How to avoid false positives when using Turnitin AI detection

How to avoid false positives?

False positives occur when copy or content that a person writes is incorrectly identified as AI-generated.

To lower the risk of false positives:

• Focus on writing unique, original content.
• Use AI writing and editing tools sparingly (avoid Grammarly’s Rephrase, Rewrite, and Use our best version features).

1. Write in Your Own Words

• Avoid copying and pasting from sources—even if you plan to paraphrase later.
• Use your own voice and understanding to explain ideas.
• If you use a source, cite it properly using the required citation style (APA, MLA, etc.).

2. Limit Use of AI Tools

• Avoid over-relying on AI writing tools (like ChatGPT or others) to generate full paragraphs or essays.
• If you use AI for brainstorming or outlining, rewrite the content in your own words.
• AI-generated text can be flagged by Turnitin’s AI detection—even if it’s accurate.

3. Maintain a Natural Writing Style

• Use vocabulary and sentence structures that reflect your own academic level.
• Sudden shifts in tone, complexity, or vocabulary can trigger suspicion.
• Consistent voice throughout your essay helps reduce false positives.

4. Paraphrase Thoughtfully

• Don’t just swap out a few words—fully rephrase ideas in your own style.
• Always cite the original source, even if you paraphrase.
• Use paraphrasing tools cautiously—they can produce unnatural or AI-like text.

5. Use Quotations Sparingly and Correctly

• Use direct quotes only when necessary, and enclose them in quotation marks.
• Include proper in-text citations and a bibliography.
• Too many quotes can make your work seem unoriginal.

6. Avoid Over-Editing with AI Grammar Tools

• Tools like Grammarly are helpful, but excessive corrections can make your writing seem AI-generated.
• Review suggestions critically—keep your original phrasing when it makes sense (avoid Grammarly’s Rephrase, Rewrite, and Use our best version features).

7. Keep Drafts and Notes

• Save your drafts, outlines, and research notes to show your writing process.
• This can be useful if you need to defend your work against a false positive.

8. Run a Pre-Check (If Allowed)

• If your institution allows it, use Turnitin’s draft submission feature to check for originality before final submission.
• Review the report and revise flagged areas carefully.

FAQ's

• •If students use Grammarly for grammar checks, does Turnitin detect it and flag it as AI? No. Our detector is not tuned to target Grammarly-generated spelling, grammar, and punctuation modifications to content but rather, other AI content written by LLMs such as GPT-3.5. Based on tests we conducted on human-written documents with no AI-generated content in them, in most cases, changes made by Grammarly (free & premium) and/or other grammar-checking tools were not flagged as AI-written by our detector. Please note that this excludes content generated by Grammarly’s generative AI-powered features, including draft generation, paraphrasing, summarizing, and other features. Content produced using these features will likely be flagged as AI-generated by our detector.
• • If I use Grammarly’s paraphrasing tool, will it flag my content as AI-generated? Yes, if Grammarly’s paraphrasing tool is used to modify AI-generated text, it will likely be flagged as AI-generated by our detector.

Important considerations:

1. When using Grammarly for spelling or grammatical errors, the impact regarding AI content detectors is minimal.
2. When using Grammarly’s rewrite and rephrase features, this can lead to content getting flagged as AI-generated.
3. Wherever possible, always strive to be transparent and open about the tools you use for creating content, and save original versions for clarity if required.

Additional Resources:

• • Turnitin's AI writing detection capabilities FAQs
• • AI conversations: Handling false positives for students
• • Ethical AI use checklist for students