AI in Research Writing
Night desk with a laptop showing an IMRaD manuscript draft

Part 3

Drafting with Structure

Key question: How do I use AI to make my argument sharper instead of my prose blander?

The order that protects your voice

The researchers who get the most from AI all do the same thing: they write the ugly draft first. A rough paragraph in your own words plus AI critique beats a polished AI paragraph you then have to defend.

  1. Dump your thinking — messy bullet points, your own words, no editing.
  2. Ask AI for structure and gaps, not for sentences.
  3. Write the section yourself using that structure.
  4. Only then ask AI for line-level critique and clarity.

Prompts to copy and try

1. Turn messy notes into a section skeleton

Best in Claude or ChatGPT

Here are my raw notes for the [Introduction / Discussion] of a [FIELD] paper:
[PASTE MESSY BULLET POINTS]

Do NOT write the section. Instead:
1. Give me a paragraph-by-paragraph outline, with a one-sentence purpose for each paragraph.
2. For each paragraph, state which of my notes belong there and what evidence is still missing.
3. Show me the logical thread from paragraph 1 to the last one in a single flowchart-style list.
4. Point out any claim in my notes that is not supported by the evidence I mentioned.

'Do NOT write the section' is the key line. You get architecture, and the words stay yours.

2. Paragraph surgery on your own writing

Best in Claude

Here is a paragraph I wrote: [PASTE]

Analyse it as a journal editor:
1. What is the topic sentence actually claiming? Restate it in 10 words.
2. Does every following sentence support that claim? Flag the ones that drift.
3. Which sentences are padding, hedging twice, or saying the same thing?
4. Rate its clarity 1-10 and tell me the single change with the biggest impact.

Give me the analysis first. Only after that, show one rewritten version that keeps my vocabulary and sentence rhythm.

Analysis before rewrite. You learn the pattern, so the next paragraph you write yourself is better.

3. Build the Results-to-Discussion bridge

Best in ChatGPT or Claude

My key findings: [LIST 3-5 FINDINGS WITH NUMBERS]
My literature context: [2-3 SENTENCES ON WHAT PRIOR STUDIES FOUND]
My theoretical framework: [NAME]

For each finding, generate a discussion scaffold with four slots:
(a) restate the finding in one sentence,
(b) does it confirm, contradict or extend prior work — and which work,
(c) the most plausible explanation grounded in my framework,
(d) one rival explanation I must acknowledge.

Do not write flowing prose. Give me the slots so I can write them.

The four-slot structure is exactly what strong Discussion paragraphs do — and the rival explanation is what reviewers reward.

4. An abstract that earns the download

Best in Gemini or ChatGPT

Here is my full paper draft (or my Methods + Results + Conclusion): [PASTE]

Write 3 structured abstracts of 200-250 words: Background, Objective, Methods, Results (with actual numbers from my text), Conclusion.
- Version A: emphasise the theoretical contribution.
- Version B: emphasise the practical/policy implication.
- Version C: emphasise the methodological novelty.
Use only claims and numbers present in my text. Then tell me which version best matches [TARGET JOURNAL] and why.

Three framings of the same evidence show you what your paper is really contributing — a strategic decision, not a wording one.

5. De-AI your prose

Best in Claude or ChatGPT

Review this text for hallmarks of generic AI writing: [PASTE]

Flag and list every instance of:
- empty intensifiers (crucial, pivotal, delve, robust, comprehensive, landscape, realm, tapestry)
- three-item lists used for rhythm rather than meaning
- sentences that state the obvious or restate the previous sentence
- "It is important to note that" style filler
- vague attributions like "studies show" with no specific study

For each, quote it and propose a precise, discipline-specific replacement. Keep my hedging and my terminology.

Editors reject fluent-but-empty prose. This prompt removes the exact fingerprints that make a paper read as machine-written.

6. Titles, captions and keywords

Best in Gemini

Paper abstract: [PASTE]
Target journal: [NAME]

1. Propose 8 titles: 3 descriptive, 3 with a finding-forward claim, 2 with a colon structure. Max 15 words each.
2. Suggest 6 keywords that maximise indexing discoverability without duplicating title words.
3. For each of my tables/figures described here [PASTE DESCRIPTIONS], write a standalone caption that a reader could understand without the body text.

Captions and titles are where discoverability is won, and they are low-risk, high-return AI tasks.

Tool spotlight for this stage

Claude

The best critique partner for academic prose — precise, willing to disagree, good at preserving your register.

Tip: Use Projects to store your style guide and target journal instructions once, then reuse across sections.

ChatGPT

Fast structural scaffolding, abstract variants, and rewriting between registers.

Tip: Create a Custom GPT / saved instruction with your field, journal and writing rules.

Gemini

Strong at titles, keywords, captions, and working inside Google Docs with your live draft.

Tip: Use it to check that every figure is actually referenced in your text.

NotebookLM

Load your own past published papers as sources and ask it to describe your writing conventions.

Tip: Ask 'how do I usually structure a Discussion?' — then keep that structure instead of a generic one.

Two more tools worth knowing

  • Paperpal / WritefullAcademic-specific language editors trained on published research writing. Better register than general grammar checkers, and they suggest field-appropriate phrasing.
  • Zotero + Better BibTeXYour citation ground truth. Keep every reference here from the moment you read it, so nothing AI-suggested ever enters your bibliography unverified.

Integrity boundary for Part 3

Do this

  • Write your own first draft, however rough, before any AI involvement.
  • Keep the AI's role at structure, critique and clarity.
  • Re-read every AI-touched sentence and ask: could I defend this in a viva?

Never do this

  • Never submit a paragraph generated wholesale by AI as your own analysis.
  • Never let AI insert a claim, statistic or citation you did not provide.
  • Never let a rewrite quietly change the strength of your claim (from 'may suggest' to 'proves').

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