Writing Lessons & Advice: Writing with AI-Essay Help Edition
- Katie Johns
- 38 minutes ago
- 5 min read
After the Scarecrow from Wizard of Oz got a brain, I wonder how much he relished opportunities like research and essay-writing that challenged his new intellectual chops. We might not always share the same enthusiasm for those activities, but they’re forms of mental exercise as necessary as physical activity is to the rest of the body. Some foundation and regular practice can be helpful in areas of life beyond the class assignments as well.
I hope my Essay Help has been found useful so far; however, I realize some of my elements may be a little dated in some respects, a bit like Wizard of Oz can be. For one thing, technology was different, both in the sense of when I was writing essays in school and when Oz was made. Yet, the attempts to make AI, writing, and academics peacefully coexist have sparked my interest in trying to refresh my Lessons & Advice much like the recent popularity of Wicked has certainly rekindled the interest in the premiere story of the yellow brick road land of munchkins, wizards, and witches. I’d likely have to learn a thing or two about this anyway if teaching in an official capacity worked out for me up to this point. So here is what’s good to know.
AI and research material
The application security platform Mend.io states a startling statistic that ninety percent of online content could be AI-generated by 2026! With that, chances run high that online or electronic based material may not be most ideal for a serious research project. Before algorithms drop slop on you like a farmhouse tornado-ed from Kansas, software review site G2 and Capitol Technology University point out some tell-tale signs of low-quality AI-generated content:
One characteristic that can make AI-generated content stand out negatively is inconsistencies and repetition. Capitol Technology University notes occurrences like odd or nonsensical sentences; repeated phrases or sentence structures; and abrupt shifts in tone, style, or topic. G2 adds that tone may also be flat, neutral, or overly enthusiastic.
AI-generated material will also mainly skim the surface of context and content. Capitol Technology University elaborates that, “the language learning models lack real-world understanding and nuance...making the text seem unable to grasp the larger context of the writing, misses the point entirely, or references specific details without appropriate context.” As per G2, generated context may also use outdated or incorrect information due to knowledge cutoffs in the models. Other limitations in the models can also manifest through excessive use of buzzwords, unnaturally perfect grammar, place holder text, and lack of citations. Conversely, a post on Grammarly points out common words and phrases AI tends to use frequently.
However, one detail that is not a red flag of AI-generated content is use of the em dash. Social media seemed to perpetuate the idea over the last few years with the mark getting innacurately dubbed by a fashion podcast as a longer hyphen or “ChatGPT hyphen”. In turn, seasoned writers and authorities have come to the defense of the punctuation, thus busting the myth. The em dash is just interchangeable with a few other punctuation, sometimes coming off as sophisticated or dramatic but nothing inherently wrong with using them--with or without AI.
AI and plagiarism concerns
If you’re unfamiliar or need a refresher with the idea of plagiarism, it is the act of passing off content or ideas from another source as your own. It carries pretty serious consequences when left unaddressed. It can occur directly, accidentally, and most recently, through misuse of AI.
AI tools are often trained on vast amounts of publicly available information, but they analyze more than remember or recall. So AI output is generated from scratch and mainly generalizes the topics it's given to discuss. Because of this, the tools themselves do not necessarily plagiarize. However, taking the output at face value is where inappropriate lines get crossed.
Writing assistant Thesify notes that educators are concerned with the use/abuse of AI tools out of concern for academic integrity and fairness in grading. An assignment that’s exclusively or heavily reliant on AI does not reflect significant critical thinking nor one’s full understanding of a topic. AI will also hallucinate, or fabricate its citations. (Again, while it's trained with publicly available information, it will not reliably or fully recollect where its responses come from.) Not to mention, not everyone may have easy access to AI tools. Some entities may not frown on the use of AI as long as it's properly cited and implemented. The expectations of the audience or recipient will have some bearing, but in short, Grammarly recommends citing the AI tool to show transparency if “it contributed to your work in a meaningful way, such as generating specific text or shaping your ideas...”. If used to brainstorm, outline, or proofread work, citing AI might not be as necessary “because it didn’t impact the substance of your ideas or generate text.” The same Grammarly post also touches on how to format the citations according to the major style guides--APA, MLA, and Chicago.
Reasonable ways to use AI
Generally acceptable use of AI implements it as assistance or support, not a replacement for the work. The nature of AI’s output makes it a good aide around project starting points or writers block by brainstorming, outlining, summarizing, or offering research recommendations as prompted. Albeit, some can even act as proofreaders too. Also ensure the AI tools you use operate with good priorities and practices, like academic integrity, promoting original thought, and offering good feedback. Make a point to verify that information it gives is not a hallucination and to refine what it offers to fit your work-in-progress. Also important is to follow any guidelines or policies concerning AI use set by the school/publication/entity for which you are writing.
Ultimately though, make sure you put your brain--as well as heart and nerve-- to work throughout the process. If you know the Scarecrow’s song in the film, it seems like he’d love a chance to do that prior to meeting Dorothy! Thankfully we don’t have to go all the way to the Emerald City to figure things out. Instead, our yellow brick road to fitter minds and fabulous writing is in tackling the bulk of the project organically. Or in other words, making efforts throughout the project to practice your writing skills, and hone your writing voice, your thought processes, and your creativity. AI cannot effectively replicate these qualities and they are often what writing assignments value most.
Hope this encourages you to strike a good balance between using your own expression and AI expression!
How do you incorporate AI into your writing process? Which ones do you find are designed for the good practices and priorities discussed? What other writing-related topics do you want lessons & advice on? Feel free to share in the comments, chat feature, or socials!
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