mlsanityData to 14 Oct 2026

Co-Writing with AI: An Empirical Study of Diverse Academic Writing Workflows

arXiv 2604.25389 ↗First posted 28 Apr 2026cs.HC cs.AIcited by 0

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Abstract (arXiv)

Despite AI tools becoming increasingly embedded in academic practice, little is known about how university students integrate them into their writing processes. We examine how students engage with AI across different writing tasks, and how this engagement is shaped by individual factors including AI literacy, writing confidence, trust, authorship concerns, and motivation. Study~1 surveys 107 UK university students to map task-specific and co-occurring patterns of AI use across five writing stages (ideation, sourcing, planning, drafting, and reviewing) and their associations with individual factors. Study~2 complements this by exploring how these patterns can be assembled in practice, through interviews with 12 postgraduates reflecting on their established use of AI in assessed writing. Together, the studies suggest that AI integration is selective and heterogeneous, forming three recurring and value-oriented configurations: (1) early-stage (learning-oriented), where tools support exploration and understanding; (2) late-stage (quality-oriented), where tools support drafting and refinement; and (3) peripheral (productivity-oriented), where tools are used to reduce friction and sustain momentum across the process. We offer a workflow-level account of AI-supported academic writing, showing how students navigate competing priorities of learning, quality, productivity, and authorship, and how they evaluate and take responsibility for AI-generated outputs.

Key facts. No citing papers in the map yet (data through 14 Oct 2026). Builds on 17 of its 55 references that are in the map. First posted on arXiv 28 Apr 2026.

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17 of 55 references.

References · 17

  1. 2023The Metacognitive Demands and Opportunities of Generative AIcited by 87
  2. 2024A Design Space for Intelligent and Interactive Writing Assistantscited by 76
  3. 2023Luminate: Structured Generation and Exploration of Design Space with Large Language Models for Human-AI Co-Creationcited by 64
  4. 2022Designing Creative AI Partners with COFI: A Framework for Modeling Interaction in Human-AI Co-Creative Systemscited by 59
  5. 2024Shaping Human-AI Collaboration: Varied Scaffolding Levels in Co-writing with Language Modelscited by 51
  6. 2024Rambler: Supporting Writing With Speech via LLM-Assisted Gist Manipulationcited by 18
  7. 2023ABScribe: Rapid Exploration & Organization of Multiple Writing Variations in Human-AI Co-Writing Tasks using Large Language Modelscited by 17
  8. 2024From Pen to Prompt: How Creative Writers Integrate AI into their Writing Practicecited by 14
  9. 2024"It was 80% me, 20% AI": Seeking Authenticity in Co-Writing with Large Language Modelscited by 14
  10. 2023The AI Assessment Scale (AIAS): A Framework for Ethical Integration of Generative AI in Educational Assessmentcited by 12
  11. 2024Performance and Metacognition Disconnect when Reasoning in Human-AI Interactioncited by 11
  12. 2024Untangling Critical Interaction with AI in Students Written Assessmentcited by 7
5 more
  1. 2025Collaborative Document Editing with Multiple Users and AI Agentscited by 5
  2. 2023Deconstructing Student Perceptions of Generative AI (GenAI) through an Expectancy Value Theory (EVT)-based Instrumentcited by 3
  3. 2025AI Rivalry as a Craft: How Resisting and Embracing Generative AI Reshape Writing Professionscited by 3
  4. 2025The AI Memory Gap: Users Misremember What They Created With AI or Withoutcited by 2
  5. 2026"If You're Very Clever, No One Knows You've Used It": The Social Dynamics of Developing Generative AI Literacy in the Workplacecited by 2

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