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Title: How is AI shaping the style and quality of undergraduate writing? An analysis of 4820 authentic student-authored psychology reports

Abstract:

The emergence of AI-powered chatbots such as ChatGPT has prompted widespread debate regarding their impact on student learning and academic integrity. To examine how these tools may be reshaping academic practices, we analysed 4,820 authentic reports submitted by 2,000 psychology undergraduates at the University of Warwick between 2016 and 2025. Our investigation focused on both cross-sectional and longitudinal trends, assessing changes in (a) the prevalence of stylistic markers, (b) linguistic style, (c) sentiment, and (d) perceived quality following the release of ChatGPT in November 2022. Although we observed clear shifts across these dimensions, no students reported the use of AI in their work. These findings highlight the pressing need for universities to revisit existing academic integrity frameworks and develop transparent, pedagogically grounded strategies for responding to the growing presence of generative AI in higher education. This work was supported by the British Academy Talent Development Award, TDA24240012.