Academic work with AI: a practical guide for 2026
From your research question to a finished chapter with my template.
This article was written in German by Christian Rothe and translated into English with the help of AI. Read the German original.
AI is particularly useful for specific tasks in academic work: narrowing a question, checking an argument or preparing a source comparison. My template gives those steps a common workspace.
Work with a project brief, original sources and individual chapters. The prompt starts with planning rather than asking for a finished paper, so you can resolve changes to the question or method before producing many pages.
How to proceed
- Download your own copy of my GitHub template and open it in a project folder.
- Use the prompt to clarify your question, methods and university requirements. Save the answers in your project brief.
- Work through chapters individually: argument plan, sources, draft and export.
Provide original sources and specific chapter tasks so the project remains traceable.
Prompt
Help me write my academic paper using the attached template. Topic: [topic] Research question: [question] Length and deadline: [requirements] Citation style and AI rules: [university requirements] Read the instructions and existing files first. Clarify the research question, methods, available data and structure with me. Ask in blocks and wait for each answer. Save decisions in the project brief. Plan only the next chapter: main claim, argument and required sources. Use provided or verified evidence only. Do not invent passages or references. Draft after my feedback, then check the export.