What is Turnitin?

Summary

Turnitin is an online service used by educational institutions like Newman University to check for document similarities. It integrates with learning platforms like Moodle, where submitted assignments are compared against a vast database of documents, web content, and published materials. If your work matches existing content, it's flagged for potential plagiarism. Proper referencing can differentiate between acceptable quotations and plagiarism. Students receive a similarity report indicating the percentage of matched content, with 0% indicating originality and 100% indicating an exact match. For feedback and to understand Turnitin better, students can access resources on Moodle and practice submissions without affecting the Turnitin database.

Takeaways

• 🔍 Turnitin is an online service designed to check for similarities between documents.
• 🏫 Newman University utilizes Turnitin, integrating it with Moodle, the virtual learning environment.
• 📄 When students submit work to Moodle, their files are copied into the Turnitin database for comparison.
• 🔎 Turnitin compares submissions against other documents, web content, and published materials.
• 📑 If a student's writing matches content in the database, it's flagged for the tutor's review to determine if it's properly referenced or plagiarized.
• 📝 Proper referencing prevents an instance of similarity from being considered plagiarism.
• 📆 Students can revise and resubmit their work before the deadline if they find issues with originality.
• 📊 Turnitin provides a similarity report indicating the percentage of matched text from other sources.
• 💯 A similarity score of 0% indicates completely original work, while 100% suggests exact duplication of another source.
• ❓ There's no definitive 'correct' similarity percentage; some quotations are expected and acceptable when properly cited.
• 📚 Students can find more information about Turnitin and how to use it effectively on the self-service portal and Moodle.
• 🔗 Turnitin is also a platform where tutors can provide feedback on student submissions.
• 🔗️ To access Turnitin reports and feedback, students should look for links within their Moodle assignments.
• 📚 For practice, there's a practice assignment on Moodle that simulates the Turnitin process without storing data in the database.

Q & A

What is Turnitin?

Turnitin is an online service that checks for similarities between documents to detect plagiarism.

How is Turnitin integrated with Newman University's systems?

Newman University subscribes to Turnitin and has integrated it with Moodle, their virtual learning environment.

What happens when you submit an assignment to Moodle for assessment?

When you submit an assignment, your file is copied into the Turnitin database and compared with other documents, web information, and published materials.

How does Turnitin determine if a submission is plagiarized?

Turnitin highlights text that matches other sources in its database. If the text is not properly referenced, it is considered plagiarism.

What should you do if your work is found to be plagiarized?

If plagiarism is detected and there is time before the deadline, you can revise your assignment and resubmit it.

What is a Turnitin similarity report?

A Turnitin similarity report shows text matches between your work and documents in the Turnitin database, providing an overall percentage match to other sources.

What does a similarity report percentage of 0 mean?

A similarity report percentage of 0 indicates that your work is completely original and not found in the Turnitin database.

What does a similarity report percentage of 100 mean?

A similarity report percentage of 100 means your work is exactly the same as something else in the Turnitin database, such as another student's paper or a published source.

Is there a 'correct' similarity percentage for a submission?

There is no correct percentage; however, some quotations are expected and acceptable if properly referenced.

Where can you find more information about Turnitin at Newman University?

You can find more information about Turnitin on the self-service portal by searching for 'help with online assignments' and then navigating to the Moodle section on Turnitin.

How can students practice using Turnitin at Newman University?

Students can practice submitting an assignment and seeing a Turnitin similarity report through a practice assignment on the Moodle site's home page. Submissions to this practice assignment are not stored in the Turnitin database.