Student guidance on using TurnitinUK assignments in Blackboard

1.How to submit work to TurnitinUK Assignments in Blackboard

1.0.Login to Blackboard, and enter the Blackboard site in which you have been asked to submit your work.

1.1.Enter the content area (usually Assignments) where the assignment is located. If you are unsure which assignment you should submit your work to, you should contact your tutor.

1.2.Before you attempt the next stage, make sure the work you are about to submit:

  • is complete
  • is in a single file not exceeding 10MB
  • is in the format specified by your tutor – this will normally be Microsoft Word
  • Click the View/Complete link for the assignment.

1.4.Click the submit button as highlighted below by the red circle.


1.5.You will see a new screen as below. You shouldn't edit the name fields. Give the submission a title using the submission title box.

1.6.To upload your work from a file saved on your computer click Browse, then use the pop-up box to locate the file on your computer and click open.

1.7.Click submit. The following page will show you the contents of the file you are about to submit.

1.8.Once you've checked that everything is as you want it - click the submit button at the bottom of the page to move on.

1.9.Lastly, you will receive a digital receipt for your submission. This page confirms the submission's success and gives the paper an ID number which you should make a note of. This information will also be emailed to your university account.

If you see any other message or you think there has been a problem with your submission, please contact your tutor.

1.10.Your work has been sent to TurnItInUKwhere it will be stored on an external system.

2.Information for students on how to view results and originality reports in Blackboard

2.0.Login to Blackboard, and enter the Blackboard site in which you submitted your work.

2.1.Go to the View/Complete link for the assignment.

2.2.Click on the originality score to open your report. (Normally, scores are generated within 10 minutes of submitting, but may take up to 24 hours at busy times). Originality Reports provide a summary of the text in your piece of work which has been matched with text from other sources in TurnitinUK's database.

Updated: September 20091Learning and Teaching Institute

3. So what does it all mean?

The first thing to note is that the Originality Score does not indicate whether or not you have done something right or wrong. So a score of 12% is not necessarily better or worse than a score of 30%. What the score does tell you is what percentage of the text in your piece of work matches with text on TurnitinUK's database of web based sources and previously submitted student work, whether or not you have correctly referenced it.

4. How can I use the information the report has provided?

You can use your Originality Report to give you some feedback on your writing. In order to do this you will need to have a closer look at your Originality Report.

First find some text in your piece of work that TurnitinUK has identified as coming from a source in its database. Then look at how you have referenced that section of text.

If you have taken text word for word from a source then you need to put that section of text in quotation marks and indicate where the text has come from by putting a citation in the text, and a full reference in the bibliography at the end of your piece of work.

If you have paraphrased information or ideas from a source you need to make sure you have put it in your own words. Even when you have put it into your own words you still need to indicate where the information or ideas have come from by putting a citation in the text, and a full reference at the bibliography at the end of your piece of work.

Information and further help on how to correctly quote and paraphrase sources is available online in the Support and Information Tab ofshuspace:

  • The Referencing and Bibliographies Guide available from the Library and Information Services channel in the Portal and as a printed leaflet from the learning centres.
  • The section in InfoQuest titled "How do you reference works that you use in your assignments?"
  • Key Skills Online section on Writing Skills (in particular sub sections on Referencing and Plagiarism)

There are also some good external sites such as the Research Resources for Preventing Plagiarism on Turnitin's website:

The Online Writing Lab at Purdue University (US)

5. Important points to note

  • TurnitinUK will only draw attention to how you have used online sources. Ideas or information that you have found in books or journals in the learning centre or your tutor's handouts may not be highlighted in your Originality Report. However, these need to be referenced in exactly the same way. Therefore if after looking at your Originality Report you find you need to develop your referencing of online sources, you may also need to also look at how you have referenced these paper based sources.
  • When you are using information that is accepted as common knowledge,TurnitinUK may identify this as coming from a source in its database. For example, if you stated in your essay that Paris was the capital of France your tutor would not expect you to reference that fact as it is common knowledge. However, it is likely that TurnitinUK will identify that phrase as coming from an online source. This highlights the need for you to look carefully at the text that TurnitinUK identifies as matching text from sources in its database, and think about how you have referenced these sources.

Common Knowledge is information that you would not be expected to reference: uncontested information that is commonly known and accepted by all members of your subject field or cultural group. So for example you would not be expected to provide a reference for the fact that Tony Blair is the leader of the Labour Party. However, if you then went on to provide biographical information such as where he was born or went to school this would need to be referenced. If you are unsure of what constitutes common knowledge in your subject area you should speak to your tutor.

6. Where can I get more advice and information?

There are lots of sources of information where you can get support or advice on some of the issues that may arise from looking at your originality report.

For more information on developing your writing skills go to the Support and Information tab in shuspace. Here you can find details of online resources such as Key Skills and InfoQuest, as well as information about face to face support (for example though support sessions and education guidance). These can cover topics such as:

  • Referencing techniques
  • Note taking and time management skills
  • How to paraphrase the work of others

For more information on referencing, please refer to the LITS Referencing Guide at

If in doubt - ASK! Your tutor, advisors on the helpdesk in the Learning Centre, in the Student Services Centre or the Students Union Advice Centre will all be able to offer you advice on where to find more information on these topics.

Learning and Teaching Institute

Sheffield Hallam University

Updated: September 20091Learning and Teaching Institute