About

Laura Aull is a Professor of English and Linguistics at the University of Michigan, with a focus on writing, language, and linguistics. Her research includes analyzing how students write, the role of language in composition, and issues of linguistic justice. She has authored and under contract several monographs, including 'AI English: Humans, Machines, and the Future of Writing,' 'Grammar for Good,' and 'You Can't Write That...8 Myths about Correct English.' Her work often explores the intersection of language variation, writing pedagogy, and digital writing, contributing to the understanding of how language and writing are shaped by social and technological factors. Aull has published extensively on topics such as writing analytics, discourse analysis, and the history of written English, and she is actively involved in advancing research in composition studies and applied linguistics.

Research topics

• Computer Science
• Political Science
• Psychology
• Artificial Intelligence
• Mathematics education
• Natural Language Processing
• Sociology
• Epistemology
• Law
• Engineering
• Communication
• Philosophy
• Pedagogy
• Linguistics
• Medicine
• Management

Selected publications

• How AI English and human English differ – and how to decide when to use artificial language

  2026-03-20

  article1st authorCorresponding
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• AI in Academic Writing

  The Encyclopedia of Applied Linguistics · 2026-03-26

  other1st authorCorresponding

  Abstract Academic writing, a key area of applied linguistic research and pedagogy, has been a focus of artificial intelligence (AI) since AI began. The overlapping analytic and evaluative branches of AI in academic writing, natural language processing (NLP) and automated writing evaluation (AWE), have developed significantly since that time, from top‐down tools accounting for discrete features to iterative large model tools shaped by AI and human collaboration in real time. Three challenges have persisted throughout those developments: representation (what language and other data are represented in AI parameters and models), characterization (what human and AI judgments and classifications are made), and engagement (how researchers and educators critically address and use AI in academic writing). This entry will offer an overview of the evolution of AI in academic writing and will discuss these challenges and their implications before closing with ethical considerations.

  PublisherDOI

• Editorial introduction, Assessing writing Tools & Tech Forum 2025

  Assessing Writing · 2025-06-07

  articleSenior authorCorresponding
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• 1 Critical Language Awareness (CLA) Reading: Radical (and Rhetorical) Engagement with Texts

  Multilingual Matters eBooks · 2025-10-07

  book-chapter1st authorCorresponding
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• Critical Language Awareness (CLA) Reading:

  Channel View Publications eBooks · 2025-09-29

  book-chapter1st authorCorresponding
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• Chapter 6. Language Knowledge and Linguistic Justice

  The WAC Clearinghouse; University Press of Colorado eBooks · 2025-05-03

  book-chapterOpen access1st authorCorresponding
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• A History and Continuum of Written English Registers, Fields, and Genres

  Across the Disciplines · 2024-01-01

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Retrospective. Implications of Automated Scoring of Writing

  The WAC Clearinghouse; University Press of Colorado eBooks · 2024-04-01

  book-chapterOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  The Perspectives on Writing series addresses writing studies in a broad sense.Consistent with the wide ranging approaches characteristic of teaching and scholarship in writing across the curriculum, the series presents works that take divergent perspectives on working as a writer, teaching writing, administering writing programs, and studying writing in its various forms

  PublisherDOI

• Navigating innovation and equity in writing assessment

  Assessing Writing · 2024-07-01 · 5 citations

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• You Can't Write That

  Cambridge University Press eBooks · 2023-11-09 · 5 citations

  bookOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  People read and write a range of English every day, yet what counts as 'correct' English has been narrowly defined and tested for 150 years. This book is written for educators, students, employers and scholars who are seeking a more just and knowledgeable perspective on English writing. It brings together history, headlines, and research with accessible visuals and examples, to provide an engaging overview of the complex nature of written English, and to offer a new approach for our diverse and digital writing world. Each chapter addresses a particular 'myth' of “correct” writing, such as 'students today can't write' or 'the internet is ruining academic writing', and presents the myth's context and consequences. By the end of the book, readers will know how to go from hunting errors to seeking (and finding) patterns in English writing today. This title is also available as open access on Cambridge Core.

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Frequent coauthors

• Zak Lancaster

  4 shared

• Kelly Hartwell

  4 shared

• Anne Ruggles Gere

  University of Michigan–Ann Arbor

  3 shared

• David West Brown

  2 shared

• Moisés Damián Perales Escudero

  2 shared

• William Marcellino

  1 shared

• Tim Green

  1 shared

• Alex Rudniy

  Drew University

  1 shared