Jurnal Celtic
Vol. 12 No. 2 (2025): December 2025

The role of AI in academic writing: Unveiling strategies among EFL students

Brigita Griska Putri (Department of English, Faculty of Letters, Universitas Negeri Malang, Jawa Timur, Indonesia)
Nunung Suryati (Department of English, Faculty of Letters, Universitas Negeri Malang, Jawa Timur, Indonesia)
Francisca Maria Ivone (Department of English, Faculty of Letters, Universitas Negeri Malang, Jawa Timur, Indonesia)
Nur Hayati (Department of English, Faculty of Letters, Universitas Negeri Malang, Jawa Timur, Indonesia)



Article Info

Publish Date
14 Oct 2025

Abstract

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has received many positive perceptions for improving the quality of students’ academic writing, especially in the realm of English as a Foreign Language (EFL). However, the strategies students use to integrate AI into academic writing remain largely underexplored, especially in the Indonesian context. This study aims to unveil students' strategies in utilizing AI to improve the quality of their academic writing. It employed the qualitative case study design. The participants consisted of four EFL undergraduate students who were purposively selected based on three main criteria: 1) having completed an academic writing course, 2) using AI to assist their academic writing process, and 3) producing good academic writing outcomes. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and user walkthroughs, and the transcripts were then analyzed thematically. The findings show that AI can assist students in four stages of the academic writing process, namely planning, drafting, revising, and editing. It supports idea generation, grammar correction, and improves writing style by promoting an academic tone. Students also report higher motivation and perceived improvements in writing performance. However, students felt less confident as they were worried that AI might reduce originality in their writing. Hence, this study provides insights into the use of AI in EFL students' academic writing strategies and highlights the importance balanced AI use to preserve originality, academic integrity, and critical thinking skills.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

celtic

Publisher

Subject

Description

CELTIC is published twice a year, in June and December. This journal welcomes articles in the form of research reports or library research on Literature (English), Linguistics (English, Indonesian), Culture (English, Indonesia) and Teaching (English, ...