Turnitin Student Guide Contents
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Turnitin Student Guide Turnitin Student Guide Contents Introduction to the Turnitin Tool .............................................................................................................................. 2 Reasons to Use the Turnitin Tool .............................................................................................................................. 2 Checking Your Work with Turnitin ............................................................................................................................ 3 Submitting a File .............................................................................................................................................................. 3 Accessing the Originality Report ..................................................................................................................................... 4 Understanding the Originality Report ....................................................................................................................... 5 Coincidental Matches ...................................................................................................................................................... 5 Significant Matches ......................................................................................................................................................... 5 Match: Work Submitted by Another Student ............................................................................................................. 6 Match: Outside Sources without Quotation Marks and/or Proper Citation ............................................................... 6 Match: Incorrect Paraphrasing ................................................................................................................................... 7 Over-Use of Direct Quotes .......................................................................................................................................... 7 More Information .................................................................................................................................................... 7 Submitting Your Assignment for Grading .................................................................................................................. 7 1 Turnitin Student Guide Introduction to the Turnitin Tool Turnitin is a tool that checks submitted papers for originality. Originality is a highly valued trait of written work in an academic setting. Original writing should include: • The writer’s individual perspective • Unique insights and ideas on topics Review Write • A personal academic voice • Clear synthesis of information • A specific alignment with the particular assignment Turnitin highlights unoriginal passages in a student’s paper. Files submitted to Turnitin are compared against a repository of billions of documents, Check including internet sites, online text, archived internet data, student papers, books, journals, and other publications. Students and faculty have access to Turnitin in each class through the Waypoint grading system. Similarities and matches between your assignment and items in the Turnitin repository will be highlighted in an originality report. Although Turnitin is not the only tool for identifying unoriginal text, it is an excellent resource for students and faculty who wish to check documents for originality. Reasons to Use the Turnitin Tool Academic and professional writing is formal, ethical, honest, and clear. All academic and professional writers depend upon a proven writing process that contains revision and review. University of Arizona Global Campus (UAGC) provides several tools to help students in their revision and review. Students who use the tools may discover ways to improve their writing, ensure academic honesty, develop a formal voice, and adhere to the required style guide. Once you have written a discussion, assignment, or other document, you can use Turnitin to check your work for unoriginal writing before submitting it in class. Often, issues can be attributed to one of these easy-to-correct mistakes: • Colloquial Language (use of clichés and other over-used casual phrases) Over-reliance on Direct Quotes Plagiarism, which may include: Using someone else’s words without proper attribution Submitting work that was written by someone else Missing or misplaced quotation marks Missing or misplaced in-text citations Incorrect paraphrasing Students are responsible for the contents of their written work. Evidence of plagiarism is likely to appear on the Turnitin report; however, Turnitin may not identify every issue. Plagiarism is a violation of Student Community Standards whether it is identified through Turnitin or found through other means. Turnitin is just one tool available to students and instructors in the pursuit of honest, original writing. The UAGC Writing Center contains important information regarding plagiarism and avoiding academic dishonesty. Proprietary information of UAGC. Created/revised by Academics, 5/11/2017, CR 0163153. 2 Turnitin Student Guide Students who use Turnitin to check their assignments and discussions before submitting them in class may enjoy a number of benefits, including: • Gaining the ability to identify unoriginal language • Developing an academic voice • Discovering clear and meaningful source integration techniques • Honing stronger written communication skills • Experiencing improved instructor assessment and feedback • Understanding in-text citation format more quickly and completely • Increasing self-review, revision, and editing skills Checking Your Work with Turnitin Submitting a File Turnitin is available directly through the Waypoint grading system in class. You can check your discussions and assignments by submitting them to Turnitin before submitting your work for grading. To utilize Turnitin, save Review Write your work as an MS Word or PDF file, then proceed to the assignment submission area of class and follow the steps below: 1) Use the dropdown menu to select the appropriate learning week. Discussions can be checked under the week’s regular “Assignment” title. 2) Click the “Choose File” or “Browse” button and select the file you Check wish to submit. 3) Make sure the dropdown indicates “Originality Check Only”. 4) Click the “Upload” Button. After submitting your paper for an originality check, please be patient. The report may take fifteen minutes or more to generate. You will need to refresh the page to access the report. Proprietary information of UAGC. Created/revised by Academics, 5/11/2017, CR 0163153. 3 Turnitin Student Guide Accessing the Originality Report Once the originality report has been generated and you have refreshed the window, you’ll find a link to the report in Waypoint. 1) Verify that your document has been uploaded for originality check. 2) Click on “Click here to View Report” link to open the originality report. If the “Click here to View Report” is not available, please refresh the page and wait for the report to be generated. Please note, the report will open in a new tab or window. You may need to accept a pop-up in your web browser. Proprietary information of UAGC. Created/revised by Academics, 5/11/2017, CR 0163153. 4 Turnitin Student Guide Understanding the Originality Report Once you have opened your report, you will have access to several features. 1) Your Paper 2) Sidebar Review Write 3) Similarity Percentage Your paper will appear in the main window. Segments of text that match another source will be highlighted in color. The matching sources will Check appear as a list within the sidebar. The total amount of highlighted text will be reflected as an overall percentage. Highlighted matches may be significant or may be coincidental. Significant matches require your attention before submitting your work for grading. Remember, student writing should always be as original as possible. Coincidental Matches Some of your work may match other documents in the Turnitin repository as a matter of coincidence. These types of matches may not need revision or correction. Review your originality report to see if your matches are coincidental, which may include: • Standard language in a template, worksheet, or form • The references list or bibliography entry • A properly formatted and cited block quote • Common phrases or proper nouns used in proper context • Recycling original work submitted in your previous class (please see Recycling Policy for details) It may be perfectly acceptable to submit work that has coincidental matches. Standard, uniform writing, like forms and reference lists, is likely to match other materials within the Turnitin repository. If the matches are coincidental, expected, and appropriate, no change is required. If you have any questions about coincidental matches in your originality report, contact your instructor, advisor, or the writing center. Significant Matches Review your originality report to see if your matches are significant. Significant matches need to be addressed and resolved before you submit your work for grading. Significant matches may include: • Matches to work submitted by another student or recycling • Matches to outside sources without quotation marks and/or proper citation • Missing or misplaced quotation marks • Missing block quote formatting • Incorrect paraphrasing • Overuse of direct quotes Students must submit work that is academically honest. Significant matches can indicate plagiarism or other incidents