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Akhil Reddy Peeketi 9a7c627cc3 feat: add AI fingerprint avoidance rules and fix em-dash patterns

- Add ai_fingerprint_rules.md with banned words, structural rules, and
  12-item post-gen checklist
- Fix Fellowships/Honors template format: --- to period separator
- Fix Publications under-review template format
- Update all 4 skills to load fingerprint rules during generation
- Add AI scan section to critique framework
- Update resume_reference and cl_reference with em-dash limits
- Reduce em-dashes in example files

Co-Authored-By: Akhil Peeketi <peeketiakhilreddy@gmail.com>

2026-03-09 05:08:57 -06:00

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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)

Specific details: "Ran 847 MD simulations on protein variants" not "Conducted extensive simulations"
Front-loaded specifics: Lead with the concrete thing, not the framing
Named entities: Tool names, method names, journal names, institution names
Audience-appropriate jargon: Use the JD's vocabulary, not generic synonyms
Short connecting words: "so," "but," "and," "then" — not "consequently," "however," "additionally," "subsequently"
First-person specificity in CLs: "I built" not "Was responsible for building"
Inside knowledge: Reference specific group names, facility names, programmatic areas
Sentence length variety: Deliberate mix of 8-word and 25-word sentences
Occasional "And"/"But" sentence openers in CLs (1-2 per page max)
Contractions in CLs: "I've" and "didn't" are acceptable in industry CLs (not academic)
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:

Any Tier 1 banned word present? (Search for each)
Any banned phrase from Section 2?
More than 2 em-dashes (---) in the document?
Any bullet ending with an -ing analysis phrase?
Three or more consecutive sentences of similar length?
Paragraph starts repeat the same structure (e.g., "My research...", "My experience...")?
More than 2 "X, Y, and Z" triplet structures in the document?
CL opens with a generic phrase instead of a company-specific reference?
Any metaphorical use of "landscape," "journey," "realm," or "tapestry"?
Passive voice in more than 20% of bullet verbs?
Fellowships/Honors items use --- instead of . ?
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.

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