Guides
Straight answers, with the sources attached.
Everything here is dated, cites what it claims, and says plainly where the evidence runs out.
For faculty
Assignment design, syllabus language, what detector scores can and cannot tell you, and what a replay shows that a finished essay cannot.
- AI detector false positive rates: every published number in one tableEvery published AI detector false positive figure in one table, with source and year: Turnitin's under 1 percent, Stanford's 61.3 percent, and more.
- Universities that turned off Turnitin’s AI detection, and whyA sourced list of institutions that disabled Turnitin's AI writing indicator, with dates and reasons: Vanderbilt, Waterloo, Curtin, Yale, Johns Hopkins.
- How to tell if a student used ChatGPT without an AI detectorThe signals that hold up when you suspect a student used ChatGPT, the ones that do not, a decision sequence, and what to write in the first message.
- Can students fake a writing history?Yes, for Google Docs and Word: auto-typer tools replay pasted text as keystrokes. What a faked history looks like and what a timestamped record shows.
- Syllabus language for writing on the recordThree copy-paste syllabus blocks, for high school, undergraduate and graduate courses, that put writing on the record and keep decisions with a person.
- Process-based writing assessment: grading the draft, not just the essayHow to assess the writing process alongside the finished essay: what a replay shows, a product and process rubric with an example, five-minute feedback.
- AI-resistant writing assignments that still let students write at homeThe standard ways to make an essay assignment resist AI, what each costs the instructor and the student, and the one option that keeps take-home writing.
- Academic integrity tools for universities in 2026: detection versus process evidenceDetection versus process evidence for universities: contract, rollout, student install and false-accusation exposure, with a procurement checklist.
- How to stop students from using AI to write their essaysA practical plan for teachers: a clear policy, assignments built around process, a record of how each essay was written, and a fair way to follow up.
- What to do if you suspect a student used AI on an essayA step by step process for teachers who suspect AI use: what to check first, how to talk to the student, what to write down, and when to refer it on.
- Is Turnitin's AI detection accurate?How accurate Turnitin's AI detection is, by Turnitin's own numbers and independent evidence, and how a teacher should read the score before acting on it.
- How do teachers check for AI in essays?The five ways teachers check essays for AI use, what each one can and cannot show, and which checks hold up when a student disputes the result.
- Does Canvas detect AI writing?Whether Canvas, Google Classroom and Schoology detect AI writing on their own, what schools connect to them, and how to see how an essay was written.
- A classroom AI policy template you can adapt this weekA classroom AI policy to adapt: three levels of AI use, wording to paste on each assignment, how to explain it to students, and how to enforce it fairly.
- A new semester AI checklist for teachersA start of semester checklist for teachers dealing with AI: policy, syllabus wording, the first writing sample, assignment setup and the first week script.
- In-class essays or take-home essays: what to choose now that students have AIShould you move essays into class because of AI? What in-class writing gains and loses, and how a recorded take-home essay keeps research and revision.
- What is the best AI detector for teachers?How to choose an AI detector as a teacher: Turnitin, GPTZero, Copyleaks and ZeroGPT on their published facts, and when a writing record serves you better.
If your paper was questioned
For students: what a detector score means, how to show your instructor how you wrote it, and how these conversations usually resolve.
- Turnitin says my essay is 100% AI. What can I do?What a Turnitin AI percentage means, the published false positive numbers, which universities turned it off, and what to do in the next 48 hours.
- How to prove you didn’t use AI on an essayWhat instructors and integrity offices accept as proof you wrote it: dated drafts, version history and its limits, notes, and an oral walkthrough.
- Falsely accused of using AI? What to do, step by stepAccused of using AI on an essay you wrote? Talk to your instructor, show how the paper came together, and know what happens if that does not settle it.
- Is Google Docs version history enough to prove you wrote it?Version history helps and is often accepted, but it records states, not keystrokes, cannot tell typed from pasted, and can be faked. How to present it.
- AI detection lawsuits, trackedA dated list of court cases over AI detector accusations: Newby v. Adelphi, Kato v. Palo Alto USD, Doe v. Michigan, Rignol v. Yale and Yang v. Minnesota.
Tools, compared
Where EssayGuard sits next to Turnitin Clarity, Grammarly Authorship, Draftback and the rest, from published facts.
- Alternatives to AI detectors for teachersAlternatives to AI detectors for teachers: eight process-based writing tools compared, and the false-positive research behind the search.
- A GPTZero alternative for teachers who want evidence, not a scoreLooking for a GPTZero alternative? What GPTZero does well, where a detector score runs out, and how a recorded writing session answers the question.
- A Turnitin Clarity alternative that does not need a Turnitin contractA Turnitin Clarity alternative for instructors without a Turnitin contract: one link, nothing to install, and a keystroke record the teacher holds.
- A Grammarly Authorship alternative where the instructor holds the recordGrammarly Authorship is free, but the student installs it and owns the report. An alternative that keeps the writing record on the instructor's side.
- A Draftback alternative now that Draftback is a paid serviceDraftback now costs $40 a year for teachers and works only on Google Docs, after the fact. The alternatives, what each records, and where EssayGuard fits.
- A Revision History alternative when a replay is not enoughThe Revision History extension replays Google Docs; its own copy says that is not proof of authorship. What to use when you need a record that holds up.
- EssayGuard vs Turnitin ClarityBoth record how a paper was written. Clarity is an add-on inside a Turnitin contract; EssayGuard is a link any instructor shares, free for one semester.
- EssayGuard vs Grammarly AuthorshipAuthorship is a free, student-owned report from the Grammarly extension. EssayGuard is an instructor-held record in a hosted editor. A fair comparison.
- EssayGuard vs DraftbackDraftback replays a Google Doc's history after the fact for $40 a year. EssayGuard records the session live, with server timestamps, in its own editor.
- EssayGuard vs CursiveBoth record writing at the keystroke level. Cursive is LMS-integrated, quote-priced and now part of Blackboard; EssayGuard is the self-serve path.
- EssayGuard vs Process FeedbackProcess Feedback is a good free tool: hosted editor, Docs extension, paste-source breakdown. What EssayGuard adds, and when the free tool is enough.