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Arab World English Journal (AWEJ) Volume 16. Number 4, December 2025 Pp. 479-492
Department of English Studies
Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University, Fez, Morocco
Department of English Studies
Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University, Fez, Morocco
Department of English Studies
Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University, Fez, Morocco
Department of English Studies
Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University, Fez, Morocco
The evolving landscape of academic research worldwide has seen a new revolution with the development of artificial intelligence (AI). This article illuminates the perceptions, adoption and challenges of the use of AI tools among Moroccan student researchers. This study employed a cross-sectional quantitative approach for the collection and interpretation of data. A structured questionnaire was administered to a body of student researchers enrolled in master’s and PhD programs across disciplines within the University of Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah of Fez. Built on the valid responses of 100 participants, the data obtained was analysed statistically with SPSS. The data analysis’s results were divided into sections, revealing demographic information, then descriptive data, while also exploring correlations. The findings show that PhD students constituted the majority of respondents (n=69) and that overall participants have positive attitudes towards the integration of AI in their academic research. Participants frequently embed AI tools in their work with a remarkable preference for two AI tools: ChatGPT and Grammarly AI. This study also revealed that student researchers primarily adopt AI for information retrieval, idea generation, language refinement, and citation management, with limited use in advanced tasks such as data analysis and translation. Nevertheless, participants are aware of reliability and ethical concerns, and express an interest in further use of AI, yet not at the expense of diminished quality of writing and analysis. This study calls for guidelines and regulations for the responsible use, as well as addresses emerging issues such as AI citation in academic research.
Mamoune, L., Kharmach, S., El Karfa, S., & Bennis, M. (2025).AI Tools in Academic Research: Perceptions, Adoption, and Challenges among Moroccan Student Researchers. Arab World English Journal, 16(4): 479-492
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Lamiae Mamoune, PhD candidate at the University of Sidi Mohammed ben Abdallah, Faculty of Letters and Humanities Dhar El Mehraz, Fez, Morocco. She is part of the PhD associate scholarship granted by CNRST. She is working on the teaching of literature in the digital age. Her research interests also include applied linguistics, media studies and artificial intelligence.
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0007-9126-187X
Safae Kharmach, a PhD candidate at the University of Sidi Mohammed ben Abdallah, Faculty of Letters and Humanities Dhar El Mehraz, Fez, Morocco. Her research focuses on the Enhancement of Academic Orientation for Improved Student Preparedness and Success. She harbors a special interest in technology, AI, and its intersection with the educational field.
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0007-0415-9966
Abderrahim El Karfa, Professor of Applied Linguistics at the Faculty of Letters and Human Sciences, Dhar El Mehraz, Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdellah, Fes, Morocco. Research Interests: Applied Linguistics, Leadership Education, Critical Thinking Education, Gender and Language, Gender and Education, English Language Education, AND lifelong Learning.
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5927-2575
Mohammed Bennis, Associate Professor at Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdellah University, Faculty of Letters & Human Sciences, Fes, Morocco, Department of English Studies. Research interests: Media Studies, Digital Humanities, Cybercultures, Cultural Studies, Literary Studies, Cultural Anthropology. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0009-6214-7757