Yes, I Agree
Remember when teachers told us to learn mental arithmetic because “you won’t have a calculator in your pocket everywhere you go”? They were wrong about the calculator—we all carry one now in the form of some sort of smartphone or tablet. But they were right about the principle: some skills are too fundamental to outsource.
Today, large language models are the calculators of the research world. They can generate text, refine sentences, and come up with new hypotheses to test. But they can’t replace the core skills every scientist needs, including how to write a paper and communicate your findings. Let’s find out why!
- You’re the World’s Closest Expert
Writing a scientific paper isn’t just about communicating results—it’s part of the scientific process itself. To write well, you need to:
- Understand exactly what you did, why you did it, and how your methods led to your findings.
- Place your work in the context of the literature, making clear where it fits and what gap it addresses.
- Interpret your data with both precision and curiosity, exploring what it might mean for the next steps in your field.
Without this process, your science risks having less impact—not because the results are weaker, but because they aren’t fully understood, communicated, or connected.
- The Leadership Link
If you’re aiming to lead your next research project, writing is not optional. It’s where you show that you can think as well as experiment; that you can shape the questions, not just execute the methods. A PI who can’t clearly interpret and argue for their work is a PI who risks being led by others, whether by co-authors, editors, or increasingly, by algorithms.
Remember: before your work is published, no one knows your data like you do. You’ve lived it—at the bench, at the bedside, or in the field. You’ve seen patterns emerge, wrestled with unexpected results, and debated interpretations with your colleagues.
That unique, in-the-moment insight is yours alone until the paper appears in print. If you hand over the task of writing to AI, you risk losing that expert voice and the subtle understanding that makes your science truly yours.
- What AI Can—and Can’t—Do
Now, we’re not saying that language models aren’t powerful. Yes, they can fine-tune text, spot clunky sentences, and help meet word limits. But they’re only as good as the instructions you give them.
If your command is “write my paper,” based on what? A data dump? A few bullet points? The synthesis AI produces may sound smooth, but will it ask the hard questions? Will it spot the methodological caveat that changes the interpretation? Will it draw the philosophical connections that underpin your field?
And this is a real issue. We’re already seeing more and more papers with excellent English but shaky structure, weak framing of the research question, and missing opportunities to interrogate the data in meaningful ways. Good grammar does not equal good science and it takes a lot of time and energy to unpick these types of issues and recreate a scientifically sound manuscript.
- Our Approach at Insight Editing London
We’re committed to helping excellent science be published, not just look polished. Publishing is more than a final step—it’s the moment your work enters the global conversation and starts to shape the field.
But we don’t stop there. At Insight Editing London, we’re equally committed to teaching scientists—junior and senior alike—how to put together manuscripts that are clear, logical, and persuasive. Our goal is not only to strengthen a single paper, but to help you build lasting skills in scientific writing.
We do this by:
- Tracking our changes so you can see exactly how the text has been refined.
- Leaving constructive comments alongside the text, highlighting areas where logic, structure, or interpretation can be improved.
- Providing detailed editorial reports that explain, in a constructive way, how the manuscript could be enhanced further and how you can do it.
Moreover, our editorial team stays in direct touch with authors to answer queries and provide follow-up support as needed. This isn’t an extra—it’s part of our standard, human service.
So, if you’re working on a manuscript—whether for first submission or after reviewer feedback—and looking for some support, get in touch! We’ll help you ensure your paper is not just well written, but well argued, well structured, and ready to make an impact. And importantly, with a human touch!