How to read a scan report, sentence by sentence
The overall score is only the start. A walkthrough of the prediction map, confidence bands and the patterns that should make you look closer.
Jonas Weber
Product manager · Aug 12, 2026 · 5 min read
Every Winston AI scan returns two things: an overall human score from 0 to 100, and a prediction map that highlights individual sentences. Most people look at the first and skip the second. The map is where the useful detail lives.
The overall score
The score is the probability that the document, taken as a whole, was written by a person. A score of 85 means we're fairly confident it's human. A score of 20 means most of the text carries strong AI patterns. Anything in the middle deserves a closer read.
The prediction map
Sentences are shaded by how likely they are to be machine-written. Red marks likely AI sentences, yellow marks ones we're unsure about, and unshaded text reads as human.
- A solid block of red usually means a section was pasted in whole.
- Scattered yellow often comes from formal or formulaic writing.
- A red introduction and conclusion around a human middle is a common pattern in essays.
Read the highlighted sentences, not just the number at the top.
Before you act on a result
Check the length, since short texts carry wider confidence bands. Consider the genre, and compare with what you know about the writer. A report is a well-organized piece of evidence. The judgment is still yours.
Written by
Jonas Weber, Product manager
Jonas leads the scan and reporting experience, from the first paste to the shared report.