Frequently Asked Questions-Turnitin
What is Plagiarism?Plagiarism can be defined as the significant use of other people's work and the submission of it as though it were one's own in assessed coursework (such as dissertations, essays, experiments etc).
This includes:
· Copying from another student's work
· Copying text without acknowledgement
· Downloading information and/or text from the internet and using it without acknowledgement
· Submitting work and claiming it to be your own when it has been produced by another source
· Submitting group work without acknowledging all contributors.
Why is Turnitin being used?
Various systems are available to help detect plagiarism, one such system is Turnitin which is a text matching service which can help check the originality of assignments. The aim of using this software is to deter plagiarism, rather than detect it and punish you. According, you will find that in many cases intially, you will be exposed to it in a formative (non-assessed) situation before it is used for your actual summative (assessed) assignment. We hope that this will enable you to understand in more detail how to cite and reference material, and how to synthesize and evaluate the work of other people.
What does the similarity percentage mean?
The similarity score is the total amount of text matched to other sources as a proportion of the assignment.
1. 0% Blue - No text matches
2. 1-24% Green
3. 25-49% Yellow
4. 50-74% Orange
5. 75%- 100% Red - All text matches
It is important to note that this score relates only to how much of the text has been matched to other sources. It is not in itself a plagiarism indicator.
What types of file formats are acceptable to submit in Turnitin?
Microsoft Word® (.doc / .docx)
OpenOffice (.odt)
Google Docs via Google Drive™
WordPerfect® (.wpd)
PostScript (.ps/.eps)
Adobe® PDF
HTML
Rich text format (.rtf)
Plain text (.txt)
Hangul Word Processor file (.hwp)
Can I submit multiple files at one time?
No, you can only upload one file at a time to Turnitin. Consider combining the separate documents into one submission if you wish to upload more than one document.
Is there a file size limit for submitting assignments to Turnitin?
The current file size limit is 40mb.
What do I if I submit the wrong assignment by mistake?
If you think or know you have submitted the wrong assignment e.g. an earlier draft by mistake please contact your tutor and let them know what's happened. Your tutor can advise and will be able to delete the original submission and allow you to re-submit.
Will Turnitin accept images?
Turnitin accepts images in assignments where there is also some text.
What is a digital receipt and how do I access this?
Every submission you make in Turnitin will generate a digital receipt, this is a confirmation receipt of your submission which you can view as soon as you have confirmed your assignment. An email of your digital receipt is also sent to your DMU email account.
Can I submit my assignment as draft before my final assignment?
This depends how your tutor has set the Turnitin link for you to submit, please check your tutor instructions for the assignment. Some submissions will allow you to submit only once, some multiple times up until the due date. That said some submission set ups will allow you to view the similarity report, others may not, again your tutor will let you know the conditions for submission. Also please note that you have been allowed to submit multiple times your last submission will be your final submission and that each time you submit the similarity report will get overwritten. If you want to keep a copy each time just make sure you print a copy.
What do I do if I didn't receive a digital receipt?
The digital receipt is your confirmation of submission, check your email again and if it's not there please try resbmitting. Contact your tutor if the due date has passed for further advice.
How can I be sure my assignment has been submitted in Turnitin?
Every submission you make in Turnitin will generate a digital receipt which you will be able to view once you have confirmed submission. You will also receive an email.
Can I submit after the due date has passed?
This depends on whether your tutor has set up the submission link to allow submissions after the due date. If you cannot submit, and the due date has passed, it is likely that your tutor has not allowed submissions after the due date. In this case you should then contact your tutor.
Why can't I see my Similarity Report?
This depends on how your tutor has set the Turnitin link for you to submit, please check your tutor instructions for the assignment. Some Turnitin submission set ups will allow you to view the similarity report, others may not, again your tutor will let you know the conditions for submission. Note that if allowed to view the similarity report it can take some time to generate this could anything up to 10 minutes to 24 hours.
How long does Turnitin take to produce a Similarity Report?
If allowed to view the similarity report it can take time to generate this could anything up to 10 minutes to 24 hours.
Can other students view my Similarity Report?
No, only you and your tutor can view your similarity report.
My tutor advised I can submit my assignment as many times up until the due date, what does this mean?
This means that you can submit your assignment more than once up until the due date, your last submission will be your final submission for your tutor to mark. If your assignment has been set so that you can view the similarity report you can view this for each submission that you upload.
My tutor mentioned that my assignment will be anonymously marked in Turnitin, what does this mean?
This means that your tutor will not know whose assignment they are marking as they won't have available student names during this marking process.
I can't view my feedback in Turnitin?
If your tutor is marking online and has advised that online feedback will be made available see this help guide on how to view feedback.
Why can't I view a match to another student's assignment in the Similarity Report?
Turnitin has been designed this way, only your tutor can request to view a match to another student's paper.
What does the rubric mean in my feedback?
Turnitin allows for your tutor to leave online feedback using its 'GradeMark' tool. This tool allows your tutor if they wish to create a marking scheme or rubric, which is basically a grid of marking criteria. GradeMark refers to this as a rubric, which you can view to view the criteria for the assignment, find out more here how to view feedback.
Can I print a copy of my feedback?
Yes you can print a copy of your feedback, see Figure 4 and Figure 5 in the following help guide - How to view feedback.
Can I print a copy of the Similarity report?
Yes you can, see the section 'Printing your Similarity Report' in the following help guide 'About Turnitin's Similarity Report'.