Add valuable reference content from PR #10
Cherry-picked the genuinely unique content from PR #10 and integrated into existing skills: seo-audit/references: - ai-writing-detection.md: AI writing patterns to avoid (em dashes, overused phrases, filler words) - aeo-geo-patterns.md: Answer Engine & Generative Engine Optimization content patterns copy-editing/references: - plain-english-alternatives.md: Complex to simple word replacements copywriting/references: - natural-transitions.md: Transitional phrases for better content flow Updated SKILL.md files to link to new references. Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
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Corey Haines
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skills/seo-audit/references/ai-writing-detection.md
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skills/seo-audit/references/ai-writing-detection.md
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# AI Writing Detection
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Words, phrases, and punctuation patterns commonly associated with AI-generated text. Avoid these to ensure writing sounds natural and human.
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Sources: Grammarly (2025), Microsoft 365 Life Hacks (2025), GPTHuman (2025), Walter Writes (2025), Textero (2025), Plagiarism Today (2025), Rolling Stone (2025), MDPI Blog (2025)
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---
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## Em Dashes: The Primary AI Tell
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**The em dash (—) has become one of the most reliable markers of AI-generated content.**
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Em dashes are longer than hyphens (-) and are used for emphasis, interruptions, or parenthetical information. While they have legitimate uses in writing, AI models drastically overuse them.
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### Why Em Dashes Signal AI Writing
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- AI models were trained on edited books, academic papers, and style guides where em dashes appear frequently
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- AI uses em dashes as a shortcut for sentence variety instead of commas, colons, or parentheses
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- Most human writers rarely use em dashes because they don't exist as a standard keyboard key
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- The overuse is so consistent that it has become the unofficial signature of ChatGPT writing
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### What To Do Instead
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| Instead of | Use |
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|------------|-----|
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| The results—which were surprising—showed... | The results, which were surprising, showed... |
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| This approach—unlike traditional methods—allows... | This approach, unlike traditional methods, allows... |
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| The study found—as expected—that... | The study found, as expected, that... |
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| Communication skills—both written and verbal—are essential | Communication skills (both written and verbal) are essential |
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### Guidelines
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- Use commas for most parenthetical information
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- Use colons to introduce explanations or lists
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- Use parentheses for supplementary information
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- Reserve em dashes for rare, deliberate emphasis only
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- If you find yourself using more than one em dash per page, revise
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---
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## Overused Verbs
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| Avoid | Use Instead |
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|-------|-------------|
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| delve (into) | explore, examine, investigate, look at |
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| leverage | use, apply, draw on |
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| optimise | improve, refine, enhance |
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| utilise | use |
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| facilitate | help, enable, support |
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| foster | encourage, support, develop, nurture |
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| bolster | strengthen, support, reinforce |
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| underscore | emphasise, highlight, stress |
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| unveil | reveal, show, introduce, present |
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| navigate | manage, handle, work through |
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| streamline | simplify, make more efficient |
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| enhance | improve, strengthen |
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| endeavour | try, attempt, effort |
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| ascertain | find out, determine, establish |
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| elucidate | explain, clarify, make clear |
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---
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## Overused Adjectives
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| Avoid | Use Instead |
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|-------|-------------|
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| robust | strong, reliable, thorough, solid |
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| comprehensive | complete, thorough, full, detailed |
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| pivotal | key, critical, central, important |
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| crucial | important, key, essential, critical |
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| vital | important, essential, necessary |
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| transformative | significant, important, major |
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| cutting-edge | new, advanced, recent, modern |
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| groundbreaking | new, original, significant |
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| innovative | new, original, creative |
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| seamless | smooth, easy, effortless |
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| intricate | complex, detailed, complicated |
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| nuanced | subtle, complex, detailed |
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| multifaceted | complex, varied, diverse |
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| holistic | complete, whole, comprehensive |
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---
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## Overused Transitions and Connectors
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| Avoid | Use Instead |
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|-------|-------------|
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| furthermore | also, in addition, and |
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| moreover | also, and, besides |
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| notwithstanding | despite, even so, still |
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| that being said | however, but, still |
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| at its core | essentially, fundamentally, basically |
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| to put it simply | in short, simply put |
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| it is worth noting that | note that, importantly |
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| in the realm of | in, within, regarding |
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| in the landscape of | in, within |
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| in today's [anything] | currently, now, today |
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---
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## Phrases That Signal AI Writing
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### Opening Phrases to Avoid
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- "In today's fast-paced world..."
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- "In today's digital age..."
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- "In an era of..."
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- "In the ever-evolving landscape of..."
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- "In the realm of..."
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- "It's important to note that..."
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- "Let's delve into..."
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- "Imagine a world where..."
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### Transitional Phrases to Avoid
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- "That being said..."
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- "With that in mind..."
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- "It's worth mentioning that..."
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- "At its core..."
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- "To put it simply..."
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- "In essence..."
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- "This begs the question..."
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### Concluding Phrases to Avoid
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- "In conclusion..."
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- "To sum up..."
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- "By [doing X], you can [achieve Y]..."
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- "In the final analysis..."
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- "All things considered..."
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- "At the end of the day..."
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### Structural Patterns to Avoid
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- "Whether you're a [X], [Y], or [Z]..." (listing three examples after "whether")
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- "It's not just [X], it's also [Y]..."
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- "Think of [X] as [elaborate metaphor]..."
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- Starting sentences with "By" followed by a gerund: "By understanding X, you can Y..."
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---
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## Filler Words and Empty Intensifiers
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These words often add nothing to meaning. Remove them or find specific alternatives:
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- absolutely
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- actually
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- basically
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- certainly
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- clearly
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- definitely
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- essentially
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- extremely
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- fundamentally
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- incredibly
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- interestingly
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- naturally
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- obviously
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- quite
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- really
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- significantly
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- simply
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- surely
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- truly
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- ultimately
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- undoubtedly
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- very
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---
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## Academic-Specific AI Tells
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| Avoid | Use Instead |
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|-------|-------------|
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| shed light on | clarify, explain, reveal |
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| pave the way for | enable, allow, make possible |
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| a myriad of | many, numerous, various |
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| a plethora of | many, numerous, several |
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| paramount | very important, essential, critical |
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| pertaining to | about, regarding, concerning |
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| prior to | before |
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| subsequent to | after |
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| in light of | because of, given, considering |
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| with respect to | about, regarding, for |
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| in terms of | regarding, for, about |
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| the fact that | that (or rewrite sentence) |
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---
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## How to Self-Check
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1. Read your text aloud. If phrases sound unnatural in speech, revise them
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2. Ask: "Would I say this in a conversation with a colleague?"
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3. Check for repetitive sentence structures
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4. Look for clusters of the words listed above
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5. Ensure varied sentence lengths (not all similar length)
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6. Verify each intensifier adds genuine meaning
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