Share this page!

Mushtaq Bilal, PhD Profile picture
Twitter logo
Feb 23 • 13 tweets • 3 min read
How NOT to use ChatGPT (as an academic):
1. Don't outsource your thinking to ChatGPT.

Instead, outsource labor.
Example:

I free-wrote my thoughts (13,000 words in 2 hours) without caring about grammar or structure.

Then I asked ChatGPT to remove redundant words and make my writing coherent.

You can read more about it here:

2. Don't use ChatGPT to create content.

Instead, use it to create structure.
Example:

Ask ChatGPT to give you a (structured) outline for a paper with research questions.

Use the structure to write your own content.

You can read more about it here:

3. Don't ask ChatGPT to give you any citations or references. It will give you fake citations that don't exist.

Instead, use Scite(dot)ai.
(Please note Scite requires a paid subscription)
Example:

I asked Scite about what happened in India in 1857.

It gave me an answer with citations of actually published scholarship.

4. Don't ask ChatGPT to answer your questions.

Instead, ask it to engage with you in a Socratic dialog.

This is especially helpful if you are anticipating questions at the end of you presentation. ChatGPT can help you prepare crisp and to-the-point answers.
Example:

I asked ChatGPT to engage in a Socratic dialog about why I think there should be no examinations.

ChatGPT helped me think through my thoughts. An image of a Socratic dialog between Mushtaq and ChatGPT.
5. Don't use ChatGPT to write something for you.

Instead, use it as a critique partner.
Example:

I gave ChatGPT an abstract of one of my papers and asked how clear my argument was.

It said "relatively clear."

I then asked how I could make the argument clearer and it gave me helpful tips. ChatGPT's critique of Mushtaq's abstract.
Found this thread helpful?

1. Scroll to the top and hit the "Like" button on the first tweet.

2. Follow me @MushtaqBilalPhD fore regular tips on how to use ChatGPT ethically for academic purposes.
Want me to email you tips on academic writing?

Sign up below for my newsletter.

It's FREE!

keepwriting.beehiiv.com/subscribe

• • •

Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to force a refresh
　

Keep Current with Mushtaq Bilal, PhD

Mushtaq Bilal, PhD Profile picture

Stay in touch and get notified when new unrolls are available from this author!

Read all threads

This Thread may be Removed Anytime!

PDF

Twitter may remove this content at anytime! Save it as PDF for later use!

Try unrolling a thread yourself!

how to unroll video
  1. Follow @ThreadReaderApp to mention us!

  2. From a Twitter thread mention us with a keyword "unroll"
@threadreaderapp unroll

Practice here first or read more on our help page!

More from @MushtaqBilalPhD

Mushtaq Bilal, PhD Profile picture
Feb 24
Don't use ChatGPT for academic writing.

Instead, use Paperpal — an AI-powered personal writing assistant.

Especially if your first language is not English:
Go to paperpal.com and sign up.
Now you can either start writing in Paperpal or paste a text you have already written.

Paperpal will evaluate your writing and give you detailed suggestions to improve it.
Read 13 tweets
Mushtaq Bilal, PhD Profile picture
Feb 22
How to publish your first journal article:
In the 18th and 19th centuries, there used to be this institution called literary salons in Europe and Latin American.

These salons were run by aristocratic women and intellectuals gathered there to exchange ideas. A photo of Mariquita Sánchez's salon during the early 19th
Imagine you went to such a literary salon in Paris or Buenos Aires.

To contribute to the conversation going on in the salon, you would first have to listen to what others have said.

Without listening to others first, you wouldn't able to make a meaningful contribution.
Read 18 tweets
Mushtaq Bilal, PhD Profile picture
Feb 21
ChatGPT generates fake citations to papers that don't exist.

But there is an AI-powered app that gives you real citations to actually published papers — Scite.

Here's how to use it:
Go to Scite's website and type in your query.

Select "Ask a question" option at the bottom. A yellow arrow points to Scite's "Ask a question"
Scite will generate an answer to your question.

This answer will have proper citations/footnotes linked to published articles. An answer generated by Scite.
Read 14 tweets
Mushtaq Bilal, PhD Profile picture
Feb 20
I submitted four single-authored journal articles during my PhD (defended May 2022).

All four were published. Acceptance rate: 100%

Here's how I did it:
A bit of background: My field is comparative literature, and I specialize in World Literature and South Asian Literature.

This is important because academic publishing works differently for different fields.
Let me start with my first article since that's the hardest.

Like most grad students, my first article was based on a seminar that I took in Fall 2018.

The seminar was titled "World Literature from a Historical Perspective."
Read 30 tweets
Mushtaq Bilal, PhD Profile picture
Feb 19
The real reason why ChatGPT is making academics panic:
Academia has responded to ChatGPT in two ways:

1. Teachers who are concerned their students will use ChatGPT to cheat on their exams.

2. Students have naively assumed that they won't have to learn to write. They think they can use ChatGPT to get their writing done.
But there are also academics who refuse to engage in any conversation on the topic of ChatGPT.

They are against it and they don't even want to talk about.
Read 13 tweets
Mushtaq Bilal, PhD Profile picture
Feb 18
Here are my 4 collections of threads to help you become a better academic writer:

• Bookmark this tweet for yourself
• Retweet to share it with your friends
Collection 1:

7 threads on how to use ChatGPT intelligently and ethically for academic purposes

Collection 2:

8 AI-powered apps to make your research faster and easier (with free tutorials)

Read 7 tweets

Did Thread Reader help you today?

Support us! We are indie developers!

This site is made by just two indie developers on a laptop doing marketing, support and development! Read more about the story.

Become a Premium Member ($3/month or $30/year) and get exclusive features!

Become Premium

Don't want to be a Premium member but still want to support us?

Make a small donation by buying us coffee ($5) or help with server cost ($10)

Donate via Paypal

Or Donate anonymously using crypto!

Ethereum

0xfe58350B80634f60Fa6Dc149a72b4DFbc17D341E copy

Bitcoin

3ATGMxNzCUFzxpMCHL5sWSt4DVtS8UqXpi copy

Thank you for your support!

Follow Us on Twitter!

Send Email!

:(