Turnitin is a 'text-matching' software that is designed to educate students regarding appropriate citation and referencing techniques. Turnitin is also used to provide Avondale University Lecturers confidence in the academic integrity of the students' work. Turnitin does this by comparing a student submission against an archive of Internet documents, Internet data, a repository of previously submitted papers, and a subscription repository of periodicals, journals, and publications. Turnitin then creates an 'Originality Report' which can be viewed by both lecturers and students, which identifies where the text within a student submission has matched another source.
Turnitin will only match the text within a student's assignment to text located elsewhere (e.g. found on the Internet, within journals or on databases of student papers). Correct interpretation of these results by both lecturers and students is essential for the successful use of Turnitin.
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Can I rely on Turnitin to pick up all plagiarism?
No. Turnitin only matches text. It is up to you to determine whether a student has referenced correctly. Remember that Turnitin does not pick up printed material, such as books from the library and print journals.
Where do I find Turnitin?
You don’t need to look anywhere for Turnitin. It is incorporated into Moodle.
Are student papers kept confidential?
Yes, they must be kept confidential. Only your Avondale University lecturer and assigned markers are allowed to view the student papers. No sharing of assignments with members of the public or from other institutions is allowed.
How long does it take to get a report?
The first submission may only take 15 minutes, but subsequent submissions may take 24 hours or more.
What is a Similarity Score?
The Similarity Score is a percentage of material in the assignment that has been matched from other sources. There is no need to be unnecessarily concerned about a high score, as Turnitin picks up things like:
• Book titles
• Quotes (which are allowed so long as they have been acknowledged)
• The cover page
• The assignment question
• Names of authors
• The reference list
• Common phrases and so on
The Similarity Score shows the percentage of non-original material in the assignment. The Originality Report highlights where the matches are.
Can a reference list be excluded from the report?
Yes. You can click the ‘Exclude Bibliography’ button in the top left-hand corner of the Originality Report. This doesn’t change the Similarity Score, but the report can now be examined without this included.
How many times can an assignment be submitted?
That's up to you.
Check-in your assignment upload section as to what has been allowed for upload and how many as sometimes lecturers may have set specific rules.
What about group projects?
Students who are working on a group project are to select one person from each group to submit the paper. If each group member submits the same assignment, Turnitin will return a 100% match!
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