LibGuides: Artificial Intelligence (AI): AI for academic skills

AI for writing

Before considering using any kind of AI tool to help you with your academic writing, read our guidance to help you work with Artificial Intelligence tools responsibly when planning and drafting your written work: AI and the writing process. If you have any questions about proofreading, please refer to our guide on Approaches to Proofreading Your Work.

Assignment planning
Proofreading

GenAI tools like Gemini, ChatGPT, and Copilot (Newcastle University staff and students have licensed access to Copilot. Ensure you sign in with your University credentials, and you may need to select "Switch to a work or school account" in the profile menu) can help you plan and structure assignments by generating and exploring different angles for your topic, creating coherent structures and outlines, planning your schedule with suggested timelines, and providing initial research suggestions (which you should always check).

Use these tools wisely:

Ensure AI use is allowed by your module or School
Make sure you support your work without replacing it
Avoid sharing sensitive information
Track changes in small sections
Learn from your use GenAI to improve your academic skills.

By following these tips, you can effectively use GenAI tools while maintaining academic integrity and privacy.

Grammarly
Grammarly works as an add-on to check for typos and grammatical errors. If you use tools like this that feature AI, make sure to do so responsibly and ethically, and you are confident that the work you submit for assessment is your own words and ideas. Beware, Grammarly doesn't perform all proofreading functions, and we recommend you use it in conjunction with other proofreading techniques, such as having someone read it. Ensure you acknowledge the use of AI in your assignment.
Copilot
Newcastle University staff and students have licensed access to Copilot. Ensure you sign in with your University credentials, and you may need to select "Switch to a work or school account" in the profile menu. If your module or School permits AI use (please verify), GenAI can be a valuable tool for proofreading your drafts. However, use it with critical thinking and maintain academic integrity.
We recommend editing small sections of text at a time to easily track changes. Ensure the edits are appropriate and do not significantly alter your voice or words, and learn from the suggested edits. Please remember to acknowledge the use of AI in your assignment.

AI for reading and synthesis

ChatPDF
Here you can upload any PDF and 'chat' with the document. If you ask it something, and the information isn't available from that particular PDF, it doesn't make up any information, and will tell you if it's not available.
Lateral
Lateral builds an AI algorithm that integrates with your documents and helps find the relevant text from all of them at once. The program organises and shares your findings in a table and suggests new connections based on what you previously read and discovered in the articles.
Scholarcy
Scholarcy, is an online article summariser tool, reads your research articles, reports and book chapters in seconds and breaks them down into bite-sized sections – so you can quickly assess how important any document is to your work. (Basic version is free)
Scite AI
Scite is a free, open-source AI-powered app that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles. Scite does this by providing Smart Citations, which display the context of a citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence.
PopAI
PopAI does lots of things, such as creating presentations, videos, images, and posters. It's free summarising AI tool version is limited to 2 uploads and 10 questions per day.

AI study tools

Focus To-Do
Focus To-Do AI combines the Pomodoro Technique with task management to help you improve productivity and manage time effectively. It assists in breaking down study sessions into manageable intervals, tracking progress, and reducing procrastination.

Quizlet
Quizlet provides interactive and game-based learning tools like flashcards and quizzes, which enhance engagement and retention. It also offers personalised learning modes that adapt to individual progress, making study sessions more effective (some features require a paid subscription).

ClickUp
An all-in-one productivity platform that helps students organise assignments, track deadlines, and collaborate on projects in a single workspace.
Microsoft OneNote
You will have access to OneNote through Newcastle University's Microsoft 365 subscription. In OneNote, you can chat with Copilot to summarise notes, create to-do lists, and plan events effectively.
Notion AI
Notion AI helps university students with writing, research, and task management by providing AI-driven suggestions and automation, streamlining academic tasks.
Obsidian
Obsidian is an AI-powered assistant that not only helps you edit and improve your notes but also allows you to interact with them through intelligent chat and custom prompts.
Otter.ai
Otter provides students with real-time captions and notes for in-person and virtual lectures, classes or meetings.

Subject support guide

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

AI for writing

AI for reading and synthesis

AI study tools