Impact of Artificial Intelligence for Doctoral Research in Tribhuvan University, Nepal

Abstract

This study explored the use of AI in doctoral research by identifying commonly used AI tools, examining scholars’ perceptions of AI assistance, and assessing ethical concerns related to its use. A review of over fifty interdisciplinary studies revealed AI's increasing role in literature review, data analysis, academic publishing, and research integrity, while also highlighting gaps in ethical guidelines and training. Using a phenomenological research design, data were collected through in-depth interviews with 14 purposively selected PhD scholars with experience in AI use. Thematic analysis indicated that ChatGPT was the most commonly used AI tool, especially during the literature review stage. Participants viewed AI as a supportive assistant that saves time and enhances creativity, but not as a replacement for intellectual effort. Concerns were raised regarding plagiarism detection, contextual inaccuracies, and potential biases in AI-generated outputs. The study recommends structured AI training, ethical frameworks, and integration of AI literacy into doctoral curricula to guarantee the ethical research practices.