The public rulepack
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37 named checks, each with a confidence level and an explanation of what evidence it reads.
Combined evidence
Several weak signals become persuasive when they cluster across a paragraph or document.
1 ruleInflated significance
Grand claims about importance, legacy, or “broader trends”.
4 rulesCopula Avoidance
“stands/serves as a …” dressing up a plain “is a …”.
Light Verb Role
“plays a … role”, importance asserted, not shown.
Participial Appendage
Trailing “-ing” clause that editorialises the main clause.
Significance Idioms
Fixed “inflated significance” idioms (rich tapestry, testament to …).
Negative parallelism
“Not only… but also”, “It’s not X, it’s Y”, “X, not Y”.
4 rulesCorrective Antithesis
The “X, not Y” staged contrast, a modern-AI cadence that adds no information.
Negative Contrast
A negative declaration followed by a dramatic positive redefinition.
Negative List Buildup
Repeatedly lists what something is not before revealing the point.
Negative Parallelism
“Not (only) X but (also) Y”, a signature LLM cadence.
Promotional puffery
Travel-brochure / press-release language and marketing verbs.
1 ruleVague attribution
Unnamed “experts”, “studies”, and “observers”.
6 rulesAbsolute Claim
An absolute or universal claim that may exceed the evidence or omit its scope.
Unsupported Certainty
Confidence language that asserts a conclusion without showing the evidence.
Unsupported Comparison
A comparative, superlative, or outcome claim without an explicit benchmark in the phrase.
Vague Attribution
A bare, generic subject asserting a “that …” clause. Name who, or cut it.
Vague Declarative
An abstract announcement or vague “this approach…” claim that may need a concrete subject.
Vague Quantifier
A broad population claim without a named sample, source, or scope.
Chatbot voice
Editorialising asides and reader-collaboration filler.
7 rulesChatbot Idioms
Editorialising / chatbot filler idioms (it’s worth noting …).
Dramatic Fragment
A short transition is isolated as a sentence to manufacture drama.
Modal Redundancy
Repeats modality after two possibilities already establish the outcome.
Outline Conclusion
A canned “challenges and future prospects” ending instead of a specific conclusion.
Rhetorical Scaffolding
Announces, dramatizes, or reassures around a point instead of stating it.
Semantic Redundancy
A nearby paragraph repeats the same content words instead of advancing the argument.
Throat Clearing
“it is important to note that …”. If it matters, just say it.
AI vocabulary
Words LLMs reach for far more often than people do.
2 rulesHidden or false agency
Passive actor hiding and abstractions made to act like people.
2 rulesHedging seesaw
Relentless “While X… However, Y”, a position never taken.
1 ruleRule of three
Reflexive triads of adjectives or phrases.
1 ruleFormulaic transitions
Sentence-opening “Moreover,”, “Furthermore,”, “In conclusion,”.
2 rulesFormatting tells
Em-dash spray, mixed quote styles, emoji, leftover chatbot artifacts.
5 rulesEm Dash Overuse
Heavy em-dash use relative to sentence count.
Emoji
Decorative emoji in formal prose.
Generation Artifacts
Leftover chatbot citation artifacts (oaicite, turn0search0, …).
Mechanical Outline
Repeated bold-label blocks, canned headings, or thematic-break section templates.
Mixed Quotes
Straight and curly double quotes mixed in one document, a paste seam.
Uniform rhythm
Sentence lengths and openings fall into a machine-like cadence.
1 rule