A systematic review of ChatGPT in education and scientific research: Insights from a SWOT analysis

Abstract

The rapid integration of ChatGPT into educational and research contexts has generated significant debate regarding its pedagogical value, methodological reliability, and ethical implications. This study employs a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) analytical framework to critically examine the multifaceted impact of ChatGPT on higher education and scientific research, drawing on a systematic review of secondary literature. The analysis identifies key strengths, including enhanced research efficiency, academic writing support, multilingual accessibility, and potential for personalized learning. However, these advantages are counterbalanced by notable weaknesses, particularly concerns related to fabricated citations, response inaccuracy, algorithmic bias, and limited higher-order reasoning capabilities. The findings further reveal important opportunities for innovation, such as AI-assisted curriculum development, adaptive learning pathways, and professional development support, provided that robust institutional oversight mechanisms are in place. At the same time, significant threats emerge, including increased risks of academic misconduct, erosion of scholarly integrity, discriminatory outputs, and potential overreliance that may weaken critical thinking skills. In response, the study advocates structured governance frameworks, AI literacy initiatives, and assessment reforms designed to preserve academic rigor while enabling responsible innovation. By offering a theoretically grounded and critically balanced synthesis, this review contributes to the evolving discourse on generative AI in academia and provides a foundation for future empirical investigation and policy development. • ChatGPT improves research productivity, accuracy, writing, and supports personalized, inclusive learning. • Weaknesses include difficulty judging quality, bias risks, misleading outputs, and limited higher-order reasoning. • Opportunities include creating learning materials, enabling complex learning, and supporting professional development. • Threats include plagiarism, academic dishonesty, bias, and reduced critical thinking from AI overreliance. • The study recommends guidelines, AI literacy, and assessment reform for responsible ChatGPT use in education and research.