By Wan Nor Azura Mior Abdul Aziz
As Artificial intelligence (AI) has become more deeply integrated into academic and professional practices, it brings both significant opportunities and important responsibilities. Researchers must therefore learn to harness the technology effectively while ensuring that human judgement, scientific integrity and accountability remain at the heart of the research process.
As it stands, AI is rapidly transforming the way researchers search for information, analyse literature and prepare scientific manuscripts, making it an increasingly important tool in today’s digital research environment.
These remarks were among the key messages recently highlighted by Dr Wan Muhamad Salahudin Wan Salleh, Assistant Professor at the Kulliyyah of Medicine, International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) Kuantan Campus, at a lecture on “Responsible Use of AI in Scientific Writing.”
He emphasised that AI should be regarded as an assistant to researchers rather than a replacement for human intelligence. “Researchers remain fully responsible for the accuracy and integrity of their scientific work, regardless of the extent to which AI tools are used during the research and writing process,” said Dr Wan Muhamad Salahudin.
He also reminded researchers that they remain accountable for interpreting evidence, drawing research conclusions and giving final approval to their manuscripts.
AI as an assistant, not an author
The growing availability of generative AI tools has made it easier for researchers to carry out tasks such as synthesising literature, generating initial drafts, improving language and formatting academic manuscripts.
While AI can make the research and writing process faster and more efficient, he, however, stressed that researchers must continue to take responsibility for the ideas, arguments and content of their work. AI should support the researcher’s thinking, not replace the critical judgement and expertise needed to produce credible scientific work.
“AI itself cannot take responsibility for the research it assists with and, therefore, should not be treated as an author of a scientific manuscript,” he said.
Researchers remain responsible for ensuring that the arguments presented are scientifically sound, the evidence is appropriately interpreted and the final manuscript accurately reflects the research, said Dr Wan Muhamad Salahudin
AI-generated information must be checked
While AI can significantly assist researchers in searching for information and preparing scientific manuscripts, it can also produce information that is inaccurate, incomplete or entirely fabricated. Careful fact-checking is therefore an essential part of using AI in academic research.
Researchers should critically examine and verify information generated by AI, particularly scientific claims, references, Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs), data, statistics and quotations before incorporating them into their work, said the academician.
Although AI systems are becoming increasingly sophisticated, they are not infallible, he said. AI may still produce what is commonly referred to as “hallucinations” — information that appears credible but is incorrect or unsupported by reliable sources.
For this reason, Dr Wan Muhamad Salahudin urged researchers not to accept AI-generated information at face value. Important claims and references should be checked against original and credible sources to ensure that the final work is accurate, reliable and scientifically sound.
Be transparent about the use of AI
Responsible use of AI also means being open about how these tools are used in research and academic writing. Researchers should disclose their use of AI whenever this is required by their university, research institution or the journal to which they intend to submit their work. Such transparency helps readers and academic institutions understand the role AI has played in developing a piece of research, whether it was used to assist with literature reviews, improve language, organise information or support the preparation of an initial draft.
As generative AI becomes increasingly common in academia, universities, research institutions and academic publishers are continuing to develop guidelines on its appropriate use. Researchers therefore need to familiarise themselves with these requirements and ensure that their use of AI is consistent with the relevant policies.
Ultimately, transparency helps maintain trust in the research process and demonstrates that AI has been used as a supporting tool, while the researcher remains responsible for the integrity and quality of the final work.
AI can give researchers more time to think
While concerns remain over the responsible use of AI, the technology also offers researchers an opportunity to work more efficiently and make better use of their time.
AI can assist with some of the more repetitive aspects of research, such as searching through large volumes of information, organising material, summarising literature and improving the language of a manuscript. By taking on some of these routine tasks, AI can allow researchers to spend more time on what matters most — thinking, questioning and developing new ideas.
Research is not simply about producing words on a page. It involves the ability to assess evidence, understand different perspectives, challenge assumptions and make sound academic judgements.
This is where the real value of AI may lie. Rather than measuring AI by how much content it can generate, researchers should consider how the technology can help them devote more time to the intellectual work that requires human judgement, experience and creativity.
Protecting privacy and respecting copyright
The growing use of AI in research also brings important questions about privacy, confidentiality and copyright. Researchers need to think carefully about what information they share with AI platforms, particularly when dealing with sensitive or unpublished material.
Confidential manuscripts, personal information, patient records and unpublished research data should not be uploaded to AI systems without first checking whether such use is permitted by the relevant institution and the platform’s policies.
Researchers should also be mindful of copyright when using AI to summarise, analyse or transform published material. The convenience of AI does not remove the responsibility to respect the rights of authors and publishers or to comply with applicable copyright and licensing requirements.
In an era where information can be uploaded and processed within seconds, responsible research also means knowing what should — and should not — be shared with an AI system.
Human intelligence remains at the centre
The rapid development of AI does not make human researchers less important. Instead, it makes human judgement even more valuable. AI can help researchers work faster, process large amounts of information and support various stages of academic writing. But it cannot replace the researcher’s responsibility to question evidence, assess the credibility of information, develop original ideas and make sound academic judgements.
Perhaps that was the most important point from Dr Wan Muhamad Salahudin’s lecture. As AI becomes increasingly embedded in academic and professional life, researchers must learn to use the technology wisely without losing sight of their own role in the research process.
AI may be able to generate words, analyse information and assist with ideas, but the responsibility for what is written, claimed and published ultimately remains with the human researcher.
The responsible use of AI, therefore, is not about choosing between humans and machines. It is about finding the right balance — using technology to enhance human capability while ensuring that accuracy, transparency, accountability and scientific integrity remain firmly in human hands.
About the Writer
Wan Nor Azura Mior Abdul Aziz is a PhD student in Communication at the AbdulHamid AbuSulayman Kulliyyah of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences (AHAS KIRKHS), International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM), and a journalist and media practitioner with BERNAMA. Her professional and academic interests include communication, journalism, artificial intelligence, media innovation and the transformation of newsrooms in the digital era.
About the Academician
Dr Wan Muhamad Salahudin bin Wan Salleh is an Assistant Professor and lecturer in the Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Kulliyyah of Medicine, International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM), Kuantan Campus.
WE