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
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 A personal academic voice Clear synthesis of information A specific alignment with the particular assignment Review Write Turnitin highlights unoriginal passages in a student s paper. Files submitted to Turnitin are compared against a repository of billions of documents, 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. Check 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. Ashford University 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 Ashford Writing Center contains important information regarding plagiarism and avoiding academic dishonesty. Proprietary information of Ashford University. Created/revised by Academics, 5/11/2017, CR 0163153. 2
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 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 wish to submit. 3) Make sure the dropdown indicates Originality Check Only. 4) Click the Upload Button. Review Write Check 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 Ashford University. Created/revised by Academics, 5/11/2017, CR 0163153. 3
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 Ashford University. Created/revised by Academics, 5/11/2017, CR 0163153. 4
Understanding the Originality Report Once you have opened your report, you will have access to several features. 1) Your Paper 2) Sidebar 3) Similarity Percentage Review Write 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 of academic dishonesty. Be sure to use the originality report to check your work and make essential revisions before submitting it for grading. Proprietary information of Ashford University. Created/revised by Academics, 5/11/2017, CR 0163153. 5
Match: Work Submitted by Another Student If you discover that your work matches a file submitted by another student, double-check your work. Be sure to cite the original source of the information, use quotation marks, and/or paraphrase the information in your own words with a proper citation. Matches to work submitted by another student may indicate: Copy-paste from the textbook or other course materials o Resolve this error by removing all copied text and properly integrating sources with cited paraphrases, summaries, or direct quotes. o Replace unoriginal matches with your own original thoughts and ideas when appropriate. Review Check Cheating or purchasing papers online o If you have cheated or purchased a paper online, delete the file and begin creating your own original, ethical, honest work. Reach out to the writing center if you have difficulties getting started. Using unoriginal writing o Resolve this error by replacing clichés, overused phrases, and other unoriginal material with your own words. If you have difficulty rephrasing unoriginal writing, contact your instructor or reach out to the writing center. Write Recycling o If the matching paper is original work that you completed for a prior class, you must contact your instructor before you submit your work for grading. Consult the recycling policy in the Ashford Catalog > Student Rights and Responsibilities. Match: Outside Sources without Quotation Marks and/or Proper Citation If you discover that your work matches an outside source, double-check your work. Be sure to cite the original source of the information, use quotation marks, and/or paraphrase the information in your own words with a proper citation. Be sure to look for these possible writing errors: Missing or misplaced quotation marks o Resolve this error by proofreading your quotes carefully. Ensure that the quotation marks are accurately placed and spaced in the document. Doublequotation marks must be used to open and close a direct quote. Single-quotation marks must be used to indicate a quote-within-a-quote. For more information, refer to the quotation mark information in the writing center. Missing block quote format o Resolve this error by proofreading block quotes carefully. Ensure that the block quote is properly formatted according to the style guide and that the in-text citation is full, complete, and accurate. Consider saving your work as a PDF file before submitting it for grading. A PDF file will maintain your document s formatting during the uploading process. Any quote that is 40 words or longer must be formatted as a block quote according to the style guide. Visit the writing center for more information regarding block quotes. Resolve this error by removing the block quote and inserting a summary in your own words. Ensure that the summary is cited correctly. Missing or improper citation o Resolve this error by proofreading each quote carefully. All quotes must be properly formatted, punctuated, and cited. Citations for direct quotes often require additional information. Refer to the style guide and ensure all direct quotes are accurately cited intext. Proprietary information of Ashford University. Created/revised by Academics, 5/11/2017, CR 0163153. 6
Match: Incorrect Paraphrasing If you discover that parts of your work closely match an outside source, double-check your work. Be sure to cite the original source of the information and correct the paraphrase. Remember, a paraphrase is written completely in your own words. A paraphrase never copies the original source. Incorrect paraphrasing may appear as: A highlighted match with un-matched words mixed in o Resolve this error by proofreading each paraphrase closely. All paraphrases must be original and written in your own words. o Do not attempt to correct the paraphrase by changing words with a thesaurus. o Restate the entire idea in your own words and with your own voice. o Ensure that the paraphrase is properly cited in-text. Over-Use of Direct Quotes You may discover that a large percentage of your paper is comprised of direct quotes. While you have not committed plagiarism, you are guilty of unoriginal writing. Discussions and assignments should be written in a consistent voice and should illustrate your ability to understand and synthesize information. You exhibit your knowledge and skills by accurately integrating research in your own words. Direct quotes should be used very infrequently. If your Originality Report indicates that you have relied too heavily upon direct quotes, double-check your work. Be sure that you have only used a direct quote when paraphrasing or summarizing was not possible. 1) Read the quote aloud. 2) Attempt to state the information in your own words aloud. 3) Revise your work, writing the information in your own words with correct citation (paraphrase or summary). 4) Repeat steps 1-4 for each direct quote in your paper. If you are unable to paraphrase or summarize a direct quote, leave it in place. Make sure that the quotation marks or block format are correct and double-check your in-text citation. Use the ICE Method to ensure that the quote is properly incorporated into your work. More Information If you have any difficulty generating or understanding the originality report, please reach out to your instructor, your advisor, or the writing center. Submitting Your Assignment for Grading If your paper is ready to be submitted to Waypoint for grading, click on the Assignment Submission tab in your course and use the following steps: 1) Use the dropdown menu to select the appropriate learning week. 2) Click the Choose File or Browse button and select the assignment you wish to submit. 3) Make sure the dropdown menu indicates Submit for Grading. 4) Click the Upload button. 5) When a Submit for Grading document has uploaded, the paper will be visible above the draft submission, with a date and time stamp. Proprietary information of Ashford University. Created/revised by Academics, 5/11/2017, CR 0163153. 7
Video: Submitting a Paper Through Waypoint & Originality Check Process Proprietary information of Ashford University. Created/revised by Academics, 5/11/2017, CR 0163153. 8