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Turnitin for busy academics at the University of Kent

A Very Quick Guide to Turnitin Plagiarism Detection Service

What is Turnitin? Turnitin is an online service which helps you identify potential plagiarism. It will compare a submitted assignment with a database of journal articles, books, web pages, past and present, and previously submitted assignments and indicate the sources of any matching text which it identifies. The service is available via WebCT. All staff and students have access to WebCT. If you intend to use Turnitin, you need to consider:

�� Departmental guidelines and procedures for online submission

�� Archiving of work stored electronically �� University Guidelines on using Turnitin �� Adequately preparing your students for Turnitin

Accessing the Turnitin Service The Turnitin service can be accessed via any web browser using the following web address: �� http://webct.kent.ac.uk To access the service you will need your University username and password. If you need help using WebCT please contact the Computing Helpdesk. Creating a WebCT Module Before using the Turnitin service, you need a WebCT module. Modules can be requested from the computing helpdesk. All your students will automatically be enrolled into your WebCT

module.

Creating an Assignment Before you or your students can submit an assignment to the Turnitin service, you will need to create a Turnitin assignment. In order to create a Turnitin assignment you must have access to a WebCT module as a designer. From the “Build” tab, to create an assignment:

1. Click on “Add Content Link” (Figure 1).

Contents

What is Turnitin? Accessing the Turnitin Service

Creating a WebCT Module Creating an Assignment

Creating a Revision Assignment Editing your Assignment

Introducing Turnitin to your Students Submitting an Assignment Viewing and Downloading

Assignments The Originality Report

Computing Helpdesk [email protected] 01227 824888

�� If you are new to WebCT please see booklet “WebCT for busy academics: Getting Started with WebCT”.

A Very Quick Guide to Turnitin 2


2. Select “TurnitinUK Assignment” from the drop down menu.

3. Click on “Create TurnitinUK Assignment”.

4. Enter an assignment title and click on the “Create Turnitin Assignment” button (Figure 2)

Figure 1: Creating a Turnitin Assignment

Figure 2: Adding an Assignment Title

3 A Very Quick Guide to Turnitin


5. Enter the assignment title again and add a points value if you are using Turnitin GradeBook and want to store and return the grade electronically to your students.

Figure 3: Creating an Assignment

6. Select start, due and post dates for your assignment. The post date is the date that

Turnitin shows any marks in the GradeBook. Your students will only be able to submit their assignments between the “start” and “post” dates, any submissions made after the “due” date will be marked as “late”. If you do not want to enable late submissions select “yes” from the “Show advanced assignment options?” dropdown menu and then using the “Allow submissions after the due date?” dropdown menu select “No”.

7. Enter any assignment instructions; indicate whether more than one submission is allowed

and if the originality report will be made available to students. These instructions should also be given separately to students as this area is not automatically shown to students when they submit work.

8. To create your assignment click “Submit” unless you wish to change any of the advanced

options:

a. Generate Originality Reports for student submissions:

immediately (first report is final): your students will be able to see the originality report immediately on submission but they will only be able to submit their assignment once;



immediately (can overwrite reports until due date): your students will be able to see the originality report immediately on submission and will be able to resubmit their assignment as often as they like up to the due date (note: only the first report will be generated immediately, subsequent reports are delayed for 24 hours); on due date: the originality report will only be released on the assignment’s due date; however, your students may submit their assignment as often as they like up to the due date.

b. “Allow submissions after the due date?” will enable your students to submit their

assignments after the due date up to the “post” date. Any submissions made during this period will be marked as “late”.

c. “Allow other papers to be checked against submissions?” will submit any

assignments to the Turnitin database, which means that subsequent submissions will be checked against these assignments. Note: If you do not use this option you will not be able to check this assignment against past student papers.

d. If required, change the “search targets” which are to be checked when an

assignment is submitted.

e. When you have made the required changes click “Submit” to create your assignment.

Creating a Revision Assignment Using the “paper assignment” procedure outlined above, your students will only be able to submit one submission per assignment. If you would like them to be able to submit a draft paper you can create a revision assignment by selecting “revision assignment” from the “create a new” dropdown menu (highlighted in Figure 4). Using a revision assignment means that a submission is not checked against itself and that you have a copy of the originality report for both the draft paper and final submission.

Figure 4: Creating a Revision Assignment



Editing your Assignment To edit your assignment:

1. Click on the “Teach” tab of the appropriate WebCT module.

2. Locate the required Turnitin assignment and to view it click on its title or icon.

3. Click on the “edit assignment” button (highlighted in Figure 5):

Figure 5: Editing your Assignment

4. Make the required changes and to confirm the changes click on the “submit” button.

Introducing Turnitin to your Students

How do my students submit an assignment? An assignment can consist of a word document, a text file, a web page, rtf or pdf file. To submit an assignment to the Turnitin service, your students should:

1. Click on the title of the appropriate WebCT module from “My WebCT”.

2. Locate the Turnitin assignment and click its title or icon (highlighted in Figure 6).

Figure 6: Accessing the Turnitin Assignment Tool

�� Information for students using the WebCT and Turnitin assignment tools is available in the booklet entitled “Learning with WebCT: Uploading your Assignment” available from the Unit for the Enhancement of Learning and Teaching.

Students should be informed that you intend to use the Turnitin service and should be given practical experience of Turnitin including using an “Originality Report”. Further information on the University Guidelines for using Turnitin are available from the staff pages of the Academic Integrity website at:

https://www.kent.ac.uk/uelt/ai/staff/Turnitinguidelines.html.



3. From the assignment list click on the “submit” icon (highlighted in Figure 7).

Figure 7: Submitting an Assignment to Turnitin

4. To upload an electronic copy of a paper assignment they should ensure the “file upload”

option is selected from the drop down “Submit a paper by” menu (Figure 8).

Figure 8: Submitting an Assignment to Turnitin

5. Their name will be automatically entered by WebCT.

6. They should enter an assignment title.

7. Use the “Browse” button to locate and select the appropriate assignment file to be

uploaded.

8. Finally they should click on the “submit” button.

9. Turnitin will present them with a text only version of their assignment and to confirm their choice they should click on the “yes, submit” button, if they have uploaded the incorrect file, they can click on the “no, go back” option and reselect the correct file to be uploaded (Figure 9).

Figure 9: Confirming and Assignment Submission

10. They will be presented with a digital receipt (Figure 10):

Figure 10: A Digital Assignment Receipt

11. To return to the assignment list click on the portfolio icon.



If you have enabled your students to see the “Originality Report”, it will be visible to them after a few minutes (see below for details of the “Originality Report”).

How can I upload my students’ assignments? To upload your students’ assignments yourself:

1. Create a Turnitin assignment as outlined above in “Creating an Assignment”.

2. From the “Teach” tab, select the appropriate assignment.

3. Click on the “submit” button (highlighted in Figure 11).

Figure 11: Submitting your Students’ Assignments

4. There are four options to upload your students’ assignments (highlighted in Figure 12).


a. “file upload” enables you to upload one file at a time. Select the name of the

student from the “author” drop down list, which will contain all students enrolled on your module. Browse for the appropriate file, give the assignment a title and finally click on “submit”.

b. “cut & paste” enables you to copy the text from an assignment and paste it into a text box for submission to the Turnitin service. Select the name of the student from the “author” drop down list, which contains all students enrolled on your module, copy and paste the text into the text box and finally “submit” the assignment.

c. “bulk upload” enables you to upload a number of files at a time. Browse for the appropriate file, select the name of the student from the “author” drop down list, click on the “attach” button and repeat this procedure until all files have been attached. Finally click on “submit”.

d. “zip file” enables you to upload up to 1000 files at a time. You will need to zip all your student assignments and then upload the zip file using the browse button and to complete the upload process click on “submit”.



5. Turnitin will present you with a text only version of the assignment(s) and to confirm the

upload you should click on the “yes, submit” button. If you have uploaded the incorrect file(s), click on the “no, go back” option and reselect the correct file(s) to be uploaded (Figure 9).

6. You will be presented with a digital receipt (Figure 10).

7. To return to the assignment inbox, click on the “inbox” icon (highlighted in Figure 13).


Viewing and Downloading Students’ Assignments To view and download a student assignment from the Turnitin service:

1. From the “Teach” tab of the appropriate WebCT module, locate the Turnitin assignment required.

2. The assignment list will be displayed.

a. To view an individual student assignment click on the appropriate “file” icon

(highlighted in Figure 14). A small window will appear and to view and download the assignment, select the required file format. When prompted either save or open the assignment as required.

Figure 14: Viewing and Downloading an Assignment

b. To view and download a number of student assignments select the required files

using the tick box(es) (highlighted in Figure 15) and click on the “download” button. A small window will appear and to view and download the assignments selected the required file format. A zip file will be created containing all requested assignments. When prompted either save or open the zipped file as required.



Figure 15: Viewing and Downloading Multiple Assignments

The Originality Report Originality Reports provide a summary of any matching text found in a submission. The colour of the originality icon indicates the amount of matching text found. Note: the Originality Report does not indicate that an assignment has or has not been plagiarised; it is a tool to help you identify sources of matching text. The decision as to whether an assignment has been plagiarised or not lies with you and your department and should be made only after careful examination of the submitted assignment and identified potential sources of plagiarism.

To view the “Originality Report”:

1. From the “Teach” tab locate the appropriate Turnitin assignment.

2. Click on the “report” icon of the submission you wish to view (highlighted in Figure 16):

Figure 16: Viewing the Originality Report

3. A new browser window will open containing the requested originality report (Figure 17).

In the left hand panel of the originality report you will see the submitted assignment; any matched text will be highlighted. In the right hand panel you will see listed the source document of any matched text; you can click on the matched text to view the original source.

Figure 17 shows an originality report in the mode “show highest matches together”. This mode allows you to temporarily hide any sources you do not wish to include in the report by clicking the small x on the right of each percentage indicator. This mode must be changed to “show matches one at a time” to reinstate any temporarily hidden matches, click the + sign for the source as shown in Figure 18.



Figure 17: Viewing an Originality Report

Figure 18: reinstating a source

You can also:

•••• exclude or include quoted text;

•••• exclude or include the “bibliography”;

•••• create a printable view of the originality report using the “print” option;

•••• save a copy of the originality report to your computer or network drive using the “save option;

•••• close the report using the “X” browser button.



Frequently Asked Questions Q Can my students refuse permission for me to use the Turnitin service?

The Data Protection Act 1998 sets out when and how personal data can be “processed”. We must comply with one of the two conditions in Schedule 2 of the Data Protection Act 1998. These are:

Condition 1: “The data subject has given his consent to the processing.”

Condition 6: “(1) The processing is necessary for the purposes of legitimate interests pursued by the data controller or by the third party or parties to whom the data are disclosed, except where the processing is unwarranted in any particular case by reason of prejudice to the rights and freedoms or legitimate interests of the data subject.”

The University will obtain a student’s consent during the registration process at the start of the year. If consent is given, Condition 1 is fulfilled. Without consent, the University may use Condition 6 to process the data, on the basis that quality of marking and detection of academic deceit are legitimate interests of the University (advice from the JISC Legal Service).

Q My students cannot access my WebCT module what should I do? You (or your students) should inform the Computing Helpdesk immediately. Your students are automatically enrolled into your WebCT module if their record is correct in the student database system and if the automatic enrolment service has been setup for your module. Once this has been setup, students will see your module listed within their “My WebCT”.

Q Why do I need to use WebCT to access Turnitin? We use WebCT to access Turnitin for three reasons: Firstly your students would be required to remember another username and password issued by Turnitin. Secondly, you would be required to undertake a number of onerous administrative tasks such as setting up a “class” and either creating student accounts or ensuring students have secured access themselves, before creating an assignment and finally, both you and your students would need to become familiar with another online system. Using WebCT avoids all these problems and issues.

Q One of my students has missed the cut off date for an assignment. What should I do? If you allow late submission of work, you have two options to receive the assignment.

•••• You can accept an electronic and paper copy delivered to you, and as an instructor, you can upload the assignment to the Turnitin service yourself (see above). This is recommended if you wish to accept a small number of late assignments.

•••• If you want to extend a deadline for an assignment, you can modify the assignment “post date”. Note: that the default options on submitting an assignment do allow submissions after the “due date” up to the “post date”.

Q I suspect plagiarism, but did not use the Turnitin service, can I check an assignment at a later date? An assignment can be set up in two ways in your WebCT module: as a WebCT assignment or as a Turnitin assignment. Only Turnitin assignments are automatically checked against the Turnitin system. If you have received assignment submissions to the WebCT system and you suspect plagiarism in one or more assignments, you must upload the entire batch of assignments to Turnitin (see above). To do this, you need to create a



Turnitin assignment within WebCT. You can then upload up to 1000 files at a time (in a zip format), or you can choose to upload files individually (see above for full details).

Q I suspect plagiarism, but nothing has been matched by Turnitin. What should I do? The determination of plagiarism relies on academic judgement, not on the percentage shown in the Turnitin “Originality Report”. If you suspect plagiarism, you may wish to further check the work using a web search engine such as “Google”, as this will include some web material which is not covered by Turnitin, for example, subscription or password-protected sites.

Turnitin will not replace your departmental guidelines on academic misconduct, and you should continue to follow departmental and university policies currently in place to deal with suspected cases of plagiarism. University regulations on dealing with academic misconduct: available at Annex 10: Academic Discipline: Procedures.

Q Where can my students get help with using WebCT and Turnitin? There is a series of five booklets designed and written to help students use WebCT and Turnitin:

�� Getting Started with WebCT �� Learning with WebCT: Uploading an Assignment �� Learning with WebCT: Online Discussion �� Learning with WebCT: Taking a Quiz �� Learning with Turnitin: Interpreting the Originality Report

These booklets are available from the Computing Service Reception; the Unit for the Enhancement of Learning and Teaching or online: http://www.kent.ac.uk/elearning/students.htm.

Further Information For more information about academic integrity, plagiarism and using the Turnitin service please visit: http://www.kent.ac.uk/uelt/ai.

Contact Information For further information about assessment and plagiarism please contact: Judy Cohen Curriculum and Education Developer Email: [email protected] Tel: 01227 824098 Web: http://www.kent.ac.uk/uelt/ai

For further information about elearning please contact: Louise de Than Learning Technologist Email: [email protected] Tel: 01227 823314 Web: http://www.kent.ac.uk/elearning

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