How to Prove You Didn't Use AI

• Version history: Google Docs and Word documents saved to the cloud keep dated versions showing the work growing over time.
• Drafts and outlines: earlier files, handwritten notes, mind maps and plans.
• Research trail: browser history, saved articles, library records and highlighted readings.
• Messages: emails or chats with classmates, tutors or teachers about the work.
• Your earlier work: past assignments in the same voice and at a similar level.

Offer to talk through your argument, answer questions about your sources, or write a short passage on the same topic under supervision. Being able to explain why you made each point is strong evidence that the work is yours.

Prepare by re-reading your work and your sources. You don't need to defend every word, just show that the thinking is yours.

Ask which tool was used, what score it gave, and whether the school's policy allows a decision based on a detector alone. Many policies don't. Point out the known limits of detectors, including published research showing high false-positive rates for non-native English writers.

Stay calm and factual. Teachers are often following a process too, and evidence presented clearly usually resolves the concern.

Write in a document that keeps version history, save drafts with dates, and keep research notes. If you use any AI tool where it's allowed, write down what you used it for. These habits cost a few minutes and make any future question easy to answer.