A bibliometric analysis of research trends in the application of artificial intelligence by college students in research writing

Abstract

AI has emerged as a transformative force across a wide range of sectors, including education. Tools like ChatGPT, Grammarly, and Quillbot are increasingly integrated into college students’ writing processes, providing real-time support for grammar correction, content paraphrasing, citation formatting, and even literature review synthesis. However, the mounting acceptance of AI tools among students reflects a broader shift toward digital academic ecosystems. In response, the incorporation of artificial intelligence (AI) tools into research writing has led to a surge in scholarly publications, highlighting the need for a bibliometric analysis to systematically examine emerging trends and identify future directions in this rapidly evolving and interdisciplinary field. Bibliometric data were sourced from the Scopus database, covering 10 years from January 2015 to June 2025. The analysis was conducted using Bibliometrix and VOSviewer, complemented by Microsoft Excel and RStudio for data retrieval and visualization. Results revealed a yearly growth rate of 32.75% in the field’s publications. Countries such as China and the United States are at the forefront of research output production, indicating their substantial investment in the application of AI among college students to research writing procedures. Keyword co-occurrence analysis revealed thematic clusters centered on AI tools, including artificial intelligence, ChatGPT, students, academic writing, and higher education. There is also a growing presence of multiple countries where college students utilize AI in research writing, as indicated by keyword co-occurrence networks. The findings indicate an increasing global demand, participation, collaboration, and interest among college students in applying AI to research writing standards and procedures.

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