Generative AI - Graduate Writing Center

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Generative AI intro

Generative AI


As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes integrated into military and professional life, developing AI literacy is increasingly essential.

These pages offer an overview of GenAI and important information regarding the use of GenAI in academic work. As the technology advances, guidance and recommendations will change and adapt. We all must remain a dedicated and continuous learner in this new world of widespread GenAI.

NPS policy encourages you to explore generative AI (GenAI) while you have faculty and writing coaches to guide you. As you explore, recognize that use of GenAI comes with limitations and risks that must be approached thoughtfully and ethically, in accordance with official guidance.


What Is Generative AI?

GenAI tools like ChatGPT, Bing AI, Bard, and Copilot are natural-language processing models, a type of AI trained on huge datasets of text and other media. Through exposure to training data, they learn patterns that allow them to generate novel content similar to their input in style and structure. Despite their ability to seem human, they don't think per se, instead working based on pattern and probability. Learn the basics


Official Guidance

Many students are excited about AI technology but concerned about if and how to use it in academic work. To better understanding NPS expectations, start by reading the Interim Guiding Principles released by the NPS Provost, then consult class syllabi and talk with your faculty members. Learn requirements


Citation and Disclosure

DoD interim guidance for the use of GenAI stresses the need for transparency and labeling of documents produced with generative AI's help. If you use these tools, you are expected to state how you did so and how you remained in control of decisions and verification of information. Learn expectations


Responsible Use

Like any tool, GenAI can be used well or poorly, responsibly or irresponsibly, ethically or unethically. Equipping yourself to navigate these distinctions is key to maximizing the utility of GenAI while upholding academic integrity. Learn best practices


Generative AI Top Links

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Writing Topics A–Z


This index links to the most relevant page for each item. Please email us at writingcenter@nps.edu if we're missing something!

A–Z content menu

A  B  C  D  E  F  G  H  I  J  K  L  M  N  O  P  Q R  S  T  U  V  W  X  Y  Z

A

abbreviations

abstracts

academic writing

acronyms

active voice

adjectives, compound

advisor, selecting and working with

AI

apostrophes

appointment with GWC coaches, how to schedule

argument

article usage

artificial intelligence

assignments, understanding them

audience

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B

body paragraphs

booking an appointment with a GWC coach

brackets, square

brainstorming

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C

capitalization

citations

charts

ChatGPT

citation software

citation styles

clauses

clarity

clustering

coaching, about

coaching, how to schedule

colons

comma splices

commas, FANBOYS

commas, introductory

commas, list

commas, nonessential / nonrestrictive information

commas, Oxford

commas, serial

common knowledge

commonly confused words

compare-and-contrast papers

compound adjectives / modifiers

concision

conclusions

conference presentations

conjunctive adverbs

coordinating conjunctions

copyright and fair use

critical thinking

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D

dangling modifiers

dashes

dependent clauses

dependent marker words

display equations

distance learning

double submission of coursework

drafting

Dudley Knox Library

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E

editing your own work

editing: outside editors

em dash

en dash

equations

exclamation points

executive summary

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F

FANBOYS

FAQs

figures

first person, use of in academic writing

footnotes

fragments

free-writing

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G

generative artificial intelligence (AI)

gerunds

grammar

graphics

graphs

group writing

GWC appointment, how to schedule

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H

homophones

Honor Code, NPS

human subjects research

hyphens

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I

ibid.

incomplete sentences

independent clauses

Institutional Review Board

interviews, conducting

introductions

IRB

iThenticate

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J

Joining the Academic Conversation

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L

LaTeX

library liaisons

lists, syntax of

literature reviews

logic and analysis

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M

M dash

making a GWC appointment

mathematics

memos

methodology

modifiers, compound

modifiers, misplaced

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N

N dash

nominalizations

note-taking

noun clusters

numbers

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O

organization

outlining

Oxford comma

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P

paragraph development

parallelism

paraphrasing

parentheses

parts of speech

passive voice

periods

persuasion

phrases vs. clauses

plagiarism, how to avoid

plagiarism-detection software

plain language

polishing

prepositional phrases

prepositions

pronouns, clarity with

pronouns, grammar of

proofreading

publishing

punctuation

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Q

questionnaires, administering

questions

quotation marks

quoting

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R

Reading with Intent I

Reading with Intent II

redundancies

reference software

reflection papers

research

research guides, discipline-specific

research questions

restrictive vs. nonrestrictive information

reusing papers

reverse outlining

revision

roadmaps

run-on sentences

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S

scheduling a GWC appointment

self-citing

semicolons

sentence fragments

serial comma

signal phrases

significance

so what?

source blending

sources, engaging with / critiquing

sources, evaluating the reliability of

sources, citing

spelling

standard essay structure

STEM / technical writing

Strategic Reading I

Strategic Reading II

style

subject–verb agreement

subjects, grammatical

subordinating conjunctions

summarizing

surveys, administering

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T

tables

teams, writing in

technical writing

tense

that vs. which

thesis advisor, selecting and working with

thesis process overview

Thesis Processing Office (TPO)

thesis proposals: common elements

thesis statements

thesis writing

this, that, these, those

tone, professional

topic sentences

transitions

types of papers

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U

United States or U.S.?

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V

verbs and verb tense

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W

which vs. that

why write?

writer’s block

writing in groups / teams

writing process

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Z

Zotero

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