Generative AI (GenAI) is reshaping academic writing and research workflows, especially for scholars publishing in a language other than their own. This qualitative case study examines how Saudi non-native English-speaking (NNES) researchers use GenAI and how they evaluate its quality and integrity when writing for publication in English. Drawing on 34 semi-structured interviews across disciplines and career stages, analysed via reflexive thematic analysis, we identify five roles that structure GenAI use: literature navigator, writing enhancer, intellectual partner, research designer–analyst, and publishing mentor. The participants reported clear benefits: speed, reduced effort, improved translation and coherence, organized summaries and lower costs, especially in literature work and language polishing. They also stated systematic quality and integrity checks, citing risks of unreliable summaries, fabricated or misattributed references, privacy and copyright concerns and erosion of voice and creativity. Human agency and responsible use are emphasized across practices. Although anchored in the Saudi context, the findings are analytically transferable to systems in which English-language publication is compulsory outside English-dominant environments. The results inform policy and practice: international and local bodies can refine guidance and competency frameworks; institutions and NNES researchers can strategically leverage GenAI while safeguarding integrity and authorial voice; editors of ranked journals can clarify GenAI policies for fairness; and targeted training, especially for postgraduate researchers, can strengthen critical, analytical, ethical and legal GenAI competencies.
Aladsani et al. (Thu,) studied this question.