Some useful prompts for academic writing from a recent article in Nature Career Column.
The value that I derive from generative AI is not from the technology itself blindly churning out text, but from engaging with the tool and using my own expertise to refine what it produces. ——Dritjon Gruda
Polishing academic writing
I’m writing a paper on [topic] for a leading [discipline] academic journal. What I tried to say in the following section is [specific point]. Please rephrase it for clarity, coherence and conciseness, ensuring each paragraph flows into the next. Remove jargon. Use a professional tone.
if it’s not what you want or you want to improve its output:
This isn’t quite what I meant. Let’s adjust this part.
or
This is much clearer, but let’s tweak the ending for a stronger transition to the next section.
Elevating peer review
Assume you’re an expert and seasoned scholar with 20+ years of academic experience in [field]. On the basis of my summary of a paper in [field], where the main focus is on [general topic], provide a detailed review of this paper, in the following order: 1) briefly discuss its core content; 2) identify its limitations; and 3) explain the significance of each limitation in order of importance. Maintain a concise and professional tone throughout.
Optimizing editorial feedback
On the basis of these notes, draft a letter to the author. Highlight the manuscript’s key issues and clearly explain why the manuscript, despite its interesting topic, might not provide a substantial enough advancement to merit publication. Avoid jargon. Be direct. Maintain a professional and respectful tone throughout.
More useful prompts:
- Response letter
Assume you’re an expert and seasoned scholar with 20+ years of academic experience in XXX research. [Abstract.] –use this information throughout our conversation. Now reviewers have a few comments about our paper, please understand reviewers’ questions carefully and respond to their concerns using a concise and professional tone throughout. I will provide you with the comments from reviewers. Please give me your response regarding how you addressed their concerns. I will also provide you with some guidance.
- to be continued
Discussion: ChatGPT is transforming peer review — how can we use it responsibly?
LLM use must be restricted to specific tasks — to correct language and grammar, answer simple manuscript-related questions and identify relevant information, for instance.
