The emergence of ChatGPT: An opportunity or adversity for scholarly communications

Abstract

Academic writing is critical for academic and professional growth, requiring a significant amount of time, effort, and skill for conducting research, organizing ideas, and efficiently interpreting the results, followed by a precise presentation of the conclusion for dissemination of information among a wider audience. Scientific writing is a more specialized form of academic writing with a highly specialized form of communication, necessitating a distinct set of skills such as the use of specialized vocabulary, technical language, and complex concepts. Such scientific writings or communications are utilized to prepare and publish research studies in scientific journals. It requires the presentation of complex data and technical knowledge in a way that can be acceptable and understandable to a larger population. These scientific writings require a high level of precision, as any minute error in the presented report may have serious consequences and impact on the concerned audience. It requires adherence to the specific writing style and formats, with critical organization of research material systematically and thoroughly. Good scientific writing requires a thorough balance of technical accuracy with effective communication.[1] It entails considering a variety of factors such as the nature of the research project, subject matter, and the intended audience, and presenting the subject matter with precision, accuracy, clarity, and style. It primarily requires the ability to properly and effectively express concepts, methods, and conclusions to meet the expectations of the targeted audience. In addition, it requires the abilities of the author to relate and connect the pieces of evidence, to preserve the ideas and speech, to enable referencing of the work accessible to others, and to safeguard the intellectual property rights involved.[2] Many people struggle to produce compelling and comprehensible information due to the high technicality involved with scientific communications. It has been observed that novice researchers have no or very little experience in the subject of research and are unaware of academic writing formatting and style requirements. Studies have revealed that lack of failure in the writing process is often associated with several factors such as inexperience with writing for scholarly publications, anxiety related to writing, a lack of confidence in one’s abilities, sensitivity to criticism, and fear of failing.[3] Apart from these factors, the ability to discern between content and structure, the cognitive burden experienced by novice researchers, and the lack of group support and mentoring have emerged as impeding factors in effective scientific writing.[3] Furthermore, lack of access to basic resources such as research databases or specialized software for data analysis and interpretation, and significant feedback from mentors, can hinder the ability to produce high-quality research. Moreover, nearly, all medical journals are published in English, which makes it difficult for nonnative English speakers to communicate their work clearly and concisely in English.[4] Artificial Intelligence (AI) has revolutionized several fields including the field of medicine and biomedical research owing to its ability to process the large amounts of data, produce accurate results, and control processes to generate the most optimized outcome.[5] The global AI market was valued at $136.55 billion in 2022 and is projected to expand at a compound annual growth rate of 37.3%, accounting for $1811.8 billion in 2030.[6] According to the Principal Scientific Advisor to the Government of India, AI expenditure in India surged by 109.6% (accounting for US$ 665 million) in 2018 and it has the potential to add approximately US$ 957 billion or 15% of the current gross value to the country’s economy in 2035.[7] AI expenditure in India in the health-care market is projected to grow from $14.6 billion in 2023 to $102.7 billion by 2028.[8] Machine Learning (ML), deep learning, fuzzy logic, conventional neural networks, and speech recognition are only a few of the subsets of AI that have special powers and functions which can enhance the performance of contemporary medical sciences, making it easier for humans to intervene in clinical diagnosis, medical imaging, and decision-making.[5] In recent years, a plethora of scientific writing tools have been developed to assist researchers in producing well-written articles. AI continued to evolve and advance, with the development of new algorithms and ML techniques, along with the significant development of natural generative language systems. Chatbot Generative Pretrained Transformer (ChatGPT), a large-scale natural language processing model, developed and launched by OpenAI (San Francisco, CA, USA), in November 2022, is designed to simulate the conversations with human users. It works through algorithms programmed to comprehend natural language inputs and provide suitable responses, either prewritten or created by the AI.[9] ChatGPT, being the most talked about AI tool, surpassed 10 lakh users in a mere five days, after its launch, making it the fastest-growing application in history, with the maximum proportion of ChatGPT users residing in the US (15.22%), followed by India (6.32%) and Japan (4.01%).[6] The ability of ChatGPT to generate natural language responses into coherent and contextually relevant output has made it a popular tool for facilitating quicker and easier academic writing. Further, with the integration of technology in the education sector, teachers and mentors may enhance teaching methodologies by utilizing AI-powered assisting tools such as ChatGPT. In the field of education, it can help with content creation, provide inputs on innovative teaching methods, provide real-time feedback, etc., thereby, transforming and revolutionizing the conventional educational environment. POTENTIAL ROLES AND LIMITATIONS OF USING CHATBOT GENERATIVE PRETRAINED TRANSFORMER ChatGPT has been gaining popularity for a wider range of purposes such as automated draft creation, article summarization, concept explanations, and language translation. It can help authors to generate research articles of the highest caliber by improving their efficiency and accuracy. ChatGPT can help save time and effort by efficiently producing accurate summaries, and to determine as well as suggest new topics and ideas for writing. It can provide an outline of the current scenario of the domain field, help to generate research objectives, along with assisting in formatting and language evaluation of the intended work to be published. Since it is an AI technology that is well-trained in using languages, it can be useful for nonnative English speakers to produce review articles in their native language and vice versa. It can be used for text translation from one language to another by suggesting appropriate sentences and vocabulary in the target language. While the use of AI technologies such as ChatGPT can provide numerous advantages to scientific writing, there are some potential drawbacks or restrictions to consider. It is critical to understand the potential hazards connected with its usage and to take the necessary procedures to mitigate the associated risks. Scientific writing and publication are teamwork, where the joint efforts and collaboration of researchers, editors, reviewers, as well as publishers are required. However, the use of ChatGPT provides an opportunity for all the team members involved in the scientific writing, but the possibility for research and publishing misconduct may occur. Despite providing freely accessible writing opportunities, it may lead to impaired writing skills, critical thinking, or critical thinking skills among students and scholars.[10] A notable constraint of ChatGPT in scientific writing is its inability to match the depth of knowledge and expertise of a human researcher, which necessitates a deep understanding of intricate ideas, hypotheses, and research work. Since the ChatGPT generates responses based on the existing data sets and algorithms, which might not replace human skill and critical thinking, thus limiting the use of the technology to assist in the designing, editing, and proofreading of scientific writing. Scientific writing demands extreme precision and accuracy, and AI technology finds it difficult to strike a balance between the accuracy and relevance requirements of scientific writing. Meanwhile, scientific writing requires particular formatting and citing criteria, and ChatGPT being unaware of such formatting and referencing guidelines, finds it difficult to meet the criteria.[11] Apart from these, there are several issues concerning the use of ChatGPT in scientific writing, including ethical concerns, accuracy, bias, and transparency. Recently, a report was published about Chatbot being identified as a co-author in scholarly publications, in response to which, a certain nature expanded its editorial policies on the same stating that accountability for the work cannot be applied to large language models, such as ChatGPT and their use should be properly documented in the methods. Similarly, Science has also stated that ChatGPT-generated output cannot be used and attributed in articles.[12] Such AI Chatbots can be significant research tools, but the data generated are to be verified and authenticated by the researchers themselves and should be used with responsibility. AYURVEDA SCHOLARLY WRITINGS AND CHATBOT GENERATIVE PRETRAINED TRANSFORMER Ayurveda being the oldest system of traditional medicine, has its unique characteristics and features of teaching, training, and writing along with well-organized guidelines for patient care. Furthermore, it is also observed that the ancient Ayurveda literature has adopted a standardized writing technique or pattern, producing highly scientific publications. The ancient Ayurveda scientific literature was written in a particular order, starting with Sootra (~short sentence or aphoristic rule) where theorem is summarized in few words, followed by Bhashya (~exposition) where commentary or explanation on Sutra is provided, and finally, as Samgraha (~compilation) where all the information is gathered or compiled for final presentation.[13] The development of AI tools such as ChatGPT might assist in writing scientific publications in Ayurveda, however, the technology lacks the critical and in-depth knowledge as well as interpretation of the literature by the ancient seers. Furthermore, the logical tools described in Ayurveda literature such as Tantrayukti (~techniques for writing/decoding treatise), Tarka (~tool for inference), and Yukti (~logical management) to produce quality standards of scientific literature cannot be expected from an AI-based model which is trained with massive textual data to produce diverse text output. As an example, to extrapolate the writing abilities of ChatGPT, it has been asked to produce information (nonmodified) on the topic “Role of ChatGPT in Ayurveda Scholarly writings,” the response received was: “ChatGPT can contribute to Ayurveda scholarly writings in several ways: Literature review assistance: ChatGPT can assist researchers and scholars in conducting literature reviews by providing summaries of existing Ayurvedic texts, research papers, and historical documents. It can help identify key concepts, trends, and gaps in the literature. Idea generation: Scholars can use ChatGPT to brainstorm ideas for research topics, hypotheses, or experimental designs related to Ayurveda. The model’s capacity to generate diverse and contextually relevant content can be a valuable asset in the early stages of research planning. Drafting and editing: ChatGPT can be a helpful tool for drafting and editing scholarly articles, research papers, or reviews. It can suggest improvements in language, structure, and clarity, making the writing process more efficient. Clarification of concepts: Researchers can use ChatGPT to seek clarification on complex Ayurvedic concepts or terminologies. The model can provide explanations, historical context, or references to support understanding. Collaborative research: Scholars working on collaborative projects can use ChatGPT as a communication tool. It can facilitate discussions, idea exchanges, and collaborative writing, especially when researchers are geographically dispersed. Language translation: Ayurvedic literature may exist in various languages. ChatGPT can aid in translating texts between languages, enabling researchers to access a broader range of source materials. Query resolution: Scholars can use ChatGPT to quickly resolve queries or doubts related to Ayurvedic principles, practices, or historical contexts. This can save time and provide additional insights during the research process. Conference abstracts and summaries: ChatGPT can assist in summarizing research findings or generating abstracts for conference submissions. It can help researchers communicate their work effectively within the constraints of word limits. While ChatGPT is a powerful tool, researchers should exercise caution and critically evaluate the information provided. Ayurveda, being a traditional and nuanced system, requires a deep understanding that goes beyond what an AI model can provide. The expertise of Ayurvedic scholars, practitioners, and experts remains indispensable in conducting rigorous research and contributing to the scholarly discourse in the field.” IN THE NUTSHELL Here, ChatGPT itself has stated the information provided should be evaluated by the experts, as the in-depth understanding of the subject goes beyond the AI model. ChatGPT, if used appropriately, can help in academic writing, however, overusing would reduce the cognitive abilities of scholars. A thoughtful balance is necessary to ensure that cognitive overload and critical thinking abilities are not overlooked and to equip scholars with the knowledge and abilities to tackle the issues emerging during scientific writing. The pursuit of truth is the ultimate objective of any scientific study, which necessitates the highest ethical standards to be followed. It is essential to understand the risks and potential harms that could arise from using the technology and to take the necessary measures to reduce the possible hazards. A thorough and continuous human judgement, analysis, and monitoring throughout the writing process is required. Researchers and writers can contribute to the continuous advancement of academic writing while reaping the benefits of ChatGPT using it properly and avoiding any potential drawbacks, ensuring resources and risks are managed effectively.

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