Tutorial for Students: What is Turnitin and How Do I Use It?
Turnitin is a tool that allows users to check for unoriginal text in electronic documents. Documents, which can be submitted from within Blackboard, will be compared against various search targets selected by the instructor (search target options include current and archived internet websites, databases of journals and periodicals, and Turnitin’s archive of previously submitted student work). After the work has been reviewed, Turnitin generates an ‘Originality Report’ that indicates which text in the submitted document was found to be unoriginal, and shows the source of that matching text.
I. How to submit a Turnitin Assignment in Blackboard
1) Sign into your Blackboard course.
2) Click on the area where your instructor posts assignments.
3) You’ll see the Turnitin symbol and the name of the assignment:
Click on ‘View/Complete’
4) You should now see a screen that lists the assignment name like this:
5) Next, you should see a screen that looks like this:
6) Now, click ‘Submit’ (upper right-hand corner).
7) Next, you’ll see a screen that asks, “Is this the paper you want to submit?” Confirm that you want to submit the paper by clicking ‘Yes, submit.
8) The next screen is a ‘Turnitin digital receipt.’ You may wish to record the paper id number given on this screen.
9) Clicking on the ‘Portfolio’ icon will take you to a screen that shows you the assignments you have turned in:
II. How to Access and Interpret a Turnitin Originality Report in Blackboard (for students)
Note: you will only be able to view your Originality Report if your instructor has elected to make the Report available.
1) Sign into your Blackboard course.
2) You can access your Originality Report in one of two ways.
3) From the content area where you submitted your assignment. Click on the image that shows the percentage of matching text.
4) From ‘My Grades’ (often in the ‘Tools’ area). Click on the grade corresponding to this assignment, or on the ‘!’ if the assignment has not yet been graded:
5) To see a sample Report, visit
6) As you review your report, check for text that you may have inadvertently failed to cite. Be sure all unoriginal text is enclosed by quotation marks and is accompanied by a citation. Bear in mind that paraphrased or modified text still requires citation if the idea is not your own. See your professor if you have any questions about your report or how to use and cite source material. You may also find it helpful to review the “Proper Use of Information Tutorials” online at http://www.lehigh.edu/library/infolit/tutorials/
Click to download a pdf version of this document 