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Article published In: Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) and Writing for Scholarly Publication
Edited by A. Mehdi Riazi
[Journal of English for Research Publication Purposes 6:2] 2025
► pp. 265–289

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Generative AI and linguistic diversity in academic writing and publishing

Perspectives from World Englishes

 | SOAS University of London
 | University of Freiburg
 | Curtin University
 | Dublin City University
 | Stockholm University
 | Carnegie Mellon University
Published online: 12 March 2026
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https://doi.org/10.1075/jerpp.00035.ugw
Abstract
The rise of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) in academic writing and publishing (AWP) raises questions about linguistic inclusivity and the legitimacy of diverse Englishes in global scholarly communication. This article responds to these questions through a structured scholarly dialogue involving five sociolinguists from World Englishes and adjacent fields. Organised around five guiding questions, the dialogue interrogates how GenAI tools influence writing practices, reinforce or disrupt dominant language norms, and raise ethical challenges. Contributors reflect on the potential of GenAI to democratise writing processes while also raising concerns about GenAI’s tendency to marginalise minoritised varieties and flatten nuance in scholarly writing. Across the dialogue, themes of linguistic (in)justice, researcher agency, and institutional responsibility emerge, with contributors calling for equity-informed policies, critical AI literacy, and inclusive co-design in GenAI development. The article shows the value of dialogic reflection in understanding GenAI’s role in AWP. It concludes that while GenAI may reinforce existing hierarchies, it can also serve as a site of resistance, depending on how it is designed, governed and used within scholarly communities committed to linguistic diversity.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Scholarly dialogue on GenAI in scholarly writing and publishing
    • 2.1The evolving influence of GenAI in academic and publishing
    • 2.2GenAI’s handling of World Englishes in scholarly writing
    • 2.3Institutional roles in safeguarding linguistic diversity in the age of GenAI
    • 2.4Quality of academic writing since GenAI
    • 2.5Principles for ethical and inclusive use of GenAI in academic writing and publishing
  • 3.Discussion and conclusion
  • References
References (38)
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