Understanding Your Turnitin Report
Learn how to interpret Turnitin similarity reports, understand percentage scores, and take appropriate action based on your results.
What You'll Learn
Understanding Turnitin
Turnitin is a widely-used plagiarism detection service that compares submitted papers against a vast database of academic papers, web content, and other student submissions.
The system generates a similarity report showing the percentage of text that matches existing sources, helping educators identify potential plagiarism and students understand proper citation practices.
Similarity Index
The overall percentage of text that matches existing sources in the database.
Source Matches
Detailed breakdown showing specific sources and the percentage of matching text for each.
Detailed Report
Interactive document highlighting matched text with links to original sources.
Step-by-Step Guide
Access Your Report
Log into your Turnitin account or access the report through your learning management system. The similarity percentage will be displayed prominently.
Configure Report Settings
Adjust the report settings to exclude quotes, bibliography, and small matches to get a more accurate picture of potential issues.
Review Each Match
Click on each colored section to see the matching source. Evaluate whether the match represents plagiarism or acceptable similarity.
Interpret Your Score
Use the percentage ranges below as general guidelines, but always examine the actual content and context of matches.
Interpreting Your Results
Similarity Percentage
The percentage alone doesn't indicate plagiarism - you must examine what content is actually matched and from which sources.
Context Matters
Consider the type of assignment, field of study, and whether matches are from properly cited sources or common knowledge.
What Does the Asterisk (*) Mean?
In a Turnitin report, the asterisk (*) preceding a percentage, such as *15%, indicates that the AI writing detection score is below 20%, and no specific percentage is displayed due to a potential for false positives with low-threshold scores. This is a positive indicator, showing either no AI writing was detected or only a minimal, potentially inaccurate, amount of it was found.
Important Considerations
Please note that both AI detection and plagiarism scores should be interpreted within the context of your specific use case, assignment type, and institutional guidelines. These tools are designed to assist in academic integrity assessment, not to provide definitive judgments.
Different institutions and disciplines may have varying thresholds for what constitutes acceptable similarity percentages. What might be concerning in one context could be perfectly acceptable in another, especially for technical writing, literature reviews, or research that builds upon established knowledge.
Always consider the nature of your content, the purpose of your assignment, and consult with your instructor or institution's guidelines when interpreting these scores. Use these tools as part of a comprehensive approach to ensuring academic integrity, rather than relying solely on numerical thresholds.
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