Copilot in Word can draft from a brief, rewrite a tone, or summarize a long file you have open. It will also sound finished while it invents a number, a name, or a next step that was never in the document.
The file is open. Claims still need a source.
This lesson is one real file. Draft or rewrite. Then mark every claim that is not in the source as [Cite] or delete it. If in-app Copilot is missing, attach the same file in Chat.
Core principles
- Work in the document you will send, not a parallel Chat you will forget to paste back.
- Cite or omit: if the source does not support the sentence, flag it or cut it. Do not leave fluent fiction in the file.
- Rewrite is safer than "write this for me" when the facts already live in the draft.
- Yellow work stays in work Copilot. Do not paste the file into consumer ChatGPT.
Map: Copilot Basics Lesson 3 — what Word is for
Check yourself
What should you do with a fluent sentence that is not in the Word file?
Word Copilot generates. It does not guarantee the file contained the claim. Cite or omit is the practice.
Do this in Copilot
Pick the document you owe this week. Run one draft or rewrite. Leave at least one [Cite] or a cut. That file is Lessons 4 and 5.
Open the document in Word with Copilot, or attach it in Chat if the ribbon button is missing.
Draft or rewrite with cite-or-omit
This document is the source of truth: [WHAT THE FILE IS]. Audience: [WHO]. Job: [DRAFT FROM NOTES / REWRITE FOR TONE / SUMMARIZE]. Use only what is in this file. Where a claim needs a source that is not here, write [Cite] and one line on what is missing. Do not invent dates, names, prices, or next steps. Keep my voice. End with a list of sentences you are unsure about.
Did you run this in Copilot? Mark complete when you have tried it.
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