Several leading academic journal publishers have taken measures to restrict the use of the advanced chatbot, ChatGPT, due to concerns over the accuracy and originality of the information generated by the bot. While some researchers have listed the chatbot as a co-author in academic studies, some publishers have banned this practice and the editor-in-chief of one of the top scientific journals, Science, has gone a step further by prohibiting the use of any text from the program in submitted papers.
Despite these concerns, a recent study published in Finance Research Letters suggests that ChatGPT can be used effectively in academic research. The study found that the bot could write a finance paper that would be accepted for publication in an academic journal.
While the program performed better in some areas and limitations were identified, the study argues that with the addition of human expertise, the limitations could be overcome and the chatbot could serve as a valuable electronic assistant in the research process.
The study posits that instead of viewing ChatGPT as a threat, publishers and researchers should consider the potential of the chatbot as a low-cost or even free electronic assistant. The authors suggest that by combining the chatbot’s capabilities with human expertise, great results can be achieved in academic research.
