Research Writing, Ghostwriting and Academic Cheating in the Age of AI: A Scoping Review

Abstract

The practice of employing a ghostwriter in writing biographies and political speeches is an accepted practice. It is however not accepted in research and academic writing where originality, validity, and research integrity are paramount in producing credible research output. The pervasiveness of evolving AI-powered writing tools begs the question: could using AI writing assistants be seen as a form of ghostwriting? Traditionally, factors such as a lack of confidence, limited academic acumen, and rigor y enticed emerging scholars to resort to third-party writers. Existing similarity checking tools are effective in identifying possible plagiarism cases, but prove to be limited in detecting academic cheating where a ghostwriter was used. What are the underlying reasons, and how do universities manage this form of academic misconduct in the age of AI? Guided by the PRISMA Extension protocol, this scoping review explored the trends reported in recent studies. Google Scholar, Scopus, and ProQuest databases we searched and 55 recent studies were selected and analysed thematically to identify trends and gaps in current research.