fill in the gaps. ChatGPT can assist you in writing the full content of your proposal, ensuring that each section is coherent, well-structured, and persuasive. A prerequisite to this is that you thoroughly study the outline and decide which parts you want to expand.

An effective method to proceed is to review the points you want to include in your proposal and compare them to the outline. If you come across something that you want to emphasize further, you can ask ChatGPT to elaborate on it. You can provide key points, and ChatGPT will transform them into well-written paragraphs that convey your ideas effectively.

Prompt example : "Expand on the Project Plan and Timeline section in the outline you just wrote. Include that the project will take a total of two years to complete."

Repeat this for other sections; before you know it, you'll have a thorough, well-written proposal. Take the time to review and refine your proposal until you're confident it's ready for presentation.

Tips for Using ChatGPT to Generate a Proposal

Crafting persuasive proposals with ChatGPT requires both knowledge of proposals and ChatGPT. These qualities work together to produce incredible proposals. To improve your results when using ChatGPT to write proposals, consider the following tips:

  • Regenerate and revise : Treat ChatGPT's output as inspiration and a starting point. Revise the text, note its strengths, and emphasize them in your prompts to get better results.
  • Use modifiers in your prompts : When prompting ChatGPT to expand the outline, you can use modifying commands like "be thorough" or "be in-depth". This will result in ChatGPT writing out that section with more details.
  • Maintain consistency : Keep the tone, style, and terminology consistent throughout your proposal for a polished look.
  • Make one change at a time : If you need to expand multiple sections, do it gradually. Make one modification at a time and move on to the next.
  • Edit and resubmit your prompts : If you're not satisfied with a result, don't ask ChatGPT to correct it. Instead, edit your prompt and submit it again. This way, any unsatisfactory content won't be reused by ChatGPT in future conversations. You can delete your ChatGPT history to ensure a clean slate.
  • Experiment with your prompts : Don't be afraid to add particular details to your prompts. For example, if you know that your audience will object to a specific point, ask ChatGPT to subtly implant counterarguments in your proposal.
  • Proofread : Always proofread the content generated by ChatGPT to catch mistakes and inconsistencies. Despite its prowess, ChatGPT can't answer every question . In such cases, it might provide incorrect information instead of admitting it doesn't know.

Seal the Deal by Harnessing ChatGPT's Power

Thanks to ChatGPT, writing proposals has never been easier. By leveraging the chatbot's capabilities, you can focus on crafting innovative ideas while ChatGPT assists you in articulating them effectively.

While ChatGPT is a powerful tool, your creative and personal touch remain essential in creating persuasive proposals. Use the tool with vigilance and know that it's not flawless.

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How to use ChatGPT to Write Research Proposal 2024 – Save your Time

In today’s AI-driven world, writing a research proposal has never been easier. Discover how the revolutionary AI tool, ChatGPT, can transform your proposal writing process. Whether you’re looking to brainstorm fresh research ideas or draft compelling, coherent proposal sections, ChatGPT is your go-to solution.

A  research proposal  is a comprehensive outline of the proposed research, highlighting the key questions or issues it aims to address. It defines the area of study, provides context, and underlines the novelty of the proposed research.

In this comprehensive guide, we’ll delve into the dynamic capabilities of ChatGPT and walk you through the steps to leverage this innovative tool for crafting persuasive research proposals. Make the most of AI, streamline your proposal writing, and elevate your research journey.

Step Up Your Research Game: How to Use ChatGPT for Proposal Writing 2024

1. getting started with gpt-4.

The initial step to harnessing this AI’s capabilities is setting it up. Navigate to the  OpenAI website  and follow the on-screen instructions. If you need help, simply ask:  “Please guide me in setting up for the first time.”  The AI will provide a step-by-step walkthrough.

To get familiar with the interface, request:  “Explain the interface to me.”  This command will trigger a thorough description of the platform’s features.

2. Brainstorming Research Ideas with AI

In the brainstorming phase, this AI can be an invaluable tool. If you’re searching for research ideas in a particular domain, such as renewable energy, you can request:  “Generate some research ideas on the topic of renewable energy.”  The AI will then produce a range of potential research topics in that field.

can chatgpt write research proposals

To further refine your idea, seek the AI’s assistance. For instance, input:  “Refine my research idea: ‘Investigating solar energy efficiency’.”  The AI will return a more precise and targeted research idea.

Also Check:  How to Use ChatGPT to Write a Scientific Research Paper: AI & Scientific Writing

3. Drafting a Research Proposal with AI

The AI can be instrumental in drafting the various parts of your research proposal.

For the introduction, instruct:  “Help me write an introduction for my research proposal on ‘Improving solar energy efficiency’.”  The AI will generate a draft introduction accordingly.

When it comes to the literature review, AI can help create a robust outline.

Command:  “Provide a literature review outline for my research on ‘Improving solar energy efficiency’.”  The AI will then generate a detailed outline.

Similarly, AI can assist in designing the methodology.

can chatgpt write research proposals

Command:   “Suggest a methodology for my research on ‘Improving solar energy efficiency’.”  The AI will then propose a suitable methodology for your research.

Lastly, for drafting the conclusion and implications, input:  “Draft a conclusion and implications section for my research proposal on ‘Improving solar energy efficiency’.”  The AI will provide a draft conclusion and implications section.

4. Proofreading and Editing with AI

Our AI is also a powerful proofreading and editing tool. Ask it to  “Proofread my research proposal for grammar and coherence.”  It will return suggested corrections and edits. To enhance language and style, instruct:  “Improve the language and style of my research proposal.”  The AI will then provide an enhanced version of your proposal.

In conclusion, GPT-4 can be a powerful assistant in writing research proposals, from the brainstorming phase to the final editing process. Moreover, its potential extends beyond academic research, proving its versatility in the realm of artificial intelligence.

Frequently Asked Questions about How to Use ChatGPT to Write Research Proposal

Can i use ai to brainstorm research ideas in any field.

Yes, GPT-4 can generate research ideas in a wide range of fields. Simply specify the field or topic when you ask for idea generation.

How detailed can the AI make my research proposal?

The AI can provide a comprehensive and detailed research proposal, including sections like the introduction, literature review, methodology, and conclusion. However, remember that it should serve as a tool to assist you, and the final content should always be reviewed and adjusted as per your specific needs and understanding of the subject matter.

Can the AI check my proposal for plagiarism?

As of its last update in September 2021, GPT-4 does not have the ability to check for plagiarism. For this, you would need to use a separate plagiarism detection tool.

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11 ChatGPT Prompts for Effective Proposal Writing (December 2023)

can chatgpt write research proposals

Proposal writing is key for obtaining resources or engagement for projects and initiatives. It requires clear communication, compelling narratives, and strategic showcasing of benefits. Here are 11 ChatGPT prompts to support and enhance the proposal writing process.

By the way:  You can create your own 'Proposal Writing Expert' in Bizway as a custom GPT Assistant to help you with all of these tasks (and get tailored responses based on your specific business details and background).

1. Articulating a Clear Objective

  • The Prompt: "Help me articulate a clear objective for a fundraising proposal for a community library."
  • Sample response: "The objective of this proposal is to secure necessary funds to expand the community library, thus providing greater access to educational resources and promoting lifelong learning."
  • Additional info to provide: Expansion plans, target demographic, expected impact.
  • Use Cases: Grant applications, fundraising campaigns, community projects.

2. Showcasing the Problem or Need

  • The Prompt: "Demonstrate the need for an after-school program in our proposal to the education board."
  • Sample response: "Local statistics show that without constructive after-school activities, students are more likely to engage in risky behaviors. An after-school program would address this by providing a safe, nurturing environment for learning and growth."
  • Additional info to provide: Relevant research, community testimonials.
  • Use Cases: Program justification, educational grant writing, board presentations.

3. Defining the Project Scope

  • The Prompt: "Define the scope of a technology upgrade project in a proposal to the company's management."
  • Sample response: "The scope of the technology upgrade project includes a total systems overhaul, installation of cutting-edge software, and staff training for the new tools, to be completed over two fiscal quarters."
  • Additional info to provide: Current tech standards, rationale for upgrades.
  • Use Cases: Internal project proposals, budget meetings, strategic planning.

4. Outlining the Methodology

  • The Prompt: "Outline a methodology for a research project into renewable energy sources."
  • Sample response: "The methodology will include a literature review, field experiments on solar panel efficiency, and interviews with renewable energy experts to identify the most viable sources for our region."
  • Additional info to provide: Research phases, resource needs, expertise levels.
  • Use Cases: Academic proposals, grant submissions, research studies.

5. Detailing the Budget

  • The Prompt: "Provide a detailed budget breakdown for a proposal seeking funds for community health workshops."
  • Sample response: "The budget includes costs for workshop materials, health professional facilitators, venue rental, participant incentives, and promotional activities to ensure wide community reach and engagement."
  • Additional info to provide: Cost estimates, funding sources, financial accountability measures.
  • Use Cases: Nonprofit funding, community initiatives, program implementation.

6. Demonstrating the Impact

  • The Prompt: "Illustrate the potential impact of renovating a local park in our proposal to city council."
  • Sample response: "Park renovations are projected to increase local property values, promote community wellness, and enhance the natural environment, benefiting all city residents."
  • Additional info to provide: Renovation specifics, community support, environmental benefits.
  • Use Cases: Public funding, city planning, green initiatives.

7. Identifying Risks and Contingencies

  • The Prompt: "Discuss potential risks and contingencies for an international expansion proposal."
  • Sample response: "Risks include geopolitical instability and currency fluctuations, with contingencies such as political risk insurance and diversified investment portfolios to mitigate these concerns."
  • Additional info to provide: Market analyses, international experience.
  • Use Cases: Business strategy, risk management, investment proposals.

8. Outlining Evaluation Strategies

  • The Prompt: "Create an evaluation strategy for a proposal detailing the success of a new marketing campaign."
  • Sample response: "Evaluation will be based on quantitative metrics like conversion rates and ROI, as well as qualitative feedback from customer surveys and focus groups."
  • Additional info to provide: KPIs, data collection methods.
  • Use Cases: Performance review, market research, campaign planning.

9. Adding Supporting Evidence

  • The Prompt: "Incorporate supporting evidence for the benefits of remote work in a proposal to the HR department."
  • Sample response: "Research demonstrates that remote work can lead to a 20% increase in productivity, a decrease in overhead costs, and improved employee job satisfaction and retention rates."
  • Additional info to provide: Company culture, current productivity data.
  • Use Cases: Policy changes, organizational restructuring, strategic HR initiatives.

10. Including a Clear Call to Action

  • The Prompt: "Formulate a call to action for a sponsorship proposal for a major sports tournament."
  • Sample response: "We invite you to join this premier athletic event as a key sponsor, where your brand will connect with thousands of passionate fans and athletes in a celebration of excellence and competition."
  • Additional info to provide: Sponsorship levels, audience demographics.
  • Use Cases: Securing sponsors, event promotion, brand partnering.

11. Stating the Proposal’s Unique Value Proposition

  • The Prompt: "Articulate the unique value proposition of our technology training program for underserved youth."
  • Sample response: "Our program uniquely combines hands-on tech experience with mentorship by industry professionals, bridging the digital divide and fostering the next generation of innovators."
  • Additional info to provide: Program success stories, technology partnerships.
  • Use Cases: Funding pitches, program scalability, nonprofit initiatives.

With ChatGPT's assistance, proposal writers can create more persuasive and effective pieces that help secure necessary support and resources for their projects and initiatives.

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The Future of Proposal Management: Harnessing the Power of ChatGPT

can chatgpt write research proposals

  • January 20, 2023

proposal management and chat gpt

Introducing ChatGPT

In the past few months, there has been a surge in the use of ChatGPT , a ground-breaking language model developed by OpenAI . As a result, OpenAI has rapidly grown into a billion-dollar company and ChatGPT has made history as the fastest app to reach one million users. Achieving this milestone in just five short days. But what exactly is ChatGPT?  

ChatGPT is a neural network-based AI (Artificial Intelligence) model that is trained to generate human-like text. You can fine-tune ChatGPT to perform a wide range of natural language processing tasks. Such as language translation, summarization, question-answering, and text generation. But its potential does not stop there. You can use ChatGPT for various applications such as chatbots and automated content generation, as well as sentiment analysis. And, more importantly, you can also use ChatGPT in the proposal management process. The possibilities are endless, limited only by your imagination.  

The potential of ChatGPT in proposal management

As a proposal manager, you are always looking for ways to improve your process. Whether it be through automation or AI models. And ChatGPT offers just that. You can use ChatGPT to automate repetitive tasks such as content generation and compliance checking. Allowing proposal writers to focus on more complex and creative aspects of proposal development. This can lead to considerable time and cost savings for the company.  

Using ChatGPT will also give you a competitive advantage. As more companies adopt AI-based tools such as ChatGPT, proposal writers who are proficient in using them will have a competitive advantage in the marketplace. This can help them stand out from their peers and advance their careers.    

By using ChatGPT in these ways, proposal managers can improve the quality and accuracy of their proposal content. Which can lead to a higher success rate in winning contracts.  

can chatgpt write research proposals

We asked ChatGPT directly, how could it help with an RFP (Request for Proposal) process? And here are the results:  

ChatGPT could improve the RFP (Request for Proposal) process in several ways:  

Automating responses. You can train ChatGPT on a company’s past RFP responses. And then use it to automatically generate new responses, saving time, and reducing errors.

Identifying key themes. ChatGPT can analyze RFP’s and identify key themes and requirements. Helping companies to tailor their responses more effectively.

A nswering questions. You can use ChatGPT to answer specific questions or provide additional information requested in an RFP. Helping to demonstrate a company’s expertise and capabilities.

Simplifying complex language. ChatGPT can simplify complex language used in RFPs. Making it easier for companies to understand and respond to the requirements.

Identifying missing information. By analysing the RFP, ChatGPT can identify any missing information and can prompt the user to provide it. Improving the completeness of the response.  

Overall, ChatGPT can help companies to respond to RFPs more efficiently and accurately, increasing their chances of winning contracts.

Streamlining your proposal document generation with ChatGPT

With the ability to generate human-like text, ChatGPT offers possibilities for proposal writers looking to streamline their process. You can use ChatGPT to generate executive summaries, compliance matrices, and other proposal-related documents in a few diverse ways:  

  • Templates and boilerplate. You can train ChatGPT on a variety of proposal-related templates and boilerplate text to generate documents. Such as executive summaries, compliance matrices, and other proposal documents quickly and efficiently.  
  • Data-driven generation. You can use ChatGPT to analyze and interpret large amounts of data related to government contracting. Such as requirements and regulations. You can then generate proposal-related documents that are accurate, compliant, and tailored to specific customer needs.  
  • Summarization. ChatGPT can summarize complex information from proposals, such as technical specifications and performance data. Which you can use to create concise, easy-to-understand executive summaries and compliance matrices.  
  • Language generation. You can use ChatGPT to generate language that is specific to the industry and the customer. Which you can use to create proposal-related documents written in a style that will resonate with the customer.  
  • Collaboration. Integrating with other tools, such as project management software, to facilitate collaboration among proposal writers and other team members. Making it easier to generate proposal-related documents that are consistent, accurate, and compliant.  

Using ChatGPT in these ways, proposal managers can save time and resources while also improving the quality of proposals.

Using ChatGPT for research and understanding the competition

As a proposal manager, staying ahead of the competition is crucial for winning contracts. But how can you gain a comprehensive understanding of your competition’s strengths and weaknesses? One solution is to research and analyze their proposals.  

Here are 5 ways you can use ChatGPT to research and understand the competition:  

  • Analyzing competitor’s Proposals. You can use ChatGPT to analyze competitor’s proposals and identify patterns in their language, formatting, and content. This can provide insights into their strengths and weaknesses.  
  • Generating Competitive Analysis (battlecards). You can train ChatGPT on a company’s own proposal and competitor’s proposals. And then generate a detailed competitive analysis report. Highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of the competition, as well as opportunities for differentiation.  
  • Identifying Industry Trends. You can analyze large amounts of industry data, such as news articles and press releases. And identify trends in the market and understand how the competition is positioning themselves.  
  • Identifying new competitors. ChatGPT can analyze social media data, news, and press releases, to identify new entrants in the market. Which can help companies stay ahead of the competition.  
  • Predictive Analysis. You can also train ChatGPT on historical contract data to identify patterns and trends. Which you can use to predict future contract opportunities and inform a company’s bidding strategy.  

By using ChatGPT in these ways, companies can gain a better understanding of their competition. This can help them make more informed decisions and develop more effective strategies for winning government contracts .

ChatGPT and VisibleThread

By combining VisibleThread with ChatGPT, you can utilize the language generation capabilities of ChatGPT to improve readability and efficiency. While using VisibleThread to ensure the proposal is compliant and meets industry standards. Additionally, VisibleThread’s analytics capabilities can provide valuable insights into the language and content. With objective metrics and the ability to score every paragraph for clarity, readability, and grade level.   

This can lead to more effective and efficient proposal development, with a higher chance of winning contracts. Here are some ideas for you to try:  

  • Document comparison. You can use VT Docs to compare and shred documents, highlighting important information and differences. You can then use ChatGPT to explain and simplify the information, making it easier to understand.  
  • Dictionary building: You can use VT Docs to identify key terms and concepts in a document. Which ChatGPT can then use to build dictionaries and explain complex language.  
  • Thematic discovery. You can use VT Docs’ thematic discovery feature to identify important themes and topics in a document. ChatGPT can then provide additional information and explanations about these themes, helping to increase understanding.  
  • Contract analysis. You can use VT Docs to analyze contracts, highlighting key clauses and requirements. ChatGPT can then be used to explain the clauses and requirements in simple language. Making it easier to understand and comply with.  
  • Key insight discovery. VT Docs can be used to identify key insights in a document. And ChatGPT can be used to explain those insights in simple language and provide additional information.  

Together, ChatGPT and VT Docs can help to improve the efficiency and accuracy of document analysis. Making it easier to understand and act on important information. It is the perfect combination for your proposal, business development, and contracts teams to take your success to new heights!

In conclusion, ChatGPT offers a wide range of applications for natural language processing that businesses can take advantage of. It is particularly useful in improving the process of preparing RFPs by automating many tedious and time-consuming tasks. Combining VisibleThread with ChatGPT can help companies identify any issues or inconsistencies with proposals quickly and accurately. Both technologies can ensure businesses save time and money. As well as other costs associated with responding to requests for proposals while increasing chances of success.

Ultimately these two technologies can help eliminate costly errors in proposal management . S aving companies time and money in the long run . So, if you’re looking to become a competitive player in today’s global market by optimizing your proposal process – Contact us t oday!

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Why You're Likely To Use ChatGPT To Write Reports, Do Research, Email Clients

  • by Joe Mandese   @mp_joemandese , January 16, 2024

can chatgpt write research proposals

Full disclosure: I wrote this report manually, without the assistance of ChatGPT or another generative AI tool. Thankfully, new research indicates I'm still in the majority, especially where the ad industry is concerned.

Given the amount of coverage MediaPost and our peers have devoted to the ad industry's rapid embrace of generative AI platforms and tools over the past year, I've often wondered how it compares with other industries. Coincidentally, I got the answer in my inbox this morning. Well, at least insofar as business executives across industries in the U.K. self-reported through September 2023.

According to a survey conducted by Web security developer Indusface, the ad industry is indeed the leader in terms of business people self-reporting that they now utilize ChatGPT, albeit followed closely by business professionals in the legal industry too.

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In terms of ways business pros have begun utilizing ChatGPT -- and by proxy, presumably other generative AI tools, including your agency's in-house ones -- writing reports ranks No. 1, followed by translation, research and emailing clients or colleagues.

Think about that the next time you receive a client brief, respond to one, or begin researching your next media plan.

can chatgpt write research proposals

Joe Mandese is the Editor in Chief of MediaPost. You can reach Joe at [email protected].

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Where did it come from?

ChatGPT is a project of OpenAI, a group founded in 2015 as a non-profit by leaders in the tech industry with the intention of developing friendly Artificial Intelligence (AI) that would benefit all humanity. Its original goal was to be completely transparent, sharing all research and patents open to the public. This group transitioned to a "capped" for-profit organization, in order to be able to better attract top talent and offer stakes in the company.

What is it?

ChatGPT is the latest generation of their large language model-trained chatbot. Originally trained to mimic human conversation, the chatbot is now able to produce a wide array of responses to prompts, including conversation, essays, stories, song lyrics and poetry, computer programs, create and take tests, and much more. A key feature of the chatbot is that it "remembers" previous interactions and can build on previous prompts and responses.

How does it work?

Essentially, ChatGPT makes use of its massive training set of language, taken in large part from the web in the form of books, articles, blog posts and forums, and through the use of human training on what are illogical and logical responses, predicts the next most likely word or token (e.g. punctuation) to occur, given the previous words/tokens produced. In essence, it calculates the next most likely word to occur, given the previous words and sentences. Because it considers everything that has come before, it is able to create not only sensible sentences, but also documents having a familiar and expected structure. 

What can it do?

One of the most impressive features of ChatGPT is its ability to create a multitude of text types based on the dialogue format used to train it. By prompting/asking it to create a certain type of text, the tool is trained to create text that best conforms to the request, meaning it will attempt to create whatever you ask it to do. Not only can it generate virtually any kind of prose or poetry in various level of formality, it can also produce reviews, critiques, and summaries of texts given to it, it can create tests or quizzes and answer them, or create programming code. Additionally, it not only responds with accurate responses to requests for texts in different styles or formats, but it can also mimic the style of well-known authors. Asked how to change a tire in the style of Shakespeare, and you'll get steps to remove lugnuts in iambic pentameter. 

What can't it do?

While the texts it creates are extremely human-like and generally free of grammatical errors, the responses suffer both from a lack of specificity and what are called 'hallucinations.' Hallucinations is the term for well-formed arguments and statements built off of its trained texts that result in imagined facts or scenarios that were not present in its trained data. While each generation of the tool have attempted to limit this phenomenon, the fact that it is creating novel sentences based on statistical co-occurrences of words means that it is possible for it to make up "facts" that are untrue, albeit with complete confidence in their veracity. The lack of specificity in many of its more complex responses results in what some describe as very bland or generic texts, lacking an individualized voice.

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How to Deal with AI? Embrace It

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  • The W. P. Carey School of Business has established the Center for AI and Data Analytics for Business and Society to provide corporate clients with insights into balancing innovation with responsibility.
  • Through a collaboration with OpenAI, the university is experimenting with ways that ChatGPT can improve research, teaching, and the overall student experience.
  • This fall, W. P. Carey is launching a Master of Science of Artificial Intelligence in Business.

  Over the past few years, artificial intelligence (AI) technologies have revolutionized how we teach, learn, research, and work. But as AI evolves, higher education must keep pace by not only training students for careers in a constantly evolving business landscape, but also by preparing future leaders to take mindful approaches to harnessing the power of emerging technologies.

“As we advance technologically, we must remain vigilant about the sustainability of our actions and their effects on society,” says Pei-yu “Sharon” Chen, information systems (IS) chair and Red Avenue Foundation Professor at Arizona State University’s W. P. Carey School in Tempe.

Chen—who has studied the relationship between emerging technologies, education, and business for more than two decades—currently focuses her research on how AI can lead to a better world when users understand the technology’s broader impacts. In particular, she is studying how data analytics tools can be mindfully applied to advance business, enhance social welfare, and promote responsible innovation.

Through the efforts of Chen and other faculty, the W. P. Carey School of Business is embracing AI with new programs, a new center, and a new collaboration with a major AI provider—all while emphasizing the importance of mindful innovation. Here’s a look at some of the school’s recent initiatives.

A Dedicated Center

While the field of IS brims with possibilities, the hasty adoption of new technologies is concerning, says Chen. In fact, she believes its implications for society are “potentially more profound than those of the Industrial Revolution.”

In 2023, driven by the desire to harness AI’s potential in an ethical way, Chen founded the Center for AI and Data Analytics ( AIDA ) for Business and Society (also called the Mindful AI center). She co-directs the center with W. P. Carey Distinguished Chair and Professor of Information Systems Olivia Liu Sheng, whose research focuses on AI’s societal impact.

AIDA houses three formerly independent units at ASU:

  • The Actionable Analytics Lab , which bridges the gap between academic research and applied execution of machine learning methodology, deep data analytics, computational linguistics, and social network analysis.
  • The Digital Society Initiative , which aims to understand the roles of digital technologies in transforming consumers, businesses, and society.
  • The ASU Blockchain Research Lab , which advances the research and development of blockchain-based technologies.
Professor Pei-yu Chen believes AI’s implications for society are “potentially more profound than those of the Industrial Revolution.”

Through the center, IS faculty connect with corporate partners who need data analytics and AI support. Because the center promotes mindful AI, corporate clients get insights into balancing innovation with responsibility.

The center also supports faculty and PhD students as they address the challenges and opportunities presented by AI and data analytics, such as the digital divide, inequality, and algorithmic biases. For instance, researchers explore technology’s broader impact on humanity; look for ways to make technology sustainable in the way it is used; and seek to reduce the risk of technology misuse in areas such as ethics, privacy, security, fairness, and personal well-being.

A Powerful Partnership

In January, ASU became the first institute of higher education to collaborate with OpenAI, the research and development company behind ChatGPT. The company provides the university with a ChatGPT instance—a version of the large language model that is more secure than and separate from the public version.

As ASU faculty and staff experiment with cutting-edge technology, they will provide OpenAI with insights about how AI can support higher education in terms of research, teaching, and the overall student experience, while also inspiring collaboration that drives academic innovation and business development.

After the collaboration was announced, the university invited faculty and staff to submit proposals to the AI Innovation Challenge to leverage ChatGPT Enterprise in their work and research. During the first round of applications, the university received more than 175 proposals. It accepted 105 and issued more than 800 ChatGPT Enterprise licenses to employees from 14 of ASU’s 17 schools, colleges, enterprise units, and teams.

One selected proposal covers initiatives such as innovating the way GPTs are used for educational practices. Another proposal enables the school to use demographic data and empathy mapping techniques (strategies for determining what potential customers might be thinking and feeling) to create educational materials that feature diverse student personas (fictionalized versions of typical customers).

Six proposals from W. P. Carey employees were selected, covering a range of topics: investigating supply chain risk-sensing; collecting exclusions of non-generally accepted accounting principles; conducting commodity strategic analysis; combatting decision-making biases; and developing AI’s applications in curriculum, teaching, learning, and the student experience.

The technical implementation of generative AI tools such as ChatGPT Enterprise is being led by Lev Gonick, ASU’s chief information officer, and a team of technologists at ASU’s Enterprise Technology office. Because the university setting nurtures responsible innovation and groundbreaking ideas, says Gonick, “we’re hyperfocused on putting ChatGPT Enterprise into the hands of faculty and staff.”

Gonick emphasizes that one goal is to find ways that emerging technologies can augment—not replace—human learning and creativity. But another goal is to make certain that future leaders implement AI responsibly.

As ASU collaborates with OpenAI, faculty and staff are submitting proposals showing how they can leverage ChatGPT Enterprise in their work and research.

“We focus not only on equipping students with the right tools to succeed in college and in their careers, but also on teaching our students to be responsible digital consumers and creators,” says Gonick.

For that reason, ASU is ensuring that its collaboration with OpenAI adheres to the concepts of mindful AI and Principled Innovation (PI). Through the design aspiration of PI, ASU commits to creating positive change through its initiatives. In this way, says Chen, the university “aligns technological advancements with broader goals and values,” so that the future of AI is inclusive, equitable, and beneficial for all.

A Chat About Chatbots

Even faculty who are not part of the Mindful AI center or the OpenAI initiative have ample opportunities to thoughtfully discuss the effects of emerging technology on higher education. One avenue is a speaker series called “Coffee Tea, and ChatGPT,” which debuted in the spring of 2023 just months after ChatGPT was released.

The speaker series was launched shortly after Dan Gruber, associate dean for teaching and learning, attended the 2023 ASU+Global Silicon Valley Summit , which explored how AI could impact teaching and learning. Gruber partnered with W. P. Carey’s teaching leads and the university provost’s office to create the series, which gives faculty, staff, and external participants a space for sharing information about how technologies such as AI can be used in learning, business, and research.

“Coffee, Tea, and ChatGPT” discussions have covered topics such as what kind of effect AI has on ownership, identity, and intellectual property; how AI can be used as a teaching tool; how AI could impact academic integrity; and how higher education institutions might embrace—or reject—emerging technologies.

In one session, Chen spoke about the Mindful AI center, discussing the risks presented by AI and the ways that mindful AI and PI can promote positive societal impact. Other sessions also have intentionally emphasized Principled Innovation, which is considered a core element of business education at ASU.

“AI will only get more relevant in every area of business education,” says Gruber, who is one of the College Catalysts chosen to oversee W. P. Carey’s efforts to infuse PI into its curriculum. “Having a forum for these conversations is critical for us to learn together.”

Another way that W. P. Carey builds AI literacy among faculty and staff is through a professional development series called “Let’s Get Down to Business.” As part of the series, the school offers a generative AI course taught by Geoff Pofahl, clinical assistant professor of information systems. In the course, faculty and staff learn to increase productivity by using ChatGPT to brainstorm, analyze data, generate nonpersonal writing, summarize information, prepare presentations, and create images.

In a speaker series, discussions cover how AI might affect intellectual property, impact academic integrity, and be embraced by higher education institutions.

In a recent session, Pofahl described an experiment that used AI to grade student participation assignments against a complex rubric. Students recorded weekly presentations on Zoom, redacted personal information, and submitted the transcripts to an AI application. The AI read and graded the papers, then emailed grade information to 200 students—all within 30 minutes. The task would have taken Pofahl days to complete on his own.

“We’re just scratching the surface today,” says Pofahl. “I’m excited about the possibilities because they allow us to completely rethink how we teach, evaluate our students, and do work.”

Students also are encouraged to develop their own knowledge of AI. For instance, the school supports the AI in Business Club at ASU, which attracts graduate students passionate about leveraging AI to drive innovation, sustainability, and ethical practices.

A Curriculum That Puts AI at the Center

While ASU’s OpenAI licenses are not yet eligible for classroom use, W. P. Carey is already integrating AI content into several courses and programs:

  • The Master of Science in Artificial Intelligence in Business (MS-AIB). Launching this fall, the program teaches students the technical and managerial skills they need to implement AI into various business scenarios. It also encourages future leaders to use AI in an ethical fashion and in ways that enhance societal well-being. The program was created through a collaborative effort among Chen; Ohad Kadan, dean of W. P. Carey; IS faculty; and the Graduate Programs office.
  • The Master of Science in Information Systems Management (MS-ISM). Designed to prepare students of all backgrounds to become mindful information technology leaders, this program has an AI curriculum focused on how people, processes, and technology relate to AI applications, techniques, and implications.
  • An AI concentration in the Full-Time MBA. Courses cover cutting-edge knowledge in business intelligence and AI applications while highlighting the societal and ethical implications of integrating AI into business strategies and infrastructures.
  • A Certificate in Artificial Intelligence in Business. The three-course program trains learners in the mechanics of technology and intelligent system design and shows them how technology can transform organizational strategy and revolutionize business operations. Those who complete the certificate can apply its credits toward the MS-AIB, the Master of Science in Business Analytics (MSBA), the MS-ISM, or the online MBA.

“As AI technologies become more prevalent in the educational landscape, it is imperative for educators to impart a mindful approach to AI usage among students,” says Dan Mazzola, MS-ISM faculty director and assistant chair. “By integrating AI into core educational offerings and providing flexible learning opportunities tailored to various student needs, business schools will ensure that graduates are well-equipped to fulfill the diverse and evolving career demands in AI-enabled organizations.”

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March 26, 2024

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Study shows ChatGPT can produce medical record notes 10 times faster than doctors without compromising quality

by Uppsala University

doctor

The AI model ChatGPT can write administrative medical notes up to 10 times faster than doctors without compromising quality. This is according to a study conducted by researchers at Uppsala University Hospital and Uppsala University in collaboration with Danderyd Hospital and the University Hospital of Basel, Switzerland. The research is published in the journal Acta Orthopaedica .

They conducted a pilot study of just six virtual patient cases, which will now be followed up with an in-depth study of 1,000 authentic patient medical records .

"For years, the debate has centered on how to improve the efficiency of health care. Thanks to advances in generative AI and language modeling, there are now opportunities to reduce the administrative burden on health care professionals. This will allow doctors to spend more time with their patients," explains Cyrus Brodén, an orthopedic physician and researcher at Uppsala University Hospital and Uppsala University.

Administrative tasks take up a large share of a doctor's working hours, reducing the time for patient contact and contributing to a stressful work situation.

Researchers at Uppsala University Hospital and Uppsala University, in collaboration with Danderyd Hospital and the University Hospital of Basel, Switzerland, have shown in a new study that the AI model ChatGPT can write administrative medical notes up to 10 times faster than doctors without compromising quality.

The aim of the study was to assess the quality and effectiveness of the ChatGPT tool when producing medical record notes. The researchers used six virtual patient cases that mimicked real cases in both structure and content. Discharge documents for each case were generated by orthopaedic physicians. ChatGPT-4 was then asked to generate the same notes. The quality assessment was carried out by an expert panel of 15 people who were unaware of the source of the documents. As a secondary metric, the time required to create the documents was compared.

"The results show that ChatGPT-4 and human-generated notes are comparable in quality overall, but ChatGPT-4 produced discharge documents ten times faster than the doctors," notes Brodén.

"Our interpretation is that advanced large language models like ChatGPT-4 have the potential to change the way we work with administrative tasks in health care. I believe that generative AI will have a major impact on health care and that this could be the beginning of a very exciting development," he maintains.

The plan is to launch an in-depth study shortly, with researchers collecting 1,000 medical patient records. Again, the aim is to use ChatGPT to produce similar administrative notes in the patient records.

"This will be an interesting and resource-intensive project involving many partners. We are already working actively to fulfill all data management and confidentiality requirements to get the study underway," concludes Brodén.

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IMAGES

  1. How to use Chat GPT to write an essay or article

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  2. ChatGPT: We let an AI chatbot help write an article

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  3. ChatGPT's Limitations in Research

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  4. How to Use ChatGPT Correctly

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  5. Choose From 40 Research Proposal Templates & Examples 100% Free White

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  6. How to Use ChatGPT, the AI Tool Everyone is Talking About

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COMMENTS

  1. How to Use ChatGPT to Write a Research Proposal

    Utilizing ChatGPT for Writing a Research Proposal. Driven by the GPT-3.5 architecture, ChatGPT is a sophisticated language model that can help researchers produce high-caliber content. Here are some ways to use ChatGPT while you're drafting your research proposal: 1. Generating Ideas and Refining Research Questions.

  2. Enhancing proposal writing with ChatGPT 3.5

    Enhancing proposal writing with ChatGPT 3.5. Streamlining the process to save time for researchers and grant writers alike. I used ChatGPT to provide the title for this article. I stared at my ...

  3. ChatGPT Made for Writing Research Proposals

    Once you upload the Research Project Canvas and click "Send", the ChatGPT will offer an outline of the research proposal. You can review the outline and if something is not exactly like you want - ask to change it. Next, tell the GPT to "Write a full proposal".

  4. How to Write a Paper with ChatGPT

    Your research paper should be based on in-depth independent research. However, generative AI tools like ChatGPT can be effectively used throughout the research process to: Brainstorm research questions. Develop a methodology. Create an outline. Find sources. Summarize and paraphrase text. Provide feedback. Note.

  5. ChatGPT for Research and Publication: A Step-by-Step Guide

    Go to: Step 1: Title and Title Page Creation by ChatGPT. ChatGPT can be a valuable tool in generating titles for research papers. Its ability to understand and generate humanlike text allows it to analyze and synthesize information provided by researchers to craft concise and impactful titles.

  6. How to write a research proposal using ChatGPT

    Step 1: Get ChatGPT familiar with the research proposal topic. Have a ChatGPT learn and analyze the topic before starting writing other sections. Doing so will help the AI provide the most accurate and relevant answers. Let's say your research proposal topic is: Investigating the Impact of Virtual Reality in Surgical Outcomes.

  7. How to write literature review and Research Proposal using ChatGPT

    📚 Welcome to Advanced ChatGPT! In this comprehensive tutorial, we'll guide you through the art of writing an impactful literature review and a compelling re...

  8. How to use ChatGPT to do research for papers, presentations ...

    1. Brainstorm. When you're assigned research papers, the general topic area is generally assigned, but you'll be required to identify the exact topic you want to pick for your paper or research ...

  9. ChatGPT in academic writing: Maximizing its benefits and minimizing the

    Novice authors may not have enough experience in writing a research proposal or synopsis, which can make the process seem overwhelming and confusing. They may find difficulty in searching the literature and may end up with unclear research questions. ... ChatGPT can write the introduction as a single prompt. However, we suggest dividing the ...

  10. How to Write Project Proposal using ChatGPT for UG, MSc, and PhD

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  11. How to Generate Compelling Grant Proposals with AI-powered ChatGPT

    Use ChatGPT to Generate Content for your Grant Proposal. ChatGPT is an AI language model that generates text based on the input you provide. It can be used to generate text for different sections of the grant proposal, such as the introduction, problem statement, proposed solution, and budget. To use ChatGPT effectively, it's important to ...

  12. ChatGPT can write a paper in an hour

    00:23 Using ChatGPT to generate a research paper from scratch. A pair of scientists have produced a research paper in less than an hour with the help of the generative artificial intelligence (AI ...

  13. ChatGPT for Research and Publication: A Step-by-Step Guide

    This commentary provides a concise step-by-step guide on using ChatGPT, an advanced natural language processing (NLP) model, for research and publication purposes. The guide assesses crucial aspects, including data preprocessing, fine-tuning techniques, prompt engineering, and ethical considerations. By addressing challenges related to biases, interpretability, and plagiarism, this commentary ...

  14. Creating a research proposal using ChatGPT

    In this lecture you will learn how to write research proposal with chat GTP. A research proposal is a concise summary of your proposed research. It establish...

  15. How to Write Persuasive Proposals With ChatGPT

    ChatGPT can assist you in writing the full content of your proposal, ensuring that each section is coherent, well-structured, and persuasive. A prerequisite to this is that you thoroughly study the outline and decide which parts you want to expand. An effective method to proceed is to review the points you want to include in your proposal and ...

  16. How to use ChatGPT to Write Research Proposal 2024

    Also Check: How to Use ChatGPT to Write a Scientific Research Paper: AI & Scientific Writing. 3. Drafting a Research Proposal with AI. The AI can be instrumental in drafting the various parts of your research proposal. For the introduction, instruct: "Help me write an introduction for my research proposal on 'Improving solar energy ...

  17. 11 ChatGPT Prompts for Effective Proposal Writing (December 2023)

    Here are 11 ChatGPT prompts to support and enhance the proposal writing process. By the way: You can create your own 'Proposal Writing Expert' in Bizway as a custom GPT Assistant to help you with all of these tasks (and get tailored responses based on your specific business details and background). 1. Articulating a Clear Objective

  18. How To Write a Thesis With ChatGPT (27 Essential Prompts)

    Writing a thesis is a long process with a lot of different steps. I've created prompts and strategies for each phase of the thesis process — click on any step in the list below to jump directly to that section. Selecting a Topic. Literature Review. Research Proposal. Research Design. Data Collection. Data Analysis.

  19. How will you utilize ChatGPT in proposal management?

    Here are 5 ways you can use ChatGPT to research and understand the competition: Analyzing competitor's Proposals. You can use ChatGPT to analyze competitor's proposals and identify patterns in their language, formatting, and content. This can provide insights into their strengths and weaknesses. Generating Competitive Analysis (battlecards).

  20. A Guide to Using ChatGPT and GPT-3 for Reports, Proposals, and ...

    They can be used to write reports, craft proposals, and generate ideas and inspiration. However, it is important to carefully review and edit the generated text to ensure accuracy. ... It is also important to note that ChatGPT and GPT-3 are intended for research and development purposes only, and should not be used in production systems or for ...

  21. ChatGPT

    Research Proposal Maker. By Seyed Mohammad Hossein Seyedi Rezvani. Research Proposal Assistant Pro is designed to provide tailored assistance in research writing. Sign up to chat. Requires ChatGPT Plus.

  22. Why You're Likely To Use ChatGPT To Write Reports, Do Research, Email

    In terms of ways business pros have begun utilizing ChatGPT -- and by proxy, presumably other generative AI tools, including your agency's in-house ones -- writing reports ranks No. 1, followed by ...

  23. Why some professors are encouraging students to use ChatGPT

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  24. Your Guide to Uploading Files to ChatGPT (and Why You Would Want To)

    ChatGPT can provide you with brief summaries of complex topics, brainstorm book ideas with you and even write code in different programming languages.But one thing the AI chatbot, developed by ...

  25. How to write proper research proposal using ChatGPT

    You can use ChatGPT to help you generate a research proposal in seconds, so you get specific ideas about your topic. ChatGPT will give you a starting point f...

  26. Research Guides: AI in Higher Education: What is ChatGPT?

    ChatGPT is a project of OpenAI, a group founded in 2015 as a non-profit by leaders in the tech industry with the intention of developing friendly Artificial Intelligence (AI) that would benefit all humanity. Its original goal was to be completely transparent, sharing all research and patents open to the public.

  27. ChatGPT Freelancing Guide: How to Use AI To Boost Business and ...

    Here are a few ways you can do this: Prompt the chatbot to make a LinkedIn profile for you. Have ChatGPT optimize your business profile page on your website. Ask the AI to review your current ...

  28. How to Deal with AI? Embrace It

    After the collaboration was announced, the university invited faculty and staff to submit proposals to the AI Innovation Challenge to leverage ChatGPT Enterprise in their work and research. During the first round of applications, the university received more than 175 proposals.

  29. Study shows ChatGPT can produce medical record notes 10 times faster

    The research is published in the journal Acta Orthopaedica. The AI model ChatGPT can write administrative medical notes up to 10 times faster than doctors without compromising quality. This is ...

  30. PDF Natural Language Processing with Deep Learning CS224N/Ling284

    •Project proposal: 8%, milestone: 6%, poster: 3%, report: 32% ... Research Triangle Park nuclear research site, according to a news releasefromDepartmentofficials. ChatGPT, GPT-4, and more ... • the idea that is expressed in a work of writing, art, etc. Commonest linguistic way of thinking of meaning: signifier (symbol) signified (idea or ...