Understand the research lifecycle
Understand how AI can support the main stages of the research lifecycle.
UTM BIG DATA CENTRE · ONE-DAY TRAINING · 2026
AI for Research:
From Literature Discovery to Academic Writing
A practical, end-to-end AI-assisted research workflow for postgraduate students and researchers.
This one-day training introduces how AI can support literature discovery, idea development, knowledge organisation, visualisation and academic writing, through focused demonstrations, guided activities and hands-on exercises.
Date24 August 2026
Time9.00 AM – 5.00 PM
VenueSeminar Room, Level 1, Block N31, UTM Johor Bahru
COURSE OVERVIEW
AI accelerates the process. Researchers verify the outcome.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming how researchers discover literature, develop research ideas, organise knowledge, visualise findings and prepare academic manuscripts. This one-day training introduces a practical, end-to-end AI-assisted research workflow through focused demonstrations, guided activities and hands-on exercises.
Participants will learn to select appropriate AI tools, evaluate AI-generated outputs critically and integrate AI into research while preserving academic integrity, data privacy, scholarly judgement and researcher accountability.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
By the end of this training, you will be able to…
Apply the right AI tools
Apply suitable AI tools for literature discovery, idea development, knowledge organisation, visualisation and academic writing.
Evaluate critically
Evaluate AI-generated information critically and verify it using credible original sources.
Build a responsible workflow
Develop a practical and responsible AI-assisted research workflow.
EXPECTED LEARNING OUTCOMES
Five capabilities. One stronger research workflow.
01
DISCOVERLiterature Discovery
Discover and understand relevant scholarly literature using AI-assisted research tools.
02
GENERATEIdea Development
Generate and refine research ideas, research problems, questions and objectives.
03
ORGANISEKnowledge Organisation
Organise research knowledge into themes, matrices and mind maps.
04
VISUALISEResearch Visualisation
Select suitable visual formats and produce research diagrams, infographics or data narratives.
05
WRITEAcademic Writing
Improve the clarity, coherence and structure of academic writing using verified evidence.
TARGET PARTICIPANTS
Designed for anyone driving research forward.
Postgraduate Students
Postgraduate students and early-career researchers.
Academic & Research Staff
Academic staff, research officers and research assistants.
Research Professionals
Professionals involved in research, publication or knowledge development.
FIVE TRAINING MODULES
From literature discovery to academic writing.
M1
Literature Discovery & Understanding
AI-assisted discovery of scholarly literature, exploration of peer-reviewed research, paper understanding and verification of original sources.
Explore Module 1 →M2
Idea Generation & Research Design
Development and refinement of research ideas, problems, questions, objectives and preliminary research designs.
Explore Module 2 →M3
Knowledge Organisation & Mind Mapping
Organisation of sources and concepts into themes, literature matrices, knowledge structures and visual mind maps.
Explore Module 3 →M4
Data & Research Visualisation
Interpretation and communication of results through charts, diagrams, infographics, process flows and data narratives.
Explore Module 4 →M5
Academic Writing & Deep Research
Source-grounded synthesis, structured argumentation, manuscript organisation and responsible verification of claims and references.
Explore Module 5 →TRAINER
Expert guidance. Practical application.
MSO
TRAINER
Prof. Madya Ts. Dr. Mohd Shahizan bin Othman
Felo, UTM Big Data Centre · Lecturer, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia
Prof. Madya Ts. Dr. Mohd Shahizan bin Othman is a Fellow at the UTM Big Data Centre and a lecturer at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia. He will lead the hands-on sessions covering AI-assisted literature discovery, idea development, knowledge organisation, visualisation and academic writing.
For more information about this and other short courses, see github.com/drshahizan →
TRAINING METHODOLOGY & REQUIREMENTS
Come prepared. Leave with practical outputs.
What to Bring
- A laptop with a stable internet connection
- An active email account and access to relevant AI platforms
- One research topic, proposal, article or dataset for practical activities
- Access to institutional databases, where available
What You Will Take Away
- A preliminary literature-search strategy
- A refined research idea, problem or set of research questions
- A thematic mind map or structured knowledge map
- A research visualisation or visual summary
- An improved academic paragraph or short section
- A personalised AI-assisted research workflow
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Know what to expect.
Do I need prior AI experience?
No. The training is suitable for beginner to intermediate levels and starts with short conceptual briefings before each hands-on activity.
What should I bring on the day?
Bring a laptop with a stable internet connection, an active email account, and one research topic, proposal, article or dataset to work with during the activities.
Will AI write my paper for me?
No. AI supports discovery, organisation and drafting. Participants are trained to evaluate AI-generated information critically and verify it using credible original sources.
Who should attend?
Postgraduate students and early-career researchers, academic staff, research officers and research assistants, and professionals involved in research, publication or knowledge development.
Where can I find slides, tools and prompts?
The Materials, AI Tools, AI Prompt and Resources pages linked in the navigation continue to support your research workflow after the session.
What will I leave with?
A literature-search strategy, a refined research idea, a knowledge map, a research visualisation, an improved piece of academic writing, and a personalised AI-assisted research workflow.
DISCOVER · ORGANISE · VISUALISE · WRITE · VERIFY
Build your AI-assisted research workflow.
One focused day, from literature discovery to academic writing.
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