In recent months, inquiries have increasingly come from students whose bachelor’s thesis was created partly or almost entirely with AI tools such as ChatGPT. This is often followed by uncertainty as to whether the text meets academic requirements and whether the use of AI can be recognized through the style, the argumentation, or review procedures.

In this context, people often ask whether missing or incorrect citations can be added afterwards. In other cases, the thesis has already been submitted to the supervisor and returned because of noticeably generic wording. Students also report that university reviews or internal detection procedures show elevated values, which can lead to suspicion of plagiarism.

At the same time, many university guidelines now include requirements regarding the use of AI in academic papers. It is often required to disclose the use and document in a traceable manner which prompts were used in which parts. Nevertheless, many students refrain from providing such information in order not to make the AI use visible.

The subsequent revision of AI-generated texts is demanding in practice. Statements must be reviewed in terms of subject matter, as AI-generated content may be incorrect. Above all, academic revision requires reliable citations at the appropriate points, including exact references. In academic papers, any adopted idea, definition, or line of argument without proper documentation is considered relevant to plagiarism.

The greatest effort often arises in reconstructing the origin of individual claims. AI systems do not necessarily provide sources or refer to content that cannot be verified in the stated form. The subsequent identification of suitable literature and the addition of citations with page references is time-consuming and may be less economical than a complete reformulation based on an independent literature review.

For these reasons, we deliberately refrain from AI generation when preparing academic texts on behalf of clients. Academic quality results from traceable research, proper source work, and an argumentatively consistent evaluation of the state of research. An AI-generated text offers no reliable guarantee of factual correctness and increases the risk of being classified as AI-generated by common review mechanisms.

At the same time, practice shows that universities are responding increasingly consistently in suspected cases. Depending on the case, papers are returned for revision or assessed as a violation of academic standards.

If you are unsure how your bachelor’s thesis should be assessed with regard to AI use, style, source basis, and formal requirements, you can contact us.

Akademik Ghostwriter Team
2026