{"id":320,"date":"2018-03-28T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2018-03-28T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/edusson.com\/blog\/how-turnitin-really-works"},"modified":"2023-09-06T14:44:26","modified_gmt":"2023-09-06T14:44:26","slug":"how-turnitin-really-works","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/edusson.com\/blog\/how-turnitin-really-works","title":{"rendered":"Features of Turnitin Originality Report"},"content":{"rendered":"

As much as the internet access made everything easier, it didn\u2019t take long for students to figure out that they can simply copy and paste what they found. It was only a matter of time when anti-plagiarism software would appear and today, schools and universities use them to discover whether students submitted original work or not. One of the most popular anti-plagiarism tools in the world is, definitely, TurnItIn<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n

How does TurnItIn work?<\/h2>\n

According to its official website, more than 30 million students and 15,000 institutions use it.<\/span> TurnItIn is quite simple; students submit their papers through the tool\u2019s official website. After that, TurnItIn\u2019s algorithms compare strings of text against its database that includes works and articles published online<\/a> as well as papers that students submitted to the website. Yes, TurnItIn just removes your name, but the text you wrote stays in its database. Then, the teacher gets a report with percentage of the paper that matched other sources in the website\u2019s database. Here\u2019s a good thing about TurnItIn, the feedback sent to teachers doesn\u2019t say some parts of the text were plagiarized, it simply says they are similar to other sources.<\/p>\n

The tool also uses color codes to distinguish unoriginal content in the text which allows teachers to work with students who struggle with quotations and paraphrasing. Furthermore, teachers have the opportunity to respond to students\u2019 writing directly on the website and to create pre-made feedbacks for the most common mistakes e.g. You have misplaced a modifier in this line<\/em> or Proper way to quote is\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n

Is the use of TurnItIn justified?<\/h2>\n

Opinions on the use of TurnItIn and other types of anti-plagiarism software are divided. While some students and teachers assume these tools break the bond based on trust, others prefer to consider TurnItIn as a wonderful learning tool. It all comes down to the teacher or professor\u2019s approach to the results they see on the screen. For example, TurnItIn can be used to explain students what plagiarism is and how to avoid it. This is particularly useful because a vast majority of students find it difficult to differentiate paraphrasing vs. quoting. After all, plagiarism isn\u2019t always intended.<\/p>\n

There are, also, students and teachers who appreciate the detailed feedback TurnItIn provides. The tool makes it easier for teachers to assess students\u2019 works, while students get a detailed insight that helps them correct their mistakes in future projects. Although debates regarding these tools will never end, one thing is for sure \u2013 TurnItIn and other anti-plagiarism software are here to stay and the only thing we can do is to accept it, and learn how to take them to our advantage. It\u2019s important to take plagiarism-free contents as an opportunity to learn, instead of thinking of them as our personal defeats.<\/p>\n

On the other hand, teachers should use TurnItIn as an additional tool that helps them evaluate submissions thoroughly, instead of allowing the software to conduct the entire process by itself. There\u2019s a growing concern over the superior role of computers in evaluating student writing mostly because regardless of how big the database, these tools still can\u2019t detect absolutely everything.<\/p>\n

For example, Susan E. Schorn<\/em>, a writing coordinator at the University of Texas <\/em>at Austin, came up with a little test<\/a> to assess TurnItIn\u2019s efficacy. She composed six essays that copied and pasted text from 23 sources that were chosen after librarians suggested examples of the most commonly cited works. Of the 23 sources, TurnItIn identified only eight. However, it produced six other sources that Schorn didn\u2019t use to create these essays.<\/p>\n

Common misconceptions about TurnItIn<\/p>\n

In order to form your opinion about TurnItIn and whether its contribution is positive or negative, you have to know all the facts about the tool. Unfortunately, there are many misconceptions<\/a> about the software that prevent individuals from getting a \u201cclear picture\u201d. Here are some of them:<\/p>\n