7 English Paper Writing Tools Beyond ChatGPT

ChatGPT (full name Chat Generative Pre-trained Transformer) is a chatbot released by the American artificial intelligence research lab OpenAI in November 2022. It is based on artificial intelligence neural network technology, capable of interacting based on the content of conversations with humans, completing tasks such as writing articles, correcting grammar, and translating based on a rich corpus trained model.

Upon its debut, ChatGPT ignited global public opinion, including in academia. People exclaimed that a new era of artificial intelligence has arrived, and many academic research-related tasks will be replaced by such robots. Is this really the case?

Besides ChatGPT, an increasing number of academic AI tools are continuously being updated and launched. Are you feeling overwhelmed and looking for suitable tools for researchers?

This article will examine the main functions and limitations of ChatGPT as an academic AI tool, and then introduce companies like Wordvice, which represent various new practices utilizing AI technology in the field of academic English writing support, and how they can help researchers ease their work!

1. ChatGPT – The Pioneer of Chatbots

In fact, ChatGPT is not the first artificial intelligence robot. Before it, several products that astonished the world had already emerged, including IBM’s “Deep Blue” computer that defeated international chess masters, numerous grammar correction and translation software, and self-driving cars. Every product with intelligent judgment functions has introduced a new term called “computer-assisted…”, such as computer-assisted training, computer-assisted translation, computer-assisted driving, but none have caused a complete unemployment in any industry; instead, they have enhanced the work efficiency and level of personnel in that industry. This auxiliary transformation is not a disruptive transformation, so it is different from how digital cameras eliminated the film industry.

ChatGPT, as a computer-assisted creation tool, is no exception. It will not lead to the unemployment of creators; it will only free creators from tedious and time-consuming tasks to focus more on more original creations.

In academia, ChatGPT serves as an AI tool that can assist academic researchers in various ways. It can answer specific questions related to the user’s research topic, help users with quick information retrieval, initiate preliminary literature discussions, provide suggestions for research questions, hypotheses, or experimental designs, and explain complex concepts in simple language to help rectify language expression issues in paper drafts.

However, it must be said that ChatGPT currently has many limitations, as its AI model still requires significant improvement. The knowledge that ChatGPT possesses is implanted by humans, allowing it to quickly compare and synthesize literature, making logical judgments and generating relatively reasonable answers. However, it cannot generate original innovative content. The model of ChatGPT requires vast amounts of data to fit the real world and has high requirements for the workload and business quality of annotators.

Additionally, ChatGPT may create non-existent pseudo-knowledge or subjectively speculate on the inquirer’s intentions, which are manifestations of its technical immaturity.

The greatest advantage of artificial intelligence over humans is the ability to learn tirelessly and quickly select and combine textual materials. The more superficial, formulaic, or weakly creative work is, the easier it is to be replaced by AI like ChatGPT. For example, ChatGPT can quickly write a poorly written review article in a few seconds because it can generate such an article according to a large training dataset and model in a specific format. However, such articles usually do not stand up to careful scrutiny due to a lack of depth in thought, superficial content, and potential contradictions.

In short, ChatGPT still cannot write logically and creatively like a skilled writer or academic author. To eliminate ChatGPT’s shortcomings, one needs to spend a lot of time engaging in dialogue with ChatGPT point by point, sentence by sentence, and paragraph by paragraph to refine the article, and this lengthy revision process is not much different from the arduous task of writing the article oneself.

2. Wordvice AI – More Than Just an English Grammar Checking Tool

Wordvice AI is an English writing assistance tool developed based on the latest artificial intelligence technology, providing one-stop language services aimed at meeting various potential needs during the English writing process for authors, helping to solve all the difficulties authors may encounter, including English grammar checking and proofreading (Grammar Checker/Proofreading Tool), English rewriting and polishing (Paraphrasing Tool), English translation (Translator), summarizing articles and extracting abstracts (Summarizing Tool), and online plagiarism detection functionality. Among them, the English grammar checking and proofreading function allows users to choose from four editing modes (Light, Standard, Intensive, Concise) based on their required modification amount and language style, completing precise proofreading tasks under specific modes to enhance the clarity and fluency of English texts; the English rewriting and polishing function allows users to select from five supported rewriting and polishing modes (Fluent, Academic, Professional (formal), Professional (friendly), Creative) according to their different tone and style needs, helping to adjust the structure and phrasing of the text without changing the original meaning, improving vocabulary, style, and tone, and avoiding plagiarism issues. Users can try for free or subscribe to a premium paid version to unlock all features and gain unlimited access.

Main Features

• Identifies grammar, spelling, punctuation, and stylistic errors in English text and provides modification suggestions
• Identifies replaceable expressions, uses synonyms, and checks sentence structure, vocabulary, and word order issues sentence by sentence, creating original expressions that align with the text’s original meaning
• Supports translation between Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, English, Japanese, and Korean
• Accurately extracts core viewpoints from various texts and shortens the text
• Scans and searches millions of online databases and websites for cross-comparison of texts, providing detailed detection results
• Supports English editing services provided by professional editors who are native English speakers

3. Typeset.io – Simplifying Writing and Paper Submission Processes

Typeset.io is a comprehensive platform that provides standardized paper templates and automated formatting tools, helping researchers quickly and effectively comply with specific guidelines from target journals and publishers. Additionally, Typeset.io has a citation management system that supports various styles and automatically generates in-text citations and bibliographies/references.

Typeset.io allows multiple people to work on the same document simultaneously, making it very suitable for researchers. The built-in database lists journals and submission guidelines to help authors confirm the selection of suitable journals. Furthermore, Typeset.io includes plagiarism checking and AI writing tools aimed at helping users improve the quality of their English writing.

Main Features

• Standardized paper format templates
• In-text citation and reference management

• Real-time collaboration and version control
• Journal recommendation
• Writing tools and plagiarism checking

4. Scite.ai – No More Wasting Time Searching for Documents

If you have ever used ChatGPT to search for citations, you may have found that it can fabricate sources or generate fictional text. Recently, more trustworthy AI tools have emerged, such as Scite.ai, which provides accurate citations of published papers. Additionally, this online research tool can provide you with the precise number of papers that refute or support specific claims.

Main Features

• Citation retrieval

• Generate customized user interfaces

• Journal and institution metrics

• Interactive visualization interface

5. Quillbot – Writing Made Easy

Quillbot is an academic AI tool similar to Wordvice AI, equipped with functions for writing and improving the quality of English language, making it an indispensable English writing tool for academic researchers. Based on advanced algorithms, Quillbot offers rewriting, vocabulary suggestions, and alternative word choices to assist researchers in avoiding plagiarism. The “Expand” function can generate content based on several keywords or phrases, aiding in brainstorming during the writing process. Quillbot can also provide explanations for modification suggestions, which can greatly benefit non-native English speakers or those looking to enhance their language skills. Additionally, if users need to handle foreign language data, using Quillbot can translate text into the target language while ensuring proper citation.

Main Features

• Rewriting and extracting article summaries

• English grammar checking
• Ensuring accuracy of academic terms and citation styles
• Online translation

6. Scholarcy – AI Paper Summary Tool

Scholarcy is an online research tool that assists in reading and summarizing articles, reports, and books. Scholarcy helps you keep up with the latest research trends and quickly assess which literature is related to your research. It identifies key information and classifies data into relevant categories. Users can upload articles they wish to summarize as Word or PDF documents to Scholarcy, generating summary flashcards that also include links to open access (Open Access) reference files. Furthermore, it can extract figures, tables, and images from papers and organize them in an easily understandable manner.

Main Features

• Automatically extracts references
• Can connect to Open Access databases with Chrome/Edge extensions
• Extracts figures, tables, and images
• Database of searchable summaries

7. ResearchRabbit – Never Miss a Paper Again

ResearchRabbit is a web application that helps users quickly and efficiently browse scientific papers. Known as the Spotify of the paper world, it allows you to create collections of papers and regularly recommends new works based on your personal interests. ResearchRabbit also helps you visualize the relationships between papers and co-authors and enables you to share your collections with colleagues for more efficient collaboration.

Main Features

• Creates related literature
• Receives and recommends based on user preferences
• Directly explores relationships between fields, authors, and research groups
• Collaborates with others

8. ProofHub – All-in-one Project and Team Management

ProofHub is a project management and collaboration tool designed for researchers, providing features such as task management, file sharing, communication, time tracking, and document management, helping teams effectively manage projects and collaborate. The central control platform allows teams to create and share work, set priorities, assign tasks, and monitor progress. Instant feedback can be obtained through ProofHub, and reminders can be set to avoid missing deadlines.

Main Features

• Task and project management (Kanban tools, Gantt charts)
• Collaboration and communication using a central control platform
• Time tracking and scheduling management
• Workflow automation
• Security and access control

AI Research Tools: Honorary Awards

ChatPDF – Chat with Papers

Use ChatPDF to experience chatting with PDF files by uploading your documents in PDF format to the research application, ChatPDF will provide summaries and suggest questions based on the full text. ChatPDF can even create semantic indexes for each paragraph.

Consensus – Research Findings Reveal the Truth

Consensus is an AI search engine that answers your questions based on peer-reviewed literature and searches for and summarizes literature. When simple yes/no questions are posed, it summarizes the available evidence and provides a “consensus meter” that reflects the current state of research.