Starting a research paper is often the hardest part. Many researchers struggle with writer’s block and structuring ideas – the main cause of procrastination. WriteWise is an AI tool that aims to solve this by generating a structured first draft quickly, allowing users to spend time focusing on refining arguments and integrating references. So, does it make writing easier? In this review, we explore WriteWise’s features, effectiveness, and whether it can transform the writing process.
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What makes WriteWise different?
WriteWise specializes in generating first-draft manuscripts from scratch. Most academic AI writing tools are designed for editing and refining existing papers, however, WriteWise is designed to tackle the hardest part of writing – starting. Once a draft is generated, it also offers tools to help refine and polish the manuscript.
Unlike generic AI tools, WriteWise incorporates established linguistic theories, including those of John Swales, whose research on academic discourse has shaped how scholarly writing is structured. Swales’ work defined WriteWise’s drafting approach, ensuring that outputs align with academic conventions.
Another key feature is the guided questions, meaning users don’t need advanced AI prompting skills to generate comprehensive papers. Users are guided through targeted follow-up questions to ensure sufficient information. A proprietary “mega prompt” system is then used to generate a draft of 4,000+ words.
How Does WriteWise Compete?
WriteWise vs Paperpal
Both PaperPal and WriteWise cater to academic writing, but they differ in their approach. PaperPal is designed for refining and polishing existing drafts, focusing on grammar and readability. WriteWise, on the other hand, is built to help researchers generate drafts from scratch. It offers more comprehensive support for researchers struggling with starting a paper, guiding users through the initial stages of writing while PaperPal focuses on improving readability. Both tools serve distinct purposes, but WriteWise offers a more complete solution for researchers needing assistance beyond language refinement.
WriteWise vs ChatGPT Deep Research
Compared to ChatGPT’s Deep Research feature, which generates longer texts but retrieves fewer sources, WriteWise specializes in writing the first draft based on John Swale’s discourse theories. While ChatGPT’s Deep Research can provide extended explanations, it lacks the academic rigor embedded in WriteWise’s structured drafts, which are designed to align with established research-writing conventions.
WriteWise vs SciSpace Deep Review
Similarly, SciSpace’s Deep Review excels at retrieving numerous references but produces only a brief summary of findings. While this summary is useful for quickly gathering sources, WriteWise ensures a well-developed, long-form draft. Unlike Deep Review, which you can find a review of in this article, WriteWise does not generate references, requiring users to actively integrate citations, reinforcing proper research practices.
Overall, WriteWise offers a great balance in comparison – it provides a strong, structured foundation while ensuring users engage critically with their work by sourcing and integrating citations themselves.
How does WriteWise work?
To create a new draft in WriteWise you simply have to answer 4 guided questions. I tested out these steps and reviewed the process below:
Step 1: Creating a New Document
To start creating a manuscript from scratch, select “Create a New Document” and choose “Draft my paper tool.” The process is intuitive, with all necessary tools displayed for easy navigation.
Step 2: Follow the guided questions
Select ‘Next’ and then WriteWise will introduce a set of guided questions before writing the draft. This is the most important part, as the inputs you give will determine the quality of the writing. It is important to give as much detail as possible. WriteWise makes this easy by giving you a template of what to include in your answer and examples of good and bad responses.
These were the questions I was asked with explanations on how to respond to them:
1. What is your research topic?
- With as many specifics as possible, use the following template to answer the question:
[Main Variable/process] in [Specific Context] of [Population/Organism/Study Model] using [Primary Method/Technique], focusing on [Analyzed Factor/Phenomenon/Condition]. - Your responses don’t necessarily have to be long, just specific and use the correct terminology indicated in the instructions in WriteWise.
2. What journal do you want to publish in?
3. What methodology did you use in your study?
- Include what you measured, how you measured it and the instruments and methods used.
4. What are your main results?
- This will likely be your longest answer. Include quantitative and qualitative data and explain variable relationships, significant differences, observed effects and trends over time.
- Simply list your results and WriteWise will structure them into coherent sentences and paragraphs.
Answering these questions took about 10 minutes. While the questions extracted a lot of key information, there wasn’t an opportunity to suggest specific writing styles or formats, leading to a fairly generic first draft – which can be refined further along the process. Once the draft has been generated on the left-hand side of the screen, select ‘Insert Text’ to review the draft in the text editor.
Step 3: Review the generated draft
After the draft is generated, the manuscript and title suggestions are provided. At first glance, the draft is well-structured and aligns with the input prompts. While some sentence structures were repeated with noticeable overuse of academic phrases, I was impressed with the output for the first draft.
The content was logically organized, with each section building on the previous one to create a cohesive argument. For example, in the introduction, the gap in existing literature is clearly laid out, which sets up the research question effectively.
The structure did lack some flow, however, with the transition from the theoretical framework to the actual revised model being somewhat abrupt and disconnected.
Step 4: Refining the Draft with AI
The consistency in sentence structure did make the draft feel slightly mechanical, which I wanted to adjust. To make the text more engaging and human-like, I used the Paper ChatGPT tool. The purpose of this tool is to help researchers refine specific sentences or paragraphs, providing a more refined version of the draft generated by the AI Paper Drafter.
From the options provided, I chose “Elaborate on any sentence or paragraph.” I was then prompted to select the sentence and to provide any additional information needed to achieve my goal. In this case, I stated: “Provide deeper understandings of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, with a specific focus on physiological needs.”
A limitation to note is that the chat does not have access to the text in the text editor, meaning the sentence or paragraph must be pasted into the chat for revision. After applying the prompt, the result was a much more engaging and readable paragraph that was ready to insert into my text and use as a basis for further refinement and manual edits.
Step 5: Making manual edits in WriteWise
Once the draft is generated, the next step is adding credibility with references and refining the text. WriteWise offers tools for this editing process.
- Add credibility with Bibliography Search
The Bibliography Search allows users to search for sources using entire sentences – aiding in a rapid search of specific papers related to the topic. While the search functionality is limited and does not offer in-text reference suggestions, it is useful for quickly locating relevant references to incorporate into the manuscript.
2. Use Peer Review to get pointed insights
Another differentiating tool in WriteWise is the Peer Review tool, which allows researchers to get highly specific feedback on any section of their manuscript. Not only does the function provide insights into knowledge gaps, it also generates constructive criticism of structure, tone, and style.
Step 6: Export the draft
Once you have made preliminary edits to the draft and you are ready to format and make more comprehensive edits, simply download the text in the text editor or copy the text into Word. WriteWise is not a comprehensive text editor with formatting tools, but is designed to help you start the draft process, so the outputs must be transferred into another program like Word to sufficiently edit.
WriteWise journal selector
WriteWise’s Journal Selector was surprisingly effective. Unlike many tools with generic suggestions, it provided a well-curated list based on just two inputs: the paper’s title and abstract. The chat provided 5 relevant suggestions with justifications as to why the journal would be relevant. Given the challenge of identifying suitable journals, this tool offers a valuable starting point for researchers.
WriteWise overall impression
WriteWise excels in quickly generating structured first drafts, making it a valuable tool for researchers who struggle to begin their papers. Its detailed prompts and coherent AI-generated drafts provide a strong foundation, allowing users to focus on refining their arguments and integrating references. However, the output often requires significant editing to improve flow, style, and citation integration. While WriteWise is an excellent starting point, users should be prepared to invest time in revisions and follow the WriteWise workflow to meet academic standards.
How do you avoid plagiarism using WriteWise?
Simply put, a WriteWise draft should never be copied and submitted as-is. Avoiding plagiarism is a key concern when using AI-generated writing tools like WriteWise. While the platform helps researchers create structured first drafts quickly, it does not replace the need for critical thinking and originality. WriteWise emphasizes that the drafts are only a starting point and are meant to be revised, expanded, and properly referenced. You can learn more about Writing With AI in this online course.
One safeguard is that WriteWise-generated drafts do not include references, requiring users to manually integrate sources. Additionally, built-in tools such as Paraphrase and the Phrasebank help refine wording and ensure originality while maintaining academic integrity. For those who purchase the yearly plan, WriteWise offers a course on writing with AI, helping researchers understand best practices for responsible writing.
WriteWise Pricing: Is It Worth It?
WriteWise offers two pricing plans: $11.65 per month or $95.88 per year ($7.99/month when billed annually). Both plans include essential academic writing tools such as a library of prompts and an academic sentence template tool. The yearly plan offers additional benefits, including a non-academic prompt library and a course on academic writing with ChatGPT.
While WriteWise provides better value than most competitors, the cost may be a hurdle for students or early-career researchers on tight budgets. However, for those who frequently struggle with writing, especially an entire draft, the efficiency gains may justify the investment.
Writewise Discount Code
You can use EFFORTLESS20 as a discount code to get 20% off for using the tool.
Summary
WriteWise helps researchers overcome the challenge of starting a paper by generating detailed first drafts. Key features include guided prompts, AI-driven coherence, and tools for bibliography search and sentence checking. While the drafts require further editing, WriteWise provides a strong foundation, making it a great option for those seeking an efficient way to begin their writing process. If you want to learn more about how to make your academic journey effortless, take this FREE course.
