Though the “naked URL” in a file might look simple and direct, the link coded to that might contain details you don’t want readers to see. Like, for example, that readers could see that the source of the link was ChatGPT. (The concern with that is explained at the end.)
What an LLM-generated link looks like
In the file, the link may be linked words within a sentence (as those words are themselves) or a “naked URL” like this: https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/pest-control-tips.html.
Yet the code behind both versions of a link (above) can include a lot more details; some of them embarrassing. Like the bold in this revealed example: https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/pest-control-tips.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com
How to find the hidden link details in MS Word
When the mouse pointer hovers over any link, the full URL will pop up in a little box beside the pointer. The code is also visible if place the cursor in the link and press ctrl + K (cmd + K on a Mac) or right-click and select: Hyperlink > Edit. But there’s a better way!
Reveal all link codes in a Word file
Checking links any of those ways is tedious and time consuming. Here’s how to use the features of Word to make the background code searchable so you can use tools on it. It’s quick and reversible!
1. Select All of the document. Then press the shift + F9 keys on your keyboard.
This toggles the field codes in the document, making the background link coding visible to both you and to MS Word. Every link will now be set within squiggly brackets { } and show the full background link details, like this:
{HYPERLINK “https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/pest-control-tips.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com”}
Don’t worry! The only thing that’s changed is that Word is making the link code visible in this moment. We’ll flip the view back to normal in the last step.
TROUBLESHOOTING:
If F9 activates some other function on your computer, such as “fast forward”, also press the Fn key when you press shift + F9. The Fn key tells the computer to use the F key as a plain F function and not the commonly assigned override (like “fast forward”) that the key is also labelled with.
2. Use the Find tool to search for “ChatGPT” or even just for “?utm”, and edit each manually.
If the offensive verbiage is all the same, you could even “replace all” of the offending text (which is ?utm_source=chatgpt.com in this example) with just nothing (in the “replace with” field). But searching for the less complete ?utm will help you find all potential problems.
3. Repeat step 1 to toggle the field codes back to hidden and again see what you want readers to see.
I suggest NOT tracking this change because of the hassles and potential snafus that will create. Leave a note in a comment that this was done globally, if you feel this change needs attention or acknowledgement. Or, better yet, mention it in the email when you transmit the finished work.
Who cares about the details after the question mark in a URL!
Beyond being ugly and unweidly, the issue is that even when we know enough to delete all details after the question mark that will be printed on the page, those details can still be in the link behind the words. Links with ChatGPT or another LLM named in them can bring suspicion down on the entire product (book, report, or whatever it is). Readers might dismiss the piece as un-researched, un-vetted, lazy writing, or as entirely LLM nonsense (commonly called AI slop). And acquiring editors should question it too!
Editors may have an ethical duty not just to help the writer save face, but also to alert the “publisher” to the issue (or whoever hired the editor). They may want to have the piece further vetted for accuracy and originality (the opposite of plagiarism).
Image of robots chatting by Alexandra_Koch from Pixabay
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