This document provides an overview and instructions for using Turnitin, a plagiarism detection software. It describes the different types of assignments that can be created, how to perform an originality check to detect plagiarism, and how to interpret originality reports. It also provides teaching advice on using Turnitin, and explains how to utilize additional features like Grademark for online grading and Peermark for peer review.

1. Introduction to Turnitin
Centre for Teaching and Learning
University of Limerick, Ireland
[W] www.ul.ie/ctl
1 Updated Sept 2011 by Angelica Risquez

2. Overview
• Types of assignments and originality
check
• Case scenarios and teaching advice
• Using Turnitin with Sulis
• Using Turnitin on its own
• Originality report
• Grademark
• Peermark
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3. Turnitin Overview
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www.turnitin.com

4. Types of “Assignments”
• Paper assignment is the base assignment for all other
assignments types. Used to obtain an Originality Report
• PeerMark assignment: allows students to review their
peers' papers based on scale and free response
questions selected by the instructor.
• Revision Assignment allows students to submit multiple
drafts without overwriting the previous
drafts/submissions
• Reflection Assignment is designed as a learning journal
where students write about what they learned from the
writing process as well as offer feedback on the
assignment they worked on.
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5. Originality Check
It determines the congruence of text to
sources in:
• Publicly accessible Internet sources
• Every document already submitted to Turnitin*
• Assignments from within the class
* Lecturers can opt out from Turnitin storing papers. Only the lecturer
can access the submitted paper.
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6. Originality Check
PROS CONS
• Allows for citation • It dos not search
verification and quickly subscription databases
provides documentation of (e.g. Library databases,
alleged plagiarism newspapers, etc) unless
those materials also
• Detects rewording appear in assignments
previously sent to Turnitin.
• Both lecturer and students
can upload • It does not differentiate
• It allows for peer to peer between quoted materials
plagiarism detection and original writing!
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7. Possible Scenario
A lecturer (or student who has access to it)
receives an originality report showing a match for
the following passage:
Today, according to authors of The Death of “e” and the Birth of the
Real New Economy doing business electronically is the only way to stay
alive and competitive. It is a necessity to get involved in the digital
economy. Therefore, “e” is disappearing from our vocabulary because
conducting business electronically is a normal, every-day activity.
Upon clicking on the comparison link, you find
that the text is found in an on-line article, entitled
The Death of “e” and the Birth of the Real New
Economy.
Is this plagiarism or a false positive? Why?
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8. Teaching advice
• Use it proactively
• Notify and explain to your students
• Clear plagiarism policy:
definition, avoidance, guidelines and disciplinary
process.
• Help students develop writing skills.
Writing Centre
http://www.ul.ie/ctl/regional-writing-centre
• Train and support students (e.g. trial submission)
• Involve students (e.g. submit themselves)
• Be creative! (e.g. using originality report in
tutorials, peer review and online grading
features, allowing multiple drafts of an
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9. Teaching Advice (2)
UL resources
• http://www2.ul.ie/pdf/201553623.pdf (Appendix 5:
Plagiarism at College by Prof Sarah Moore)
• http://www.ul.ie/~library/GLIS/html/index.htm (Library
online tutorials on Harvard referencing style, Refworks,
researching with the internet, etc).
Other resources
• http://www.turnitin.com/static/support.html
• http://www.plagiarismadvice.org/
• The Turnitin blog
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10. Using Turnitin with Sulis
From September 2011, Sulis and Turnitin are
integrated, meaning
• No need to create lecturer or students
accounts
• When students submit into the Assignment tool
in Sulis, a Turnitin report can be generated
• Instructors may also choose to allow students
to view the reports
How to set up my
Sulis Assignment to
get a Turnitin report
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11. Using Turnitin on its own
If you want to submit your own
documents into Turnitin, or use the
Grademark and/or Peermark
features, you need to use Turnitin on its
own
Steps:
1. Create a user profile
2. Create classes and assignments
3. Instructor/students submit work
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12. 1. Create a user profile
Go to www.turnitin.com and start by clicking Create
Account.
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13. 1. Create a user profile
To get the account ID and a password
for your college, log a call with ITD
Service Desk
http://inside/itdservicedesk/default.htm
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14. 2. Create a class and assignment
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15. 2. Create a class and assignment
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16. 2. Create a class and assignment
Add rubrics, exclude
bibliographic/quoted
materials/small
matches, allow students
to see originality
report, allow submissions
after due date and search
options
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17. 3. Instructors/students submit
Instructor
workload
high a
b
medium
c
low
passive active Student
involvement
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18. 3. Instructors/students submit
a. The instructor submits
Advantages Disadvantages
• Minimal student • Students lack of
induction involvement
• With large classes, you • They may not pay as
can submit all papers at much attention to the
once (.zip file from Sulis originality of their work
or other LMS, use IE!)
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19. 3. Instructors/students submit
a. The instructor submits
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20. 3. Instructors/students submit
b. Instructor registers students, they submit
Advantages Disadvantages
• No errors with student • They need to know how to
accounts log in and submit (handout
• Minimal induction and/or training needed)
• Student awareness and • You need a class list with
involvement, e.g students name, surname and
could see their originality email, e.g.
report, do peer reviews patricia, wong, 09563214@studentmail.ul.ie
(PeerMark), view online
grading
(GradeMarks), etc.
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21. 3. Instructors/students submit
b. Instructor registers students, they submit
Turnitin will automatically send the student an
email with a provisional password. Students log in
and submit their work. They get added to your
class if they already have an account
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22. 3. Instructors/students submit
c. Student create their account and submit
Advantages Disadvantages
• Student awareness and • Some induction needed
involvement, e.g students (handout and/or training
could see their originality needed)
report, do peer reviews
(PeerMark), view online • Possible teething
grading problems and support (i.e.
(GradeMarks), etc. wrong email
address, creating
• Minimal initial lecturer accounts twice…). A trial
input is recommended
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23. 3. Instructors/students submit
c. Student create their account and submit
Customise and distribute the “Student Turnitin Guide” with
your class ID and enrolment password:
http://www.ul.ie/ctl/turnitin-plagiarism-prevention-software
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24. Originality Report (1)
An originality report can be generated through the Assignments tool in Sulis
or through a Turnitin account. Once it is ready…
A greyed-out report icon indicates that the report has not yet been generated.
Please wait a few moments and click your browser’s refresh button (large
reports may take up to 24hh to process)
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25. Originality report (2)
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26. Originality report (3)
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27. Grademark
You can add comments within the body of the paper, point out grammar
and punctuation mistakes, evaluate the paper against your own rubrics
or predefined ones, etc.
Complete instructions available Chapter 4 of Instructor Handout
http://www.ul.ie/ctl/turnitin-plagiarism-prevention-software
And training videos in http://turnitin.com/en_us/training/instructor-training
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28. Peermark
Allows students to read, review, and evaluate one or many papers
submitted by their classmates. Instructors can choose whether the
reviews are anonymous or attributed, decide if students should be
excluded from reviews, pair students, and assign students specific
papers to review.
See training videos in
http://turnitin.com/en_us/training/instructor-training
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29. Peermark (2)
Create new assignment as in slide 13, and select PeerMark Assignment (can
only be created if a class has at least one paper assignment created)
Note: the due date of the base assignment must come before the
start date and time of the PeerMark assignment. If anonymity in the
review is desired, student submissions should not contain the name
of the author in the text or at the top of the paper
By default, reviews are anonymous and only those
student who submit can review, but you can
change it in “Show more options”
The start date is the date students can begin
reading papers and writing reviews. The due date
prevents students from writing reviews after this
date. The post date is the date students will have
access to reviews written by their classmates
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30. Peermark (3)
In Step 2, the instructor determines how many papers will be distributed to the
students in the course. By default, PeerMark will automatically distribute papers
to students
Click Save & Continue or click on the Show more distribution options link to
exclude student papers from distribution or specify which student papers a
student(s) will have to review.
Note: you need to have students registered as seen in slide 19
In Step 3, add questions for students to answer (your own or from Sample Library)
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31. Peermark (4)
After the start date of the PeerMark assignment students may begin writing peer
reviews. To view which papers students have reviewed click on the View link next
to the PeerMark assignment.
Instructors can then view an individual
student’s reviews by clicking on the Show
details link to the right of the students name.
The instructor can write a review to supplement those that students will receive
from their peers. An instructor may also comment on the paper they are
reviewing. A comment is equivalent to the notes that an instructor may write in
the margins of a paper
Instructors may grade
the reviews written by
the students
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32. Peermark (5)
Instructors may view a paper’s peer reviews within the document viewer once a
reviewer submits a PeerMark review. To view a paper in the document viewer click
on the paper’s title within the assignment inbox for the paper assignment the peer
review is based on.
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33. Peermark (6)
To view the PeerMark questions and answers click on ? icon.
To view a list of all the comments left on the paper click on the mark list icon.
To grade a reviewer click on the reviewer’s name, or to edit the grade click on
the grade next to the reviewer’s name.
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34. Questions?
Advanced guides, videos, case students and more in
http://turnitin.com/en_us/training/instructor-training
Teaching support and advice in the CTL:
Dr. Angélica Risquez
Technology Enhanced Learning Advisor
Centre for Teaching and Learning
Millstream Courtyard
University of Limerick
Limerick, Ireland
[T] +353-61-202 580
[F] +353-61-338 044
[E] angelica.risquez@ul.ie
[W] www.ul.ie/ctl
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