# AI Fingerprint Avoidance Rules > **Architecture note:** The primary defense against AI detection is the generation protocol — specific facts from experience files, char limits, JD-specific vocabulary, named entities. This file is a secondary safety net for word/phrase/structural patterns. --- ## 1. Banned Words **Tier 1 — Dead Giveaways (NEVER use in any output):** delve, tapestry, multifaceted, pivotal, realm, synergy, paradigm, holistic, nuanced, foster, embark, leverage (as verb), utilize, harness, spearhead, cornerstone, landscape (metaphorical), journey (metaphorical), cutting-edge, novel, innovative (unless quoting a JD), groundbreaking **Banned Adjectives (use replacement):** | Banned | Replacement | |--------|-------------| | robust | strong, reliable | | comprehensive | thorough, broad | | innovative | new, original (or omit) | | pivotal | key, central | | meticulous | careful, precise | | diverse | varied, wide-ranging | | extensive | broad, deep, 10+ years of | **Banned Verbs (use replacement):** | Banned | Replacement | |--------|-------------| | leverage | use, apply, draw on | | utilize | use | | harness | apply, use, draw on | | spearhead | lead, start, launch | | foster | support, build, grow | | facilitate | run, lead, coordinate, enable | | showcase | show, demonstrate | | underscore | show, highlight | | bolster | strengthen, support | **Banned Adverbs:** meticulously, notably, subsequently (use "then" or "later"), remarkably, seamlessly, thereby **Banned Nouns (metaphorical use):** tapestry, landscape, journey, realm, synergy, paradigm, cornerstone **Technical exceptions:** "landscape" is fine when literal (e.g., "free energy landscape," "threat landscape"). "Novel" is fine when quoting a JD verbatim. Judge by context. --- ## 2. Banned Phrases **Opening / transition phrases:** - "In today's rapidly evolving..." - "At the forefront of..." - "It is worth noting that..." - "This experience has taught me..." - "I am uniquely positioned to..." - "In an era of..." **Resume / CL specific:** - "proven track record" - "passionate about" (use specific interest instead) - "I am excited to apply" (use concrete reason instead) - "demonstrated ability to" (just state what you did) - "strong foundation in" - "well-versed in" - "adept at" **Academic / research:** - "groundbreaking research" - "cutting-edge methodology" - "novel approach" (say what is new about it) - "significant contributions to the field" - "at the intersection of X and Y" (name the specific intersection) --- ## 3. Structural Rules ### Sentence-Level - **No reframe pattern:** Never use "It's not X — it's Y" constructions - **No rhetorical Q+A:** Never ask a question then answer it ("What makes this unique? The answer is...") - **No gerund fragment stacking:** Avoid sequences of 3+ "-ing" phrases ("developing, testing, and deploying...") - **No -ing analysis endings on bullets:** This is the **#1 structural AI marker**. Bullets must NOT end with "-ing" phrases like "...advancing the field," "...contributing to improved Y," "...enabling new Z." Fix: restructure so the bullet ends with a concrete result, metric, or object. Example: "...contributing to a 15% reduction" is fine (ends with metric); "...contributing to improved efficiency" is not (vague -ing ending). - **Max 2 em-dashes per document:** Count all `---` in the full .tex file (resume or CL). If more than 2, replace extras with commas, semicolons, or parentheses. Fellowships/Honors items use `. ` not `---`. - **Post-gen scan:** After generating any document, scan all bullets for -ing endings. Flag and fix any found. ### Prose-Level - **Vary sentence length:** Mix short (8-12 words) with long (20-30 words). Three consecutive same-length sentences flag as AI. - **No same-structure paragraph starts:** If P1 opens "My research...", P2 must NOT open "My experience..." P3 must NOT open "My approach..." - **No constant triplet structures:** Avoid "X, Y, and Z" in more than 2 sentences per document. Use pairs, single items, or lists of 4+. --- ## 4. Positive Markers (signals of human writing) 1. **Specific details:** "Ran 847 MD simulations on protein variants" not "Conducted extensive simulations" 2. **Front-loaded specifics:** Lead with the concrete thing, not the framing 3. **Named entities:** Tool names, method names, journal names, institution names 4. **Audience-appropriate jargon:** Use the JD's vocabulary, not generic synonyms 5. **Short connecting words:** "so," "but," "and," "then" — not "consequently," "however," "additionally," "subsequently" 6. **First-person specificity in CLs:** "I built" not "Was responsible for building" 7. **Inside knowledge:** Reference specific group names, facility names, programmatic areas 8. **Sentence length variety:** Deliberate mix of 8-word and 25-word sentences 9. **Occasional "And"/"But" sentence openers** in CLs (1-2 per page max) 10. **Contractions in CLs:** "I've" and "didn't" are acceptable in industry CLs (not academic) 11. **One human detail per CL page:** A specific lab memory, a conference conversation, a problem that kept you up — concrete and brief --- ## 5. CL-Specific Note Cover letters are the most vulnerable document to AI detection because they are prose-heavy and readers have strong intuitions about "how people write." All rules above apply with extra weight in CLs. Pay special attention to: - Opening sentence (must be specific to the company, not generic) - Sentence length variety (CLs with uniform 15-20 word sentences read as AI) - Em-dash usage (CLs accumulate em-dashes fastest — max 2 for the entire letter) --- ## 6. Post-Generation Critique Scan Checklist Run this 12-item scan on every generated document before presenting to the user: 1. [ ] Any Tier 1 banned word present? (Search for each) 2. [ ] Any banned phrase from Section 2? 3. [ ] More than 2 em-dashes (`---`) in the document? 4. [ ] Any bullet ending with an -ing analysis phrase? 5. [ ] Three or more consecutive sentences of similar length? 6. [ ] Paragraph starts repeat the same structure (e.g., "My research...", "My experience...")? 7. [ ] More than 2 "X, Y, and Z" triplet structures in the document? 8. [ ] CL opens with a generic phrase instead of a company-specific reference? 9. [ ] Any metaphorical use of "landscape," "journey," "realm," or "tapestry"? 10. [ ] Passive voice in more than 20% of bullet verbs? 11. [ ] Fellowships/Honors items use `---` instead of `. `? 12. [ ] Any adverb from the banned list (meticulously, notably, subsequently, etc.)? **If any item fails:** Fix before presenting. These are not optional polish — they are detectable AI patterns.