What Is Turnitin and How It Works at BUV? 

Turnitin is an online originality checking and plagiarism prevention service. When you submit an assignment electronically at BUV (typically via Canvas, the Learning Management System), Turnitin compares your work against: 

• A vast database of internet pages (current and archived). 

• Millions of academic journal articles, books, and publications. 

• A repository of previously submitted student papers globally and within BUV. 

Within minutes of submission, Turnitin generates an Originality Report (also known as a Similarity Report). This report highlights any text in your submission that matches content in its databases and assigns a similarity score. 

Why it matters: 

• Promoting Academic Integrity: Turnitin is a cornerstone of BUV’s commitment to academic honesty, ensuring fairness for all students  

• Supporting Learning: It helps you understand how to properly paraphrase, summarize, and cite sources, improving your academic writing skills. 

• Detecting Unauthorized AI Use: BUV utilizes Turnitin’s AI detection capabilities to identify instances where generative AI tools may have been used inappropriately in submitted work. This ensures that all submitted work represents your own thinking and effort. 

It’s crucial to understand that Turnitin does not determine plagiarism; it only provides a “Similarity Report” that highlights matching text. It is then up to the instructor to interpret this report in the context of academic integrity policies. 

How Turnitin Works for Students

When you submit an assignment through Canvas (BUV’s Learning Management System) that is integrated with Turnitin, your paper is automatically processed. Here’s what happens: 

Understanding Your Turnitin Similarity Report 

The Similarity Report is your key to using Turnitin as a learning tool. It shows you the overall similarity index as a percentage and color-codes it for easy understanding: 

Important Considerations for Interpreting the Similarity Score: 

• No “Ideal” Score: There is no universally “acceptable” similarity score. A high score doesn’t automatically mean plagiarism. For instance, correctly quoted text, bibliography/reference lists, common phrases, or assignment templates can all contribute to the score. 

• Context is Key: You must review the highlighted matches in detail. Click on the highlighted sections in your report to see the original source of the matched text. 

What to Look For in the Report:

Similarity Score	% of text that matches sources — focus on uncited matches
Match Breakdown	Which parts matched which sources
Citations Highlighted	Properly cited quotes and paraphrasing
Unmatched Matches	Content that isn’t cited — may be patchwriting or copying

Tip: Scores above 20% should prompt a closer review — especially for uncited matches. 

Differentiate between Similarity and Plagiarism

• Similarity simply means text in your paper matches text found elsewhere. This can be legitimate (e.g., correctly quoted text with citations, references). 
• Plagiarism is presenting someone else’s ideas or words as your own without proper attribution. Turnitin flags similarities; it’s your responsibility to ensure proper citation and paraphrasing to avoid plagiarism. 

Types of Plagiarism

Understand what counts as plagiarism and how to avoid it.

Type	Description	Is It Plagiarism?
Verbatim Plagiarism	Copying someone’s words without attribution	❌ Yes
Mosaic Plagiarism	Swapping synonyms but keeping original structure	❌ Yes
Inadequate Paraphrase	Identifying the source but not fully rewording	❌ Yes
Uncited Paraphrase	rewriting in your own words but no citation	❌ Yes
Uncited Quotation	Direct quote without page number or reference	❌ Yes
Proper Citation	Quote or paraphrase with full Harvard citation	✅ Not Plagiarism

Examples of Matched Text to Investigate: 

• Correctly Quoted Text: If you use direct quotes, ensure they are enclosed in quotation marks and properly cited using Harvard style. Turnitin will still highlight these, but they are generally acceptable if attributed. 
• Incorrect Paraphrasing: If large blocks of text are highlighted but broken up by a few of your own words, it indicates “patchwriting” or insufficient paraphrasing. This is a common form of plagiarism, even if you cite the source. You need to rephrase the content entirely in your own words while retaining the original meaning and still citing the source. (Refer to Section A.0: Academic Foundations for more on paraphrasing). 
• Missing Citations: Large blocks of highlighted text without quotation marks or citations clearly indicate potential plagiarism. 
• Collusion: If your work matches another student’s submission for the same assignment, this could indicate collusion. 

What to Revise Based on Turnitin Feedback 

Using your Turnitin Similarity Report as a guide, you can ethically revise your assignment to improve your academic writing and ensure integrity. Focus on these key areas: 

• High Match Percentage (especially for uncited or unquoted text):
  • Action: Rephrase information in your own words (paraphrase effectively), summarise main ideas, or use direct quotes sparingly — always with proper citation and quotation marks. Focus on integrating source material thoughtfully, rather than simply dropping it into your text. 
• Lack of Critical Analysis: 
  • Action: If the report shows large blocks of correctly cited but unanalysed text, this suggests you are relying too heavily on sources without adding your own critical perspective. Ensure you are explaining why the information is relevant and how it supports your arguments. Strengthen your own voice and analysis by connecting sources, offering critical evaluations, and developing your own arguments. 
• Referencing Errors: 
  • Action: Turnitin can highlight areas where citations might be missing or inconsistent. Double-check your in-text citations against your reference list and ensure they follow the required Harvard (or other specified) style (see Section 3.3 Citing: Harvard Style). Ensure every source cited in your text appears in your reference list, and vice versa. 
• AI Detection Flags: 
  • Action: If your assignment is flagged for potential AI-generated content, reflect on your writing process. Ensure your work genuinely reflects your own understanding and critical thought. Review BUV’s policies on AI tool usage and ensure transparency if permitted. 
• Ethical Reduction Strategies: 
  • Cite All Sources Correctly: Always include in-text citations for all ideas, data, or words that are not your own. 
  • Use Quotation Marks for Direct Quotes: Enclose all direct quotations in double quotation marks (“…”). 
  • Master Paraphrasing, Don’t Just Swap Words: Understand the original source deeply, then put the idea into your entirely own words and sentence structure. Avoid merely replacing a few words with synonyms; Turnitin can detect structural similarities. Balance quotes with your own analysis and discussion. Your original thoughts should form the bulk of your argument. 
  • Summarise Effectively: Condense the main ideas of a source into a much shorter form using your own words, always with a citation. 
  • Combine Ideas from Multiple Sources: Synthesise information from various sources to create a new, original perspective. 
  • Exclude Quotes and Bibliography (If Applicable): If your instructor has set Turnitin to exclude quoted text and the bibliography/reference list from the similarity calculation, ensure these elements are formatted correctly so Turnitin can ignore them. 

➡️ Exam Preparation Strategies