If you used ChatGPT to brainstorm, outline or fix your grammar, or if you simply write in a very formal academic style, you may worry that your essay will be flagged as AI-generated. Checking your own work before you hand it in lets you see what a detector sees, rewrite the passages that sound mechanical and submit with more confidence. This page is for students working on essays, reports, research papers, theses and dissertations.
Why your own writing can look like AI
Detectors look for predictable language, and academic writing often encourages exactly that: standard phrases such as “it is important to note”, textbook definitions, paragraphs that all follow the same pattern and a conclusion that repeats the introduction. A student who never opened a chatbot can still get suspicious fragments. Knowing where they are is the first step to making the text sound like you.
How to check your essay step by step
- Finish the draft first. Checking a half-written text tells you little, because the final version will change.
- Upload the .docx, .pdf, .odt or .txt file, or paste the text (at least 250 characters).
- Leave out the title page, the table of contents, the reference list and long quotations. They are not your own prose and only add noise.
- For a long thesis or dissertation, check one chapter at a time so that each result is easier to read.
- Start the check and save the PDF report if you want to compare versions later.
Reading the result as a student
Look at the overall verdict, then at the highlighted fragments, and ask yourself what the flagged passages have in common. Often it is the introduction, a section that summarises the literature or a paragraph where you followed a source too closely. Click a fragment to see its confidence value: a high value on a long passage deserves attention, while a low value on one sentence usually does not.
How to revise flagged passages
- Add your argument. Replace general statements with your own position and the reasons behind it.
- Use specific evidence. Refer to the readings, data, cases or lectures from your course instead of generic examples.
- Vary the rhythm. Mix short and long sentences and drop filler transitions such as “furthermore” at the start of every paragraph.
- Write from your notes, not from a generated draft. If a chatbot produced the first version, close it and rewrite the section from what you know.
The result page also links to a humanizer tool. Use it with care: read every suggestion, keep only the changes that preserve your meaning and make sure the final text still follows your institution's rules on AI use.
Keep evidence of your work
Because no detector is perfect, the best defence against a false accusation is a record of how you wrote. Keep your outline, notes, drafts and the version history of your document. If your course allows limited AI help, such as grammar checking, mention it in the way your teacher asks. A result from this detector is an estimate, not proof, in either direction.
Practical tips before you submit
- Check the final version after all edits, not an earlier file.
- Do not chase a perfect result by swapping words for synonyms; it usually makes the text worse and harder to read.
- Read the assignment instructions on AI use once more before you submit.
You can check for free without registration within a daily limit. Sign in or upgrade to PRO if you need to check several long chapters.