Turnitin Similarity Check

Contents

What is Turnitin? 

Turnitin is a phrase-matching tool that can be used to evaluate student academic work for originality. It compares submitted text against a database of academic sources and web content and highlights any instances of matching or similar text in a detailed report that includes a percentage of similarity, a list of matching sources, and the actual text passages that match published works. The software is commonly used to assess student work authenticity and promote academic integrity.

Academic integrity at Brock

Academic integrity is more than just obeying the rules. How you conduct yourself on campus says a lot about the type of person you are, which speaks to your personal integrity. At Brock, academic integrity refers to your acknowledgment of and respect for the academic principles and behaviours that support the University’s mission.

Consult Brock's Office of Academic Integrity website for information, policies, and assistance.

What is text similarity?   

Text similarity is the percentage of text in your submitted assignment that matches text stored in the Turnitin database or in another location on the web. A Turnitin report almost certainly shows a percentage of your text as being similar to something elsewhere--that’s okay.

Reports should always be examined in detail. Doing so helps not only understand concerns around academic integrity but can also be used to evaluate paraphrasing and citation structure.

Turnitin offers detailed student guides on understanding and interpreting Turnitin Similarity Reports.

How do I use Turnitin?

Turnitin is integrated into Brightspace Assignments as configured by your instructor and will only process text files submitted to Assignments where it is enabled. These will be clearly identified by the Turnitin icon beside the Assignment’s name.

All you have to do is submit your paper as normal.

Open

The Turnitin icon.

Your course syllabus should have disclosed planned use of Turnitin phrase-matching software and you opted-in to its use by enrolling in the course with that knowledge. Contact your instructor if you have any questions or concerns.

What do my Similarity Report results mean?  

The Similarity Report provides a percentage of text in your assignment that matches text found in Turnitin’s various repositories. A high percentage means that your text is similar to text found elsewhere but does not necessarily indicate plagiarism. Reports should always be examined in detail.

Turnitin offers detailed student guides on understanding and interpreting Turnitin Similarity Reports.

Can I check my Similarity Report before I hand in my assignment? 

No. You must make a submission before you are able to view the Similarity Report. If re-submissions are allowed, you will be able to resubmit after viewing the similarity report for the first submission. Your instructor will be able to view all prior submissions.

Does Turnitin mark my assignments?   

No. Turnitin simply generates the phrase-matching report for review by you and your instructor.