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Essay Checker: Free Online Paper Corrector

Your Best Chance for an A+ Essay. Try Our Free Essay Checker Below.

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Why Should You Use a Free Essay Checker?

The simple answer? Good grammar is necessary, but it’s not easy. You've already done countless hours of research to write the essay. You don’t want to spend countless hours correcting it, too.

You'll get a better grade

Good grammar or its absence can determine if you get a good grade or a failing one. Impress your lecturer not just with how grammatically sound your writing is, but how clear it is and how it flows.

You'll save time

Essay writing can be a long and tedious process. ProWritingAid's essay checker saves you the hassle by acting as the first line of defense against pesky grammar issues.

You'll become a better writer

Essay writing is a particular skill and one that becomes better with practice. Every time you run your essay through ProWritingAid’s essay corrector, you get to see what your common mistakes are and how to fix them.

Good Writing = Good Grades

It’s already hard to know what to write in an essay. Don’t let grammar mistakes hinder your writing and prevent you from getting a good grade. ProWritingAid’s essay checker will help you write your best essay yet. Since the checker is powered by AI, using it means that grammar errors don’t stand a chance. Give your professors something to look forward to reading with clear, concise, and professional writing.

How Does ProWritingAid’s Essay Checker Work?

Your goal in essay writing is to convey your message as best as possible. ProWritingAid's essay checker is the first step towards doing this.

Get Rid of Spelling Errors

ProWritingAid’s essay checker will show you what it thinks are spelling errors and present you with possible corrections. If a word is flagged and it’s actually spelt correctly you can always choose to ignore the suggestion.

Fix Grammar Errors

Professors aren’t fans of poor grammar because it interrupts your message and makes your essay hard to understand. ProWritingAid will run a grammar check on your paper to ensure that your message is precise and is being communicated the way you intended.

Get Rid of Punctuation Mistakes

A missing period or comma here and there may not seem that serious, but you’ll lose marks for punctuation errors. Run ProWritingAid’s paper checker to use the correct punctuation marks every time and elevate your writing.

Improve Readability

Make sure that in the grand scheme your language is not too complicated. The essay checker's built in readability report will show if your essay is easy or hard to read. It specifically zones in on paragraphs that might be difficult to read so you can review them.

What Else Can the Essay Checker Do?

The editing tool analyzes your text and highlights a variety of key writing issues, such as overused words, incohesive sentence structures, punctuation issues, repeated phrases, and inconsistencies.

You don’t need to drown your essay in words just to meet the word count. ProWritingAid’s essay checker will help to make your words more effective. You'll get to construct your arguments and make sure that every word you use builds towards a meaningful conclusion.

Transition words help to organize your ideas by showing the relationship between them. The essay checker has a built in Transition report that highlights and shows the percentage of transitions used in your essay. Use the results to add transitions where necessary.

An engaging essay has sentences of varying lengths. Don’t bore your professor with long, rambling sentences. The essay checker will show you where you need to break long sentences into shorter sentences, or add more sentence length variation.

Generally, in scholarly writing, with its emphasis on precision and clarity, the active voice is preferred. However, the passive voice is acceptable in some instances. When you run your essay through ProWritingAid’s essay checker, you get feedback on whether you 'r e using the passive or active voice to convey your idea.

There are academic specific power verbs like appraise , investigate , debunk , support , etc., that can add more impact to your argument by giving a more positive and confident tone. The essay checker will check your writing for power verbs and notify you if you have less than three throughout your essay.

It's easy to get attached to certain phrases and use them as crutches in your essays but this gives the impression of boring and repetitive writing. The essay checker will highlight your repeats and suggest contextually relevant alternatives.

Gain access to in-house blog reports on citations, how to write a thesis statement, how to write a conclusion, and more. Venture into a world of resources specific to your academic needs.

What Kinds of Papers Does ProWritingAid Correct?

No matter what you’re writing, ProWritingAid will adapt and show you where your edits are needed most.

• Argumentative
• Descriptive
• Textual Analysis
• Lab reports
• Case studies
• Literature reviews
• Presentations
• Dissertations
• Research papers

Professors and students love using ProWritingAid

If you're an English teacher, you need to take a look at this tool - it reinforces what you're teaching, highlights strengths and weaknesses, and makes it easier to personalize instruction.

Jennifer Gonzales

Only reason I managed to get an A in all my freshmen composition classes.

Chris Layton

Great tool for academic work. Easy to use and the reports and summary evaluation of your documents in several categories is very useful. So much more than spelling and grammar!

Debra Callender

Questions & Answers

1. how do i use the essay checker online tool.

You can either copy and paste your essay in the essay checker field or upload your essay from your computer. Your suggestions will show once you enter text. You’ll see a number of possible grammar and spelling issues. Sign up for free to get unlimited suggestions to improve your writing style, grammar, and sentence structure. Avoid unintentional plagiarism with a premium account.

2. Does the essay checker work with British English and American English?

The essay checker works with both British English and American English. Just choose the one you would like to use and your corrections will reflect this.

3. Is using an essay checker cheating?

No. The essay checker won’t ever write the essay for you. It will point out possible edits and advise you on changes you need to make. You have full autonomy and get to decide which changes to accept.

4. Will the essay checker auto-correct my work?

The essay writing power remains in your hands. You choose which suggestions you want to accept and you can ignore those that you don’t think apply.

5. Is there a student discount?

Students who have an eligible student email address can get 20% off ProWritingAid Premium. Email [email protected] from your student email address to access your discount.

6. Does ProWritingAid have a plagiarism checker?

Yes! ProWritingAid’s plagiarism checker will check your work against over a billion web-pages, published works, and academic papers, so you can be sure of its originality. Find out more about pricing for plagiarism checks here .

A good grade is closer than you think

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Share your requirements with us and our team will respond to you promptly., essay checker, check your essay for grammar & language errors.

Students can write better essays quickly and confidently with Trinka AI—it finds and corrects language and grammar errors in real-time. 

Trusted by Global Leaders

Why Choose Trinka's Essay Checker

Trinka's essay checker identifies errors specific to academic writing that other AI grammar checkers may not. Everything from complex grammar errors to scientific style and tone is proofread by Trinka! Trinka's essay checker has learned to provide the most relevant suggestions by analysing published academic papers, articles, and studies across various disciplines.

With Trinka, you will always be able to produce quality academic writing. Trinka's free essay checker can help ensure that your essays are of the highest quality and are edited quickly.

• Save time with auto edits
• Professionalize your writing
• High data security
• Enjoy it for free

Key Features of Trinka’s Essay Checker

With Trinka's advanced essay checker, you will be able to correct spelling and grammatical errors in your essay and make it more logical and concise.

Overall Language Enhancement

Polish your writing with Trinka language tips on enhanced vocabulary, tone, syntax, and much more.

Retain Original Formatting

Revise your essay with all changes made in tracks and the original formatting retained.

Plagiarism Check

Maintain originality in your work with iThenticate, the most advanced text similarity detection algorithm that compares your work with the largest paid publication database covering all scientific fields.

Table of Revisions

View a detailed table of revisions categorized by type of language error for a quick understanding of the edits made in your essay.

Style Guide Preferences

Tailor the grammar and word choice of your essay to comply with popular academic style guides (AMA 11th, APA 7th, ACS 2nd, AGU 2017, IEEE).

Works on all Subject Areas

Customize Trinka to provide you with the most relevant suggestions based on your subject area and the topic of your essay.

Check Beyond Grammar and Spelling

Trinka's essay checker goes beyond grammar and spelling to holistically enhance your writing.

Style Guide Preference

Technical Phrasing

Word Choice

Word Count Reduction

Academic Tone

Usage and Style

Unbiased Language

Advanced Grammar

US/UK Style

Vague Language

Sentence Structure

Advanced Spelling

Testimonials.

First, I love Trinka. Congratulations on developing something that extensively aids editing, especially critical grammar conventions and word count reductions.

James Smith

I've been using Trinka for four months now, and I have extensive experience with other grammar checker systems. I've used the proofreader for two ten-page papers, and I must admit, I'm quite impressed by its quality and usefulness. I am very satisfied with Trinka and strongly recommend it for academic proofreading.

Emmanuel Lochin

Writing texts with correct English grammar and style is not an easy task for people who speak other languages. Sometimes you cannot find little mistakes in your document without help and moreover for academic writing. I tried Trinka AI as a tool of automatic correction and was quite glad with the suggested corrections and the feedback. With the feedback you understand why the suggested change must be taken into account.

Rosa Diaz Sandoval

Trinka has a robust proofreading feature that allows me to effortlessly upload entire manuscript documents and receive fully tracked changes in a single step. Moreover, its unique supporting tools such as citation checker and journal finder, significantly enhance the efficiency of my research endeavours.

Fouad Khalifa

I just wanted to say thank you for such a great and free service, all the other grammar checkers and writing assistants I have tried don’t have nearly the depth of features let alone all available on a free subscription. As a student with little income available I am extremely grateful that unlike all others companies you don’t limit features on the free plan. This is a fantastic product and given the income I would definitely upgrade to the premium. I've let all my fellow students know about Trinka as it is seriously a life saver.

Jesse Rumball-Smith

I have mainly used it to improve the language, grammar, and syntax of the scientific manuscripts that I write for national and international biomedical journals. I have found the interface to be user friendly and the procedure itself is efficient and hassle-free. The auto-edit is a great help and the supplementary page with the revision summary is an excellent idea.

Dr. Farooq Rathore

Trinka AI is a great tool to help beginners in research publication. Its grammar editing, online proofreading with file download, citation checker, plagiarism checker, paraphraser, and journal finder provide amazing features at your fingertips. Even the free Trinka Basic plan can be invaluable for researchers in their early stages or at PG levels, helping them improve project reports and papers to meet publication standards. Overall, I'm extremely impressed with Trinka AI, as it stands out among research writing tools. Give it a try and you will love it! Thanks Trinka AI team for this valuable tool.

Dr. Nitin Wahi

Trinka.ai is my most favorite choice for grammar and spelling edit. The application works correctly, is fast and tidily! Completely satisfied!

Georgieva Milena

The grammar checking tool exceeds Grammarly! I re-checked some documents that I had checked earlier with Grammarly. I was pleasantly surprised to see such a product from India!

Dinesh Gupta

Trinka has awesome features. Advanced level of academic writing checker and suggestion are so original. I would highly recommend to others.

Aftab Hussain

I have tested Trinka and am impressed with its fine capabilities. It did better than the grammar checkers I use. Well done! I have told my colleagues in my research lab to use Trinka. Hope it is widely used in academia.

Edith Davies

Trinka AI's suggested corrections and feedback astounded me. It is simple to use and extremely beneficial

Noor Al-rishi

It's been a wonderful experience using Trinka and I almost can't submit any manuscript without re-evaluating with it. In summary, Trinka has been a life-saver.

I trust and use Trinka as a final spot check for my edited documents. It helps me find the few remaining errors that I have missed during the primary editing. I really like using this platform for my writing. One particular feature that works well for me is the thumbs down button.

Stumpf Curtis

I think Trinka.ai is a very interesting and potentially useful idea, especially for editors/publishers/journals. I found it very useful when I checked my editing work on the platform.

Dyke Gareth

I am happy with the overall performance. I have been using Grammarly for a long while, but when it comes to academic or technical writing, Trinka is definitely a much better option. Academic document settings and auto file edit are my favorite features.

Bhargava Sharma

Trinka has become my go-to tool for grammar corrections. The AI-powered corrections and language enhancements made writing a lot more easier. Now I am able to focus more on research than on writing an error-free document.

Ralph Bailey

The grammar correction and suggestion based on the AMA style guide is really impressive! Trinka is indeed the best grammar correction tool for medical writing.

Thomas Andres

Get Trinka Where You Need It

Safe, Secure, and Trusted

Trinka puts data safety and privacy at the forefront. All your data is strongly encrypted and securely stored - no one else has access to your data. We offer unique plans that completely eliminate saving any data once you receive writing suggestions.

About Trinka

Trinka uses the latest, state-of-the-art Machine Learning (ML) and Natural Language Processing (NLP) technologies to identify grammar errors and suggest language enhancements. It is trained on millions of well-written papers and articles covering 1300+ subject areas including medicine, life sciences, biology, physical sciences, engineering, humanities, business, and arts to give you the most relevant suggestions.

Trinka is developed by a team of linguists, medical editors, data scientists, and engineers with a deep desire to create a future with barrier-free communication.

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. Trinka essay checker can be used across all subject areas. It provides contextual suggestions based on the chosen subject area.

There are positives and negatives of using an AI editor. With an AI editor, you have speed, control and the best part—it’s completely free! AI editors support human editors who can organize your writing into a clear, logical, elegant paper. After letting the AI editor edit your paper, if you feel you need a human check, we do have in in-house expert copyeditors who provide assistance with reviewing your final documents.

The Proofread File service gives you the following benefits:

• The edited file will display all changes in tracks. This means you can review the changes and accept or reject them using Microsoft Word or any other compatible word processor. This file will also include comments and explanations that can help you make your writing clear.
• You will also receive a detailed report which shows the number of revisions Trinka has made in each language category and an overall writing quality score.

We've tested Trinka's AI essay checker with leading online grammar checkers on five academic domains for accuracy, style guide compliance, conciseness, and contextual spelling check. Trinka stood out remarkably. To learn more, you can refer to our published whitepaper .

Slick Write

Check your grammar in seconds.

Slick Write is a powerful, free application that makes it easy to check your writing for grammar errors, potential stylistic mistakes, and other features of interest. Whether you're a blogger, novelist, SEO professional, or student writing an essay for school, Slick Write can help take your writing to the next level. Curious? See why Slick Write is the best. Try the interactive demo , or check your own document . No software download or installation is required.

Why Slick Write?

The grammar checker is lightning fast

Customizable feedback to suit your style

We do not redistribute your documents

Add impact to reports

Improve your grades

Engage your audience

Inspire confidence

English is a difficult language, so using correct grammar and diverse vocabulary will set you apart from the crowd. Using good sentence structure and wording improves your content's impact and readability while building your readers' trust. Slick Write goes beyond spell checking to teach you the habits of effective writers. How does your writing rate?

Improve your resumé

The job market is competitive. Gain an advantage, impress employers, and land more interviews by demonstrating professionalism and superior communication skills on your resumé.

Get the extensions

Using an extension is the easiest way to submit your work to Slick Write. They are available for Chrome and Firefox .

Bust your writer's block, and create new metaphors by playing the word association game . To begin, type a word or phrase in the box below, and hit enter. To quickly find associations for your own text, highlight a word or phrase in it, and use the toolbox popup.

The associator learns contextual word associations from real literature, so it may return offensive results.

Results for:

I know what I'm doing. Disable these hints.

• Submission Limit There is a limit of 200,000 characters, which is approximately 30,000 words. Anything longer should be submitted in smaller chunks, or it will be automatically trimmed.
• No document It looks like you forgot to enter your document. Paste it in and try again.
• Structure This tab shows sentence structure within the context of the document. Hover over a sentence to see its word count. Select a word or phrase, or click a sentence to get more information.
• Quotes This tab shows your quotations highlighted as Slick Write sees them.

More information »

• Sentence type flow Pieces with good flow will make use of all four sentence types, varying them to keep the reader interested.
• Sentence length flow Sentence length is indirectly related to sentence type, and is a good indicator of flow. Flow can be altered by adding, removing, lengthening, shortening, combining, or splitting sentences. Long sentences will be indicated by a red line on the graph. Sentences that flow poorly with their surroundings will be orange, and the source of the problem can often be found in a nearby sentence.
• Word length flow Word length is a minor contributor to overall flow, but even minor variations are signs of good rhythm.
• Passive Voice Index This is a measure of how frequently the passive voice is used. Consider revising your document if it scores over 100.
• Prepositional Phrase Index This is a measure of how frequently prepositional phrases are used. Consider revising your document if it scores over 100.
• Average sentence length Sentence length is a major contributor to the level of education required to read a body of text.
• Sentence length standard deviation This is a measure of the amount of variation in the length of a text's sentences. In texts that have broad appeal, this tends to fall between 50 and 90% of the average sentence length. You can increase this number by making long sentences longer, and short ones shorter.
• Sentence deviation to length ratio This is a measure of the sentence variety, and a major contributor to flow. Most novels score between 0.5 and 0.9, and popular ones often score near the high end of the range. You can increase this number by making long sentences longer, and short ones shorter.
• Just the stats preset Use this preset when you're only interested in the stats tab. Critique and Flow will be hidden.
• Honesty preset This preset checks for common indicators of deception, either by lying or omission, and is based on the findings of this study . Areas with high concentrations of these indicators should be viewed with skepticism. Note that the presence or absence of these indicators does not guarantee that a statement is true or false, and that the study was done on spoken communications, so it might be more applicable to interviews and speeches. As always, use your brain.
• Doubled words A word used twice in a row may be a typo.
• Commonly confused words This will check for the internet's most frequently confused words and notify you if it looks like you misused one. It is experimental and probably the least reliable feature. Consult a dictionary when necessary.
• Sentences starting with the same word A word should not be used to start more than one sentence in a single paragraph.
• Misplaced conjunctions It is considered poor style to place coordinating conjunctions at either end of a sentence. Placing a subordinating conjunction at the end of a sentence is against the rules.

It is said that one day, passive voice will bring weakness to your prose.

More information » Even more information »

• Overwriting Words like "very" and "really" make sentences wordier and weaken your message. These can be deleted in almost all cases without affecting the meaning of the sentence.
• Abstract words Abstract words lack specificity and overusing them can make even simple concepts difficult to understand. There are times when abstract words are desirable or even necessary; it would be difficult to write about math or programming without mentioning variables or functions, but you should use more specific terms whenever possible.
• Wordy and redundant phrases These phrases make your writing more difficult to understand. In most cases, they can be replaced with one or two words, or even deleted.
• Legalese These antiquated, arcane words and phrases will make your writing look like a contract.
• Double negatives Double negatives are almost always poor style.
• Adverbs They aren't bad in small quantities, but consider revising your document if more than 5.5% of its words are adverbs. Adverbs ending in "-ly" are considered the worst offenders.
• Adjectives They aren't bad in small quantities. A few of the words on this list can also function as other parts of speech. You have been warned.
• Contractions In formal writing, the use of contractions is considered a fault.

The boxer decked his opponent.

• Profanity Profanity should not be used in formal writing outside of direct quotations.

The critic's scathing review hit the nail on the head .

• Similes Similes and metaphors should be used sparingly. This option will detect most common types of similes.
• "Said" replacements Some people think that these substitutes for "said" are weak or obnoxious, especially if overused.

Her dress was long , and it touched the floor.

Her long dress touched the floor.

• Gender-specific pronouns Avoid using gender-specific pronouns in formal writing when the subject's gender is unknown.
• Weasel words Like abstract words, weasel words and phrases lack specificity. At best, they convey uncertainty. At worst, they can be used to "weasel out" of telling the truth in a straightforward manner. When checking a document that is speculative by nature, you might want to disable this detector.
• Third person pronouns According to this study , high concentrations of third person pronouns may indicate deception.
• Bias language These words and phrases often show the author's bias.
• Uncommon words Uncommon words will increase the document's reading difficulty.

Hot peppers burn my mouth, but I eat them anyway .

Since burritos taste good , I like to eat them.

• Sentence fragments A sentence must have at least one noun and one verb. Anything that does not is a fragment, and if it occurs outside of dialog, it should probably be rewritten.
• Long sentences Long sentences tend to be more difficult to read, making them good candidates for trimming or splitting. Alternatively, parallelism may be used to improve their readability, though this will not decrease the ARI score.
• Success with Style: Using Writing Style to Predict the Success of Novels
• Grammar Girl For your obscure writing questions
• Basic Prose and Style Mechanics An excellent, concise resource
• Television Tropes & Idioms Tricks of the trade
• Writing Realistic Injuries An invaluable article for anyone who writes action or horror
• Online Etymology Dictionary Learn the history of English words
• Scribophile Discuss the finer points of writing with other novelists
• Suggestions from the official See Sharp Press blog Learn about the mistakes that will keep your novel from being published.
• Smashwords Easy ebook distribution for indie authors
• Duotrope Find and learn about publishers
• CreateSpace
• Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing
• Creative Writing Prompts and Exercises Spark your creativity
• RhymeZone A popular rhyming dictionary
• Seventh Sanctum Name generators and more
• Apache OpenOffice The best free office software
• Literature & Latte Makers of the popular Scrivener editor

Did you find a bug? Do you want us to add a new feature? We would love to hear about it.

A grammar check for peace of mind

Check for grammar errors, plagiarism, and more.

• Grammar Check
• Expert Check
• Plagiarism Check

Find and fix grammar errors

Turn in your best work. Our smart proofreader catches commonly confused words, grammar issues, misspellings, and more.

Get expert writing help

Improve the quality of your paper. Receive feedback on your main idea, writing mechanics, structure, conclusion, and more.

Check for accidental plagiarism

Avoid unintentional plagiarism. Check your work against billions of sources to ensure complete originality.

What students are saying about us

"Caught comma errors that I actually struggle with even after proofreading myself."

- Natasha J.

"I find the suggestions to be extremely helpful especially as they can instantly take you to that section in your paper for you to fix any and all issues related to the grammar or spelling error(s)."

- Catherine R.

One, easy scan for grammar

Scan your paper to target common grammar mistakes such as punctuation errors, misused words, misspellings, and more. The EasyBib grammar checker will also help you build a more focused paper by finding and flagging text that could be improved.

Get started in three easy steps:

• Upload or copy and paste your paper into the uploader.
• Click “Check my paper.”
• See how many grammar issues are flagged and review the suggested action for each.

With the EasyBib grammar checker, a polished paper is always within your reach.

Why is grammar such a big deal, anyway? 

Did your seventh-grade English teacher always nag you about your grammar? Did she send your papers back, covered in red ink? You may think that a few grammar mistakes aren’t the end of the world, but unfortunately, your teacher was right: technical errors can have a significant effect on your writing and academics.

It can be a hard pill to swallow, but  instructors and employers really do use the quality of your writing to judge your capabilities . If your work is full of grammar errors, you may wind up with a low grade. Beyond school, you could find yourself missing out on jobs or promotions.

As a student, you already know all about doing in-depth research and creating solid arguments for your papers. However, don’t overlook the importance of proofreading. Technical errors can jeopardize your credibility, and poor grammar and spelling may give your reader the impression that you don’t know what you’re talking about.

Cleaning up your grammar can help keep your academic career on track. Clear, concise writing shows off your great communication skills. An error-free paper  says you’re knowledgeable about the rules of grammar and also responsible enough to double-check your work for mistakes.

If grammar was never your strong suit, don’t worry. The EasyBib grammar checker can help you catch simple mistakes and polish your writing. Also, you can use the writing suggestions to help reinforce your understanding of grammar rules and ensure you express your ideas in the best ways possible.

Do I really need a grammar check? 

Spotting grammar mistakes can be tough. If you’ve been working on a paper for a while, identifying a mistake among a sea of 1,000+ words can feel like finding a needle in a haystack. If writing has always been a struggle, the task may seem almost impossible.

Consider this:  even professional writers have their work checked. It’s part of the professional writing process. We all want to present our best work, and getting an external review helps us to achieve that.

Whether writing is your strength or your weakness, you can still benefit from a paper review from a service like the EasyBib grammar checker.

My spell checker isn’t enough?

Millions of people already rely on the built-in spell checkers available in word processors. Those integrated proofreading tools can point out simple spelling and grammar errors . If you spell definitely as “definately,” it will let you know.

Online integrated checkers can catch typos, but they can’t help you do a proofreading and editing rewrite. They aren’t set up to spot complex grammar problems. Often, those spell checkers miss punctuation errors or problems with sentence structures. They may fail to spot misused words or correct the use of passive voice.

Tools like the EasyBib grammar checker offer more than a simple checkup. They help you restructure sentences for greater clarity and conciseness. They can also identify confusing or unclear sections.

If you struggle with run-on sentences or sentence fragments, these spelling and grammar checking tools are a must.

They can turn a paragraph like this:

“Don’t say another word whipered the teacher. Its too late for me, but it’s not for you! This book was entirely written by my mother. Take it and travel to london to find the librarian who can help you finding the treasure. It is really a very long and tiring trip, but I think you might be able to do it on your own..”

“Don’t say another word,” whispered the teacher. “It’s too late for me, but it’s not for you! This book was written by my mother. Take it to London to find the librarian who can help you find the treasure. It is indeed a long and tiring journey, but I think you can do it.”

Tools like the EasyBib grammar checker help clear up confusion and streamline paper that otherwise may not cut it in college. Instructors expect clear, concise, and grammatically correct writing. A grammar checker can provide in-depth support for your proofreading and editing needs.

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The Ethicist

Can i use a.i. to grade my students’ papers.

The magazine’s Ethicist columnist on artificial intelligence platforms, and whether it’s hypocritical for teachers to use these tools while forbidding students from doing the same.

By Kwame Anthony Appiah

I am a junior-high-school English teacher. In the past school year, there has been a significant increase in students’ cheating on writing assignments by using artificial intelligence. Our department feels that 13-year-old students will only become better writers if they practice and learn from the successes and challenges that come with that.

Recently our department tasked students with writing an argumentative essay, an assignment we supported by breaking down the process into multiple steps. The exercise took several days of class time and homework to complete. All of our students signed a contract agreeing not to use A.I. assistance, and parents promised to support the agreement by monitoring their children when they worked at home. Yet many students still used A.I.

Some of our staff members uploaded their grading rubric into an A.I.-assisted platform, and students uploaded their essays for assessment. The program admittedly has some strengths. Most notable, it gives students writing feedback and the opportunity to edit their work before final submission. The papers are graded within minutes, and the teachers are able to transfer the A.I. grade into their roll book.

I find this to be hypocritical. I spend many hours grading my students’ essays. It’s tedious work, but I feel that it’s my responsibility — if a student makes an effort to complete the task, they should have my undivided attention during the assessment process.

Here’s where I struggle: Should I embrace new technology and use A.I.-assisted grading to save time and my sanity even though I forbid my students from using it? Is it unethical for teachers to ask students not to use A.I. to assist their writing but then allow an A.I. platform to grade their work? — Name Withheld

From the Ethicist:

You have a sound rationale for discouraging your students from using A.I. to draft their essays. As with many other skills, writing well and thinking clearly will improve through practice. By contrast, you already know how to grade papers; you don’t need the practice.

What matters is whether an A.I.-assisted platform can reliably appraise and diagnose your students’ writing, providing the explanation and guidance these students need to improve. In theory, such tools — and I see that there are several on the market, including from major educational publishers — have certain advantages. The hope is that they can grade without inconsistency, without getting tired, without being affected by the expectations that surely affect those of us who hand-grade student work.

I notice you haven’t raised concerns about whether the platform provides reliable assessments; you’ll have to decide if it does. (If it isn’t quite up to snuff, it might become so in a year or two, so your question will persist.) Provided the platform does a decent job of assessment, though, I don’t see why you must do it all yourself. You should review the A.I.-annotated versions of your students’ writing, check that you agree with the output, and make notes of issues to bring up in class. But time saved in evaluating the papers might be better spent on other things — and by “better,” I mean better for the students. There are pedagogical functions, after all, that only you can perform.

In sum: It’s not hypocritical to use A.I. yourself in a way that serves your students well, even as you insist that they don’t use it in a way that serves them badly.

Readers Respond

The previous question was from a reader who asked about professional boundaries. He wrote: “I am a retired, married male psychiatrist. A divorced female former patient of mine contacted me recently, 45 years after her treatment ended. Would it be OK to correspond with her by email? Or is this a case of ‘once a patient, always a patient?’”

In his response, the Ethicist noted: “The relevant professional associations tend to have strictures that are specifically about sexual relationships with former patients. … In light of the potential for exploitation within the therapist-patient relationship, these rules are meant to maintain clear boundaries, protect patient welfare, uphold the integrity of the profession and eliminate any gray areas that could lead to ethical breaches. But though you do mention her marital status, and yours, you’re just asking about emailing her — about establishing friendly relations. The question for you is whether she might be harmed by this, whether whatever knowledge or trust gained from your professional relationship would shadow a personal one. Yes, almost half a century has elapsed since your professional relationship, but you still have to be confident that a correspondence with her clears this bar. If it does, you may email with a clear conscience.” ( Reread the full question and answer here. )

As always, I agree with the Ethicist. I would add that the letter writer’s former patient doesn’t realize that the therapist is actually two different people — the professional and the regular person underneath. Therapists portray their professional selves to their clients. The former client may be disappointed upon meeting the therapist outside of the professional context. Additionally, the feelings she has toward the therapist may be based on transference, and they would need to address that. — Annemarie

I am a clinical psychologist. While the Ethicist’s description of professional ethical boundaries is correct, there is more to the story, and I disagree with his conclusion. A very big question here is why this former patient contacted him after 45 years. That is a question that is best explored and answered within the context of a therapeutic relationship. He would be well- advised to respond in a kind and thoughtful way to convey the clear message that he is not available for ongoing communication, and he should suggest that she consult with another therapist if she feels that would be helpful. — Margaret

In my case, it was the therapist who reached out to me, seeking to establish a friendship several years after our sessions ended. I was surprised, but he shared that he had since experienced a similar personal tragedy to one I had explored with him in sessions. Since it had been several years since we saw each other professionally, I responded. There was never any hint of romantic or sexual interest. Still, as he continued to reach out to me, clearly desiring a friendship, it never felt right to me. It did feel unprofessional, as his knowledge of me was borne out of a relationship meant to be professional, never personal, as warmly as we might have felt during our sessions. I ended up being disappointed in him for seeking out my friendship. — Liam

I am a (semi)retired psychiatrist who has been practicing since 1974. In my opinion, “once a patient, always a patient” is correct. Establishing any type of personal relationship with a former patient could undo progress the patient may have made in treatment, and is a slippery slope toward blatantly unethical behavior. As psychiatrists, our responsibility is to work with patients in confronting and resolving issues that are preventing them from having a reality-based perception of their life. With such an outlook, they are more capable of establishing satisfying relationships with others. An ethical psychiatrist is not in the business of providing such satisfaction to his or her patients. — Roger

I think there is a difference between being friendly and being friends with a former client. As someone who used to attend therapy with a therapist I think dearly of, she made it clear to me that it was OK to send her emails with life updates after our therapeutic relationship ended. But beyond that, I think it would be inappropriate and uncomfortable to pursue a friendship with her, and vice versa, because of the patient-provider relationship that we previously had and the power dynamic that existed between us. The letter writer didn’t share the content of the email his former patient sent to him, but if it’s just a friendly life update, I think it’s fine to write back and thank her for sharing. Beyond that, I feel like it would be unprofessional to meet or pursue a deeper relationship. — Meghan

Kwame Anthony Appiah is The New York Times Magazine’s Ethicist columnist and teaches philosophy at N.Y.U. His books include “Cosmopolitanism,” “The Honor Code” and “The Lies That Bind: Rethinking Identity.” To submit a query: Send an email to [email protected]. More about Kwame Anthony Appiah