How Much AI Content Is Acceptable for a Research Paper (and What to Do If Your Paper Has Too Much)

Many researchers wonder how much AI content in a research paper is too much. But the thing is, there isn’t a specific amount or percentage of AI content that can be called “too much.” What really matters is how you use AI when you write your paper.

If you’re using it in ethical ways (e.g., to correct your grammar), you can use it as much as you like. If you’re using it unethically (e.g., to generate full paragraphs), then even a small amount is too much, and your paper may be rejected.

When it comes to using AI in research writing, the question of what’s ok and what’s not can be complicated. But, from editing hundreds of research papers with varying levels of AI usage, I’ve learned why journals tend to reject papers written with the help of AI.

This post explains what I’ve learned and what you can do if you’re worried your paper sounds “too AI.”

Control and Disclosure

Control and disclosure are, by far, the two most important factors that journal reviewers consider when they notice an author has used AI to help write their research.

• Control means that you didn’t let AI do any critical thinking for you. In other words, you (not AI) developed your arguments, interpreted your findings, and so on.

• Disclosure means following your target journal’s policy to explicitly state how you used AI tools when producing your paper.

Using AI Tools Responsibly

It’s important to know what types of AI usage are acceptable and unacceptable. As a general rule, it is often ok to use AI to improve your writing, but not to do any thinking for you.

Of course, you should check your journal’s guidelines before making any decisions, but the following common uses of AI are often acceptable:

• Checking spelling and grammar.

• Rewording sentences to ensure a formal tone throughout your paper.

• Brainstorming an outline.

Meanwhile, the following are examples of unacceptable AI usage:

• Writing an entire section of your paper.

• Paraphrasing and citing papers you haven’t read.

• Translating full paragraphs without your input.

Signs Your Paper Might Have Too Much AI

Here, I’ve listed the most common signs reviewers check for when determining whether an author has used AI irresponsibly.

Over-paraphrasing

When you use AI to paraphrase text, it usually comes out sounding fluent but generic and vague. The result is sentences that are grammatically correct but difficult to understand, often because they don’t mean anything.

Example: The experiment was conducted in a way that ensured optimal conditions for collecting data.

Notice how the example says nothing specific about what was actually done or why. This is a consequence of AI being unable to understand an author’s intentions.

AI-written summaries

Because AI tools do not understand your research, the summaries they produce lack any connection to key elements of your research, such as your objectives and the specific research questions you intend to answer.

Instead, AI-generated summaries merely condense the sections they are summarizing. Such “empty” summaries are often flagged by reviewers as AI-generated.

Example: This study explores important issues related to current methods for reducing traffic congestion.

The expressions “important issues” and “current methods” make this example sound AI-generated. A human author would have been more specific, naming the exact issues and methods being explored.

Machine translation issues

AI translation tools often directly translate field-specific terminology, which leads to nonsensical sentences that a researcher in the field would never write.

Example: The twisting force applied to the lever was measured using a torque sensor.

Here, AI literally translated “torque” as “twisting force,” which an expert in the field would never use.

For more on managing these types of errors, read my post on what you can do to avoid relying on machine translation tools to write research papers.

Inflated phrases

AI is often guilty of using way more words than necessary to say something very simple. The frequent usage of wordy sentences could signal to reviewers that a paper was AI-generated.

Example: In today’s rapidly evolving world, the importance of sustainable energy has become increasingly crucial.

This example takes 14 words to say “sustainable energy is important,” which doesn’t even need to be said in the first place since it would be implied by the context.

Top 3 Ways to Fix Your Paper Before Submission

Below are what I believe to be the most effective ways to revise a research paper to ensure it doesn’t get flagged for being AI-generated.

Revise vague sentences using specific language

If you used AI to generate any part of your paper, a good first step when revising is to check for generic (or “filler”) sentences. When you find such a sentence, add concrete details, as this is something AI rarely does.

For example, instead of “The method was used to improve efficiency,” write “The proposed drip irrigation system reduced water use by 20% when compared with conventional sprinklers.”

Rewrite AI-generated sections in your own words

A good strategy to fight against text paraphrased by AI is to re-paraphrase it yourself, using your own words. When you do this, your writing will automatically sound more “human” because, after all, you are a human. . . right?

In fact, this is something I help authors do when they hire me to edit their research, which brings me to the third strategy for reducing your paper’s AI content…

Ask a human editor for help

If the rewriting process feels too daunting, you can always hire a professional editor to help you get started.

For example, when authors order our Standard Proofreading Service, they get more than just an edited document that contains no technical errors and sounds more natural. They also receive advice through in-text comments indicating where vague language has been used (perhaps due to AI usage) and where greater specificity is required.

That’s all I have for now. I hope this post has helped you understand what steps to take if you need to reduce your paper’s AI content.