Turnitin Instructor Guide-Similarity report
Turnitin operating model
Instrucor self-submission paper check
(Choose one of the following choices)
Similarity report (classic report)
- Accessing the Similarity Report
- Similaritiy Scour percentage rangers
- Using the Match Overview and Match Breakdown
- Viewing all sources
Managing exclusions and filters (classic report)
- Exclude quotes and bibliography
- Matches by word count or %
- Excluding sources via Match Overview
- Excluding sources via All Sources
- Restoring excluded sources
Similarity report (Enhanced report)
Managing filters and exclusions (Enhanced report)
FAQ
- Requesting the deletion of submissions
- Error message: "The password for this account has expired"
- Account Locked Due to Inactivity for More Than 6 Months
Similarity Report
A Similarity Report is generated for each submission according to the assignment settings. Reports are stored in the assignment inbox within each class.
- Select the All Classes tab at the top of any page to open the main homepage.
- Select the class containing the assignment you want to view.
- Locate the assignment and select View under the Actions column to open the assignment inbox.
- In the Similarity column, select the similarity percentage to open the Similarity Report in a new window.
Note: A greyed-out icon in the Similarity column indicates that the report is still being generated or that assignment settings are delaying report generation.
Turnitin does not determine whether a submission contains plagiarism. It compares the submission against its database and highlights text that matches or is similar to available sources for the instructor to review.
When a Similarity Report is available, the similarity score percentage appears in the assignment inbox.
The report-icon color represents the proportion of matching text found in the submission. Similarity scores range from 0% to 100%.
| Blue | No matching text |
| Green | One word to 24% matching text |
| Yellow | 25% to 49% matching text |
| Orange | 50% to 74% matching text |
| Red | 75% to 100% matching text |
A match is a string of text that is the same as or very similar to text in another source.
Matches are highlighted in the document, and the highlight colors correspond to the sources listed in the side panel.
Step 1. Select the red numerical similarity score in the Similarity toolbar to open Match Overview.
If the similarity layer is inactive, this action activates it and highlights all matches in the document.
Step 2. The Match Overview panel displays a list of matches and the percentage of the submission that matches each source, ordered from highest to lowest.
Step 3. Select the arrow beside a similarity percentage to view the match in more detail.
Step 4. The Match Breakdown panel displays all sources for the selected match, including duplicate sources. Select a source to view it.
Step 5. A source box appears in the document to show where matching text appears in the source.
Select the book icon in the upper-right corner of the source box to view the full source.
You can also open the source box by selecting the numbered match flag beside the highlighted text.
Step 6. A source box appears in the document to show where matching text appears in the source. Select the book icon in the upper-right corner of the source box to view the full source. You can also open the source box by selecting the numbered match flag beside the highlighted text.
A source is where a particular match was found. A source may contain multiple matching passages.
The All Sources panel lists all identified sources, including overlapping sources, in descending order of similarity percentage.
Step 1. Select the red All Sources icon in the Similarity toolbar.
If the similarity layer is inactive, this action activates it and highlights all matches in the document.
Step 2. Sources are listed in descending order in the All Sources panel.
Select a source to display the number of matches found for that source in the submission.
Step 3. Use the navigation arrows at the top of the All Sources panel to view each match for the selected source. The document scrolls to the relevant passage, and a source box appears over the matching text.
