In the last module, we talked about the pitfalls of plagiarism. Now let’s shift the conversation to tools here at Trident that enable students to avoid misconduct. After submitting your first Case and SLP, you may have noticed a “TURNITIN” report that indicated a % score which could be clicked to reveal matches. For this discussion, we’ll learn how to critically analyze the report and see how it can be helpful in the future.
TURNITIN: 101
The TURNITIN program is employed to check Originality. If a submission is too SIMILAR to other sources, TURNITIN will detect similarities. The closer the TURNITIN score is to 100%; the probability is increased that it is considered plagiarism. Other than the limited use of direct quotations that indicatively support research, copying and pasting from sources raises a red flag for TURNITIN software.
NOTE ABOUT QUOTES: If you EXCLUDE quotes and the similarity percentage score in TURNITIN goes down significantly, this means there are too many quotes, and you may not understand the materials. Genuine research is about adding to collective thought, not repeating the thoughts of others.
Look at the sections that are in color … these are sections that are deemed NOT ORIGINAL. The program may state that the section is the same as a student’s submission, but realize that said student may have copied the information from a website or book. Either way, if you see large passages in color, there is an issue with the paper. This means the paper contains copied (plagiarized) passages. In this case, the paper may either receive a lower grade or be returned to a student for revisions.
Some students “patchwork” assignments. “Patchworking” refers to changing a word here and there in a paragraph. It tells your professor that you are editing as opposed to paraphrasing or explaining and probably do not understand the concepts being discussed. TURNITIN marks patchwork as well.
Module 2 Discussion Week 1 Resources
Turnitin Resources
Interpreting the similarity score Excluding content from the Similarity Report Top 7 Things to Know About Turnitin (2023) Turnitin celebrates 25 years in global academic integrity (2023)
Scholarly Readings:
Analysis of Support Tools for Plagiarism Detection (2023) Download PDF Why Do Students Plagiarise? An Empirical Study on Built Environment Students Amidst COVID-19 (2023) Download PDF
Week 1 Discussion Post
Select the TURNITIN report for your Case or SLP and analyze it. (Please contact your instructor immediately if you do not have a TURNITIN report.) Although you are asked to answer questions about the Turnitin report, treat it as a discussion and not a bullet point of answers. The ability to communicate effectively in writing is an important asset for professionals.
· What is the Similarity Score percentage?
· Does the percentage change significantly when you omit the quotes?
· If it does not change much, explain what that means.
· If it goes down significantly, explain what that means and what updates are suggested.
· Do you believe that the paper contains unoriginal content? Why or why not?
This post should be 2 paragraphs (150-200 words). No research is required; this is a reflection assignment.