What Makes My Writing Marked as AI Text?

May 7, 2024| Category: Writing Tips

Like checking for plagiarism, teachers use AI detection software tools to assess whether the text submitted by a student is AI-generated or not. Mostly, AI detectors are built on language models identical to those used in AI writing tools they are aiming to identify. However, these technologies are still at the experimental stage. So, if human content happens to meet the criteria, it could be mistakenly identified as AI-generated writing.

These are the red flags of AI-generated content, which may determine whether or not you pass AI detection software tools.

Partial Use of AI

The idea of using AI tools, such as ChatGPT, to generate research paper ideas or templates has become common among students. But you should understand that you will end up producing the text very similarly to what AI would have created. It means even if you rewrite the text, it will not pass AI detection software tools due to the same format and structure. Besides, AI technologies may rely on content that has not been thoroughly checked for suitability for instructional purposes. In contrast, your paper must cite peer-reviewed sources or other academically acceptable materials, such as government websites, journal articles, and textbooks.

Lack of Personal Touch

AI tools do not “understand” the content they produce in the same sense that people do. They just generate text based on training data patterns. As a result, you may receive rather shallow responses that lack analysis and critical thinking. Additionally, the majority of AI-generated writing tends to appear impersonal and robotic. In this context, the paper should contain examples, personal experiences and opinions where possible, and interact critically with the material. To avoid possible AI detection, you should also use active voice, transitions to ensure logical flow, and words that sound natural.

No Proper Citations

Academic essays typically require in-text citations. For example, you need to cite outside sources in each argument by including the author and the date of publication in APA style. If it is not a personal statement, your essay with wrong citations or without them will look suspicious in terms of AI. Thus, you should provide citations or even direct quotes in the body of the paper to reduce the likelihood of false positive AI results.

Using Grammarly or Other AI Tool for Proofreading

Regretfully, you run the risk of detecting AI if you check your text via Grammarly, even if you wrote it from scratch. The reason is that by adding or substituting words to get the right academic tone, Grammarly makes a difference that can be wrongly recognized as AI-generated content. Please remember that Grammarly is an AI tool as well. Therefore, the stuff it generates does not adhere to the standards of proper human writing. That is why it is better not to use such AI tools, even for proofreading, if you want to pass AI detectors, such as Turnitin. Or if you do need to use them, please do it carefully, removing only mistakes and not changing your content.

Repeating the Same Ideas

Another issue is that AI detection software tools may incorrectly point out two paragraphs that discuss the same primary point or topic as AI-generated writing. The purpose of every paragraph is to highlight a distinct idea, which is usually the case. The identical point shouldn’t take place twice, so you should make sure there are no instances of repetition in the text.

With this in mind, it is necessary to reduce using the same words and phrases as well as to keep natural writing. Here are a few things you can do:

– mix long and short sentences. It will be easier and more enjoyable to read the text and keep AI detectors from finding it;

– prefer the active voice. It improves the clarity of your sentences;

– use simple language and familiar vocabulary. It’s also better to explain technical terminology to readers who might not be familiar with the topic.

Concluding Thoughts on AI Detection

Using AI tools that promise to humanize AI content would not let you pass AI detectors correctly. There is always a risk of altering the context of your paper. So, what to do to get rid of AI-generated content and save the paper’s overall meaning? Write and edit by yourself! It is the only reliable way. Alternatively, it would be useful to combine the above-mentioned techniques to avoid false positives.