AI practices and ethical concerns: an analysis of undeclared uses of AI in published research articles
Abstract
The integration of AI technologies in academic writing has become an increasingly prevalent practice. However, existing discussions have primarily focused on analyzing practitioners’ perceptions of AI use in academic writing, with limited attention given to authentic examples of AI-generated content in such practices. This study analyzes 91 instances of undeclared AI-generated content in published research articles listed on Retraction Watch, a watchdog organization that tracks retractions of scientific papers. The results indicate that undeclared uses of AI serve three primary functions: adding new content (49%), organizing existing content (33%), and performing language and formality checks (18%). These AI-generated instances are most frequently found in introduction and literature review sections (34%), followed by results and discussion sections (31%), and least in methodology sections (22%) of research articles. The study raises ethical concerns about the undeclared use of AI, underscoring its potential to compromise academic integrity and knowledge production within the academic community.
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- Authors
- Yao, M., Wei, Y., & Liu, H.
- Affiliations
- Sichuan International Studies University (CN)
- Nanjing University (CN)
- Hefei University of Technology (CN)
- Corresponding author
- Liu, Hao
- Venue
- Ethics & Behavior
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 2025-08-28
- Volume
- 36
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 312-324
- ISSN
- 1050-8422 (ISSN-L)
- 1532-7019
- OpenAlex
- W4413775095
- Cited by
- 6
- References
- 51
- Citations by year
- 2026: 5 · 2025: 1
- FWCI
- 6.27
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Ethics & Behavior (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (Grant NO. JZ2024HGQA0108)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Safety Research › Academic integrity and plagiarism
- Social Sciences › Safety Research › Ethics and Social Impacts of AI
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › History and Philosophy of Science › Academic Writing and Publishing
- Keywords
- AI-generated content, academic integrity, research ethics, AI in academic writing, Retraction Watch, AI ethics, scholarly publishing, knowledge production
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