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 Course Site, 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 Course Site
1) Sign into Course Site and enter the correct course.
2) Click on link where your professor has posted the assignment.
3) Read the Assignment instructions and click the link that says "[SUBMIT]"
4) You should now see a screen that lists the assignment name like this:
5) Click 'Submit.' You'll then see a screen with your name. Enter the title of your paper, then click "Choose File" to select the file you want to upload. Once you have selected the file, click 'upload.'
6) Next, you’ll see a screen that says 'Step 2 of 2' with a preview of the text you just uploaded. Confirm that you want to submit the paper by clicking ‘Submit.'
7) The next screen is a ‘Turnitin digital receipt.’ You may wish to record the paper id number given on this screen.
8) Click on 'Portfolio' to return to the main page where you can see all the assignments you 've submitted for this course.
II. How to Access and Interpret a Turnitin Originality Report in Course Site (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 Course Site and enter the correct course.
2) Click on the assignment and click 'Submit' again.
3) You will see your 'portfolio' of papers submitted for this class. Find the right paper, click 'show details' then click on the percentage that appears next to the name of the paper.
4) 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 library's “Tutorials for Research Success ”