Journal of Knowledge & Communication Management

This paper assesses the academic or digital writing assistant tools, examining their advantages, challenges, authorship trends, and the growth and distribution of literature publications by country and research methods using a systematic literature review (SLR) process. To achieve this, we followed the PRISMA guidelines and utilised two databases, ProQuest LISA and Scopus, to implement the search strategy with additional filters, ultimately accessing a total of n=3064 articles. According to the inclusion/exclusion criteria, 3,028 articles were removed, and the remaining 36 articles were selected for thorough analysis based on the inclusion criteria. The review is limited to English-language sources published between 2021 and 2023. The findings highlight a notable shift in the academic community towards the rigorous use of various academic writing tools. These tools offer numerous advantages, including speed, ease of use, and the ability to generate high-quality content. However, they also present challenges, such as potential impacts on memory retention, ethical concerns, and occasional reliability issues. The study reveals significant trends in academic publishing, with most articles authored collaboratively by pairs. The year 2023 marked a substantial surge in publications, with a remarkable 66.66% increase. The International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education emerged as the leading journal in terms of article volume. Notably, the United States accounted for the highest proportion of articles related to academic writing. Furthermore, the predominant research methodology among these publications was quantitative. This study explores trends in academic writing tools and aims to inform academicians, helping them leverage technological advancements in their academic and research endeavours.