Frequently asked questions
Quick answers to the questions students and researchers ask most. Can't find what you're looking for? Email us at [email protected].
What is PaperPilot?
PaperPilot is an AI-assisted academic writing workspace. You give it a topic and a few specs (paper type, length, citation style); it produces a structured outline, helps you draft each section, looks up real citations from major academic databases, and runs an originality check on the final draft. It is designed for students, researchers, and writers who want a faster path from blank page to coherent first draft.
Do I need an account to try it?
Yes — but the free tier is generous enough to evaluate the product end-to-end. Sign up with an email or with Google / ORCID, and you can generate your first outline within seconds.
Which paper types are supported?
Research articles, literature reviews, term papers, lab reports, theses chapters, conference papers, and structured essays. We support major citation formats including APA 7, MLA 9, Chicago, IEEE, Harvard, and GB/T 7714.
Where do the citations come from?
PaperPilot's citation engine queries a federated index built on top of IEEE Xplore, Springer Nature, ACM Digital Library, Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, JSTOR, arXiv, Wiley Online Library, and other open scholarly indexes. Every citation includes the canonical DOI or stable URL so you can verify it against the original source.
Can the model "hallucinate" fake references?
The drafting model can phrase references that look plausible but don't exist — this is a known failure mode of large language models. PaperPilot mitigates this with a verification step: every citation produced by the drafter is cross-checked against our scholarly index, and unverifiable references are flagged before they reach your draft. You should still review every citation against the source.
Is the output original?
Each draft is run through a similarity check against scholarly publications and major web sources. We report a similarity percentage and highlight overlapping passages so you can revise them. We do not guarantee that the resulting work will pass any specific institution's plagiarism checker — that is your responsibility.
How much does PaperPilot cost?
We offer a free tier with limited monthly outlines and drafts, plus paid Student and Pro plans that unlock unlimited revisions, longer documents, and priority generation. Current pricing is shown on our pricing page.
Can I cancel anytime?
Yes. You can cancel from Settings → Billing. Cancellation stops the next renewal; you keep access through the end of your current billing period. We offer a 14-day money-back guarantee on first-time annual plans — see our Terms of Service for details.
Do you offer student or institutional pricing?
Yes. Verified students get a 30% discount, and institutions can purchase site licenses with SSO and admin controls. Contact [email protected] with your institution's domain to start.
Do you train your models on my drafts?
No. Your manuscripts and uploaded reference files are not used to train any foundation model. They are stored in your private workspace and are processed only to produce the outputs you request. See our Privacy Policy for full details.
Where is my data stored?
Drafts and account data are stored in encrypted databases hosted on tier-1 cloud providers in the regions we operate. Data in transit uses TLS 1.3; data at rest uses AES-256. Backups are encrypted and rotated under a 30-day retention policy.
How do I delete my data?
You can delete individual projects from your workspace, or close your account from Settings → Account → Delete account. Closing your account triggers a hard delete of your drafts within 30 days; encrypted backups are purged within an additional 30 days.
Which browsers and devices are supported?
The latest two versions of Chrome, Edge, Safari, and Firefox on desktop are fully supported. The web app is responsive and works on tablets; on phones we recommend using it for review and light edits rather than long writing sessions.
Can I export my draft?
Yes — drafts can be exported as DOCX, PDF, or LaTeX. Citations in DOCX exports use field-coded references compatible with Zotero and EndNote.
Do you have an API?
A team-tier API for citation lookup and originality scoring is in private beta. Email [email protected] if you'd like to request access.