When enabled on Brightspace, Turnitin will generate a Similarity Report on assignment submissions. This Similarity Report is the result of a comparison between the text of the submission and the Turnitin database of billions of pages of active and archived internet information, a repository of works previously submitted to Turnitin, and a repository of tens of thousands of periodicals, journals, and publications.

Similarity Report checklist

The Similarity Report is a guide to help you understand the academic integrity of students’ written work and is an important piece of information for you when marking.

The report does not determine whether or not a student’s paper is acceptable, it simply aims to highlight potential problem areas that can then be investigated. For example, any inconsistencies which set the paper apart from a normal submission are flagged as these may indicate an attempt by the student to circumvent text matching by either replacing characters or adding hidden characters. It’s up to you to consider elements in the report and how the student has used quotations, citations and references etc, and whether the work is acceptable.

Turnitin Similarity Report Checklist

To help you navigate the Similarity Report, FLIE have put together a checklist. Use the checklist to ensure you have explored all elements of the report and to know where to go if you require further help or support.

Further guidance

See the Brightspace Staff Resources area for further guidance on using Turnitin:

Using the Similarity Report

Similarity Report checklist

See also our recent article on the FLIE Blog.