Problem: transitions are needed within the paragraph

You are probably familiar with the idea that transitions may be needed between paragraphs or
sections in a paper (see our handout on transitions). Sometimes they are also helpful within the
body of a single paragraph. Within a paragraph, transitions are often single words or short phrases
that help to establish relationships between ideas and to create a logical progression of those ideas
in a paragraph. This is especially likely to be true within paragraphs that discuss multiple
examples. Let’s take a look at a version of our piranha paragraph that uses transitions to orient the
reader:

Although most people consider piranhas to be quite dangerous, they are, except in two
main situations, entirely harmless. Piranhas rarely feed on large animals; they eat smaller
fish and aquatic plants. When confronted with humans, piranhas’ instinct is to flee, not
attack. But there are two situations in which a piranha bite is likely. The first is when a
frightened piranha is lifted out of the water—for example, if it has been caught in a
fishing net. The second is when the water level in pools where piranhas are living falls
too low. A large number of fish may be trapped in a single pool, and if they are hungry,
they may attack anything that enters the water.

In this example, you can see how the phrases “the first” and “the second” help the reader follow
the organization of the ideas in the paragraph.

Works consulted
We consulted these works while writing this handout. This is not a comprehensive list of resources
on the handout’s topic, and we encourage you to do your own research to find additional
publications. Please do not use this list as a model for the format of your own reference list, as it
may not match the citation style you are using. For guidance on formatting citations, please see
the UNC Libraries citation tutorial. We revise these tips periodically and welcome feedback.

Lunsford, Andrea. 2008. The St. Martin’s Handbook: Annotated Instructor’s Edition, 6th ed. New
York: St. Martin’s.
Rosen, Leonard J., and Laurence Behrens. 2003. The Allyn & Bacon Handbook, 5th ed. New
York: Longman.

Generative AI in Academic
Writing
What this handout is about
You’ve likely heard of AI tools such as ChatGPT, Google Bard, Microsoft Bing, or others by now.
These tools fall under a broad, encompassing term called generative AI that describes technology
that can create new text, images, sounds, video, etc. based on information and examples drawn
from the internet. In this handout, we will focus on potential uses and pitfalls of generative AI
tools that generate text.

Before we begin: Stay tuned to your instructor

Instructors’ opinions on the use of AI tools may vary dramatically from one class to the next, so
don’t assume that all of your instructors will think alike on this topic. Consult each syllabus for
guidance or requirements related to the use of AI tools. If you have questions about if/how/when it
may be appropriate to use generative AI in your coursework, be sure to seek input from your
instructor before you turn something in for a grade. You are always 100% responsible for
whatever writing you chose to turn in to an instructor, so it pays to inquire early.

Note that when your instructors authorize the use of generative AI tools, they will likely assume
that these tools may help you think and write—not think or write for you. Keep that principle in
mind when you are drafting and revising your assignments. You can maintain your academic
integrity and employ the tools with the same high ethical standards and source use practices that
you use in any piece of academic writing.

What is generative AI, and how does it work?

Generative AI is an artificial intelligence tool that allows users to ask it questions or make requests
and receive quick written responses. It uses Large Language Models (LLMs) to analyze vast
amounts of textual data to determine patterns in words and phrases. Detecting patterns allows
LLMs to predict what words may follow other words and to transform the content of its corpus
(the textual data) into new sentences that respond to the questions or requests. Using complex
neural network models, LLMs generate writing that mimics human intelligence and varied writing
styles.

The textual data used to train the LLM has been scraped from the internet, though it is unclear
exactly which sources have been included in the corpus for each AI tool. As you can imagine, the
internet has a vast array of content of variable quality and utility, and generative AI does not
distinguish between accurate/inaccurate or biased/unbiased information. It can also recombine
accurate source information in ways that generate inaccurate statements, so it’s important to be
discerning when you use these tools and to carefully digest what’s generated for you. That said,
the AI tools may spark ideas, save you time, offer models, and help you improve your writing
skills. Just plan to bring your critical thinking skills to bear as you begin to experiment with and
explore AI tools.
As you explore the world of generative AI tools, note that there are both free and paid versions.
Some require you to create an account, while others don’t. Whatever tools you experiment with,
take the time to read the terms before you proceed, especially the terms about how they will use
your personal data and prompt history.

Prompting
In order to generate responses from AI tools, you start by asking a question or making a request,
called a “prompt.” Prompting is akin to putting words into a browser’s search bar, but you can
make much more sophisticated requests from AI tools with a little practice. Just as you learned to
use Google or other search engines by using keywords or strings, you will need to experiment
with how you can extract responses from generative AI tools. You can experiment with brief
prompts and with prompts that include as much information as possible, like information about the
goal, the context, and the constraints.

You could experiment with some fun requests like “Create an itinerary for a trip to a North
Carolina beach.” You may then refine your prompt to “Create an itinerary for a relaxing weekend
at Topsail Beach and include restaurant recommendations” or “Create an itinerary for a summer
weekend at Topsail Beach for teenagers who hate water sports.” You can experiment with style by
refining the prompt to “Rephrase the itinerary in the style of a sailor shanty.” Look carefully at the
results for each version of the prompt to see how your changes have shaped the answers.

The more you experiment with generative AI for fun, the more knowledgeable and prepared you
will be to use the tool responsibly if you have occasion to use it for your academic work. Here are
some ways you might experiment with generative AI tools when drafting or exploring a topic for a
paper.