<!-- SPDX-License-Identifier: MIT -->
<!-- SPDX-FileCopyrightText: 2025-2026 Marcus Quinn -->

# AI Writing Detection

Words, phrases, and punctuation patterns associated with AI-generated text. Avoid these.

Sources: Grammarly (2025), Microsoft 365 Life Hacks (2025), GPTHuman (2025), Walter Writes (2025), Textero (2025), Plagiarism Today (2025), Rolling Stone (2025), MDPI Blog (2025)

## Em Dashes: The Primary AI Tell

AI models drastically overuse em dashes (—) as a shortcut for sentence variety. Use commas for parenthetical information, colons for lists, parentheses for supplementary content. More than one per page → revise.

| Instead of | Use |
|------------|-----|
| The results—which were surprising—showed... | The results, which were surprising, showed... |
| This approach—unlike traditional methods—allows... | This approach, unlike traditional methods, allows... |
| The study found—as expected—that... | The study found, as expected, that... |
| Communication skills—both written and verbal—are essential | Communication skills (both written and verbal) are essential |

## Overused Verbs

| Avoid | Use Instead |
|-------|-------------|
| delve (into) | explore, examine, investigate, look at |
| leverage | use, apply, draw on |
| optimise | improve, refine, enhance |
| utilise | use |
| facilitate | help, enable, support |
| foster | encourage, support, develop, nurture |
| bolster | strengthen, support, reinforce |
| underscore | emphasise, highlight, stress |
| unveil | reveal, show, introduce, present |
| navigate | manage, handle, work through |
| streamline | simplify, make more efficient |
| enhance | improve, strengthen |
| endeavour | try, attempt, effort |
| ascertain | find out, determine, establish |
| elucidate | explain, clarify, make clear |

## Overused Adjectives

| Avoid | Use Instead |
|-------|-------------|
| robust | strong, reliable, thorough, solid |
| comprehensive | complete, thorough, full, detailed |
| pivotal | key, critical, central, important |
| crucial | important, key, essential, critical |
| vital | important, essential, necessary |
| transformative | significant, important, major |
| cutting-edge | new, advanced, recent, modern |
| groundbreaking | new, original, significant |
| innovative | new, original, creative |
| seamless | smooth, easy, effortless |
| intricate | complex, detailed, complicated |
| nuanced | subtle, complex, detailed |
| multifaceted | complex, varied, diverse |
| holistic | complete, whole, comprehensive |

## Overused Transitions and Connectors

| Avoid | Use Instead |
|-------|-------------|
| furthermore | also, in addition, and |
| moreover | also, and, besides |
| notwithstanding | despite, even so, still |
| that being said | however, but, still |
| at its core | essentially, fundamentally, basically |
| to put it simply | in short, simply put |
| it is worth noting that | note that, importantly |
| in the realm of | in, within, regarding |
| in the landscape of | in, within |
| in today's [anything] | currently, now, today |

## Phrases That Signal AI Writing

| Position | Phrase |
|----------|--------|
| Opening | "In today's fast-paced world..." |
| Opening | "In today's digital age..." |
| Opening | "In an era of..." |
| Opening | "In the ever-evolving landscape of..." |
| Opening | "In the realm of..." |
| Opening | "It's important to note that..." |
| Opening | "Let's delve into..." |
| Opening | "Imagine a world where..." |
| Transitional | "That being said..." |
| Transitional | "With that in mind..." |
| Transitional | "It's worth mentioning that..." |
| Transitional | "At its core..." |
| Transitional | "To put it simply..." |
| Transitional | "In essence..." |
| Transitional | "This begs the question..." |
| Concluding | "In conclusion..." |
| Concluding | "To sum up..." |
| Concluding | "By [doing X], you can [achieve Y]..." |
| Concluding | "In the final analysis..." |
| Concluding | "All things considered..." |
| Concluding | "At the end of the day..." |
| Structural | "Whether you're a [X], [Y], or [Z]..." (listing three examples after "whether") |
| Structural | "It's not just [X], it's also [Y]..." |
| Structural | "Think of [X] as [elaborate metaphor]..." |
| Structural | Starting sentences with "By" followed by a gerund: "By understanding X, you can Y..." |

## Filler Words and Empty Intensifiers

Remove or replace with specific alternatives: absolutely, actually, basically, certainly, clearly, definitely, essentially, extremely, fundamentally, incredibly, interestingly, naturally, obviously, quite, really, significantly, simply, surely, truly, ultimately, undoubtedly, very.

## Academic-Specific AI Tells

| Avoid | Use Instead |
|-------|-------------|
| shed light on | clarify, explain, reveal |
| pave the way for | enable, allow, make possible |
| a myriad of | many, numerous, various |
| a plethora of | many, numerous, several |
| paramount | very important, essential, critical |
| pertaining to | about, regarding, concerning |
| prior to | before |
| subsequent to | after |
| in light of | because of, given, considering |
| with respect to | about, regarding, for |
| in terms of | regarding, for, about |
| the fact that | that (or rewrite sentence) |

## Self-Check

1. Read aloud — unnatural phrases → revise
2. Ask: "Would I say this to a colleague?"
3. Check for repetitive sentence structures
4. Look for clusters of the words listed above
5. Vary sentence lengths
6. Verify each intensifier adds genuine meaning
