The Role of Chatbots in Developing Scientific Research Skills

Abstract

The research aimed to understand the role of chatbots in developing research skills from the viewpoint of university students. The researchers followed a descriptive approach and used a questionnaire as a research tool. The results showed that chatbots have a moderate role in developing research skills among university students. The main problem with employing chatbots in scientific research is the accuracy and reliability of the data they provide. The potential risks of this employment were found to be high, including increased dependency and apathy among students, loss of creativity, and the possibility of personal data violation and sharing with external parties. Furthermore, responses to the research’s hypotheses showed that undergraduate students benefited more from chatbots in their research writing compared to postgraduate students, and students in theoretical colleges relied on chatbots in their research more than students in applied colleges. The researchers recommended integrating chatbots into university courses related to teaching research methodologies and forming expert programming teams to develop interactive chat applications capable of providing accurate documented information and translating reports and abstracts accurately while formatting data to fit the writing style in scientific research. Additionally, there should be an awareness campaign about the risks of using chatbots, especially regarding the protection of user data and ownership rights, and increasing researchers' reliance on chatbots to complete their scientific research. KEYWORDS Artificial intelligence, database, electronic fraud, interactive chat, search engines, simulation.