AI-based writing tools are everywhere, and they range in functionality from the “generate it all from scratch” variety of ChatGPT and similar to the “proofread and fix grammar” services of something like Grammarly. For colleges, universities, and other academic institutions, it hasn't been easy to draw the line at exactly how much AI intervention counts as academic dishonesty.
One such tool is Writefull. It's tailored to academic writing and can generate abstracts, paraphrase sections of text, and even rewrite informal styles of writing to be more suitable for academia. It's popular with researchers, scientists, and, of course, students, particularly non-native English speakers.
While Writefull can provide valuable assistance in creating academic papers, it's possible your school may consider it a form of cheating. What's worse, the disciplinary processes at many academic institutions don't always conduct fair or thorough investigations into such allegations. Simply being accused of cheating is often enough to result in disciplinary measures.
If you or your child has been accused of academic dishonesty because of Writefull or any other AI writing tool, the Lento Law Firm Student Defense Team is ready to step in on your behalf. To find out how we can help, call us today at 888-535-3686 or contact us online.
What is Writefull?
Writefull is an AI-powered tool designed specifically to assist with academic writing. Writefull integrates with Word, Overleaf, and other tools to help writers create better academic text. It uses AI to assist with editing, citing sources, and writing with a more academic voice and style. It's used by students and researchers at over 1500 institutions, including schools like Stanford University, as well as by top scientific publishers and copyeditors.
Because it is built specifically to create academic text, Writefull is a popular choice for scientists, mathematicians, and other academicians whose focus isn't on writing, but who need to report their findings regardless. It's also popular with students of any kind, as Writefull is just as suited to writing academic papers about history and literature as it is to science.
When Using Writefull is Cheating
Every school has its own policies about using AI-powered tools to complete assignments. Many of these policies recognize how prevalent these tools are becoming, and thus avoid outright zero-tolerance policies. Using Writefull to help ensure proper citations, clean up grammar, or even rephrase something in a more academic fashion is unlikely to constitute cheating under all but the strictest academic policies.
To find out where your school draws the line, start by searching your school's website, its student handbook, and other official statements. You may even want to ask your administration for a clear copy of their AI policy.
In the meantime, there are some general guidelines you should follow to avoid being accused of cheating for using AI tools:
- Don't use AI writing tools if your school or your instructor expressly forbids them. This is especially true if they call out specific tools (like Writefull) by name.
- Don't use Writefull to generate specific answers to test or homework questions from scratch.
- Don't use Writefull to generate entire paragraphs of text that you then submit verbatim as part of an essay or paper.
If your school or teacher doesn't have a strict anti-AI policy, you may be able to use Writefull to help with research or as a starting point for language that you then make your own. It's probably also fine to rely on Writefull to help make your own work easier to read or more academically appropriate. What's not okay? Using Writefull to generate the work for you.
How Will Your School Find Out You Used Writefull?
Teachers spend a lot of time reading the writing of their students. Writing from AI tools like Writefull tends to stand out for a few reasons:
- Multiple students using the same AI writing tool will end up with work that sounds suspiciously similar. While AI-generated text is supposed to be unique, it has a style and voice that teachers will notice en masse.
- A student's writing shows an unexplainable leap in language proficiency. Non-native speakers or students with low reading/writing levels can use AI to submit work that reads significantly above their natural skill level. Their teachers will know this work is not their own.
- Blatant plagiarism. While Writefull and other AI text generators are designed not to copy text directly, it can and does happen. When it does, a student might not realize it and end up using direct quotes without citation, resulting in plagiarism. Even if the teacher doesn't learn of AI's role in this, plagiarism itself is a serious academic offense.
Teachers who suspect a student is using AI can then run the selection through any number of online AI detectors. While these are not always accurate, they can certainly be the grounds for disciplinary procedures.
What to Do if Your School Accuses You of Cheating With Writefull
If you've been accused of using Writefull or another AI tool to cheat at your school, the Lento Law Firm Student Defense Team is ready to come to your defense. Our team will conduct a thorough investigation into any allegations against you, gathering evidence, collecting testimony, and building a case that will show the whole story to your school.
It's important that you take any allegations of unethical AI usage seriously, as your school could enact disciplinary measures that significantly affect your education and your future, up to and including expulsion.
Our team will make sure your case gets the attention it deserves. To get started, call the Lento Law Firm Student Defense Team today at 888-535-3686 or connect with us online. We'll provide a confidential consultation to learn the details of your case and start working on a defense that will protect your rights, your reputation, and your future.
