Academic Writing with AI

Oxford's Academic Communication team is leading the University's work on writing with AI. This course takes a process-first view of academic writing in an AI-mediated world: how to plan, draft, revise and check your work with AI in ways that strengthen argument, clarity and style while aligning with Oxford guidance on academic practice.

We also offer tailored versions of this course for each of the four academic divisions at Oxford: Humanities, Social Sciences, Medical Sciences, and Mathematical, Physical and Life Sciences. Postgraduate students may be able to access a divisional offer via their division.

Alongside teaching, our academic communication specialists are consulting with departments across the University on the implications of AI for academic writing. We can advise on interpreting University policy for your subject area and on designing activities that support the writing process for taught and research programmes. To discuss a tailored workshop or programme, email admin@lang.ox.ac.uk.

Course overview

Unlock the potential of AI to enhance your academic writing with this new course offered by the University of Oxford's Language Centre. Designed specifically for Oxford students and staff, Academic Writing with AI provides a structured approach to effectively integrate AI tools at each stage of the writing process.

• Week 1: You'll learn how to support your pre-drafting research with AI tools, generate and refine ideas, and interpret the university's guidelines and policies. This lesson will help you research and plan your writing while also clarifying how to align your work with Oxford's academic integrity standards.
• Week 2: You'll explore different AI resources, as well as techniques to support your writing at the drafting stage. This includes structuring your writing more effectively and refining your argumentation.
• Week 3: You'll focus on post-writing strategies, including AI-powered tools for proofreading and revision, helping you refine your work with greater precision.
• Week 4: Here, you'll delve into discipline-specific writing, applying AI tools within the context of your field of study and comparing strategies with peers working in related disciplines.

Across eight hours of interactive workshops, you'll apply AI tools to real academic contexts through hands-on exercises, guided practise, and peer discussion. Whether you're drafting your first piece of work at Oxford or revising you DPhil thesis, this courses will help you use AI responsibly and efficiently to enhance the clarity, precision, and rigour of your academic research.

Learning outcomes

• Interpret and apply the university's guidelines on AI use, developing awareness of ethical considerations to ensure responsible integration of AI in academic work.
• Identify and explore appropriate AI tools for different stages of the writing process, from research to revision, and apply them effectively in academic contexts.
• Develop the ability to use AI as a feedback tool to improve organisation, language use, and argumentation, ensuring outputs align with academic goals and disciplinary expectations.
• Learn to refine and structure AI prompts to guide outputs effectively, enabling more precise, reliable, and academically appropriate results.
• Adapt AI tools to the conventions of your specific discipline, refining writing approaches through peer discussion and guided practice.

Enrolment information

Postgraduate students may be able to access a divisional offer via their division in due course for the tailored Weeks 5-8 version of this course. For learners who are external to the University, please sign up to our mailing list to be notified once enrolment opens for the Week 9 (the week commencing 7 December 2026) Intensive version of this course.