Skip to main content

Academic Success Centre

UFV/Academic Success Centre/Writing support tools/Check your work for plagiarism (Turnitin)

Check your work for plagiarism (Turnitin)

What is Turnitin?

It's an online tool that you and your instructor can use to check for plagiarism in the content of your written work. After creating your account, you'll be able to add courses using the class ID and enrollment keys provided by your instructors and the Academic Success Centre.

Why should I use Turnitin?

Turnitin is a great tool that you should consider using regularly to help you stay away from plagiarism. Here are a few examples of when you would use it while working on an assignment: 

  • As part of a group project so that you all have a way of double-checking the authenticity of each others' contributions
  • As a way of checking your own ability to paraphrase and use quotations effectively and honestly

Note: Some of your instructors will require you to use it and will have it set up as part of their course.

 

 How do I use the ASC Turnitin account as a UFV student?

  1. Log into myClass (Blackboard)
  2. Use the navigation menu to go to the Courses section 
  3. Click on the Course Catalog icon at the top right corner of your screen
  4. In the search field, type ASC
  5. In the search results, under Course ID, hover over the title askASC and then click on the arrow that appears
  6. Click Enroll
  7. Click Submit

  1. Log into myClass (Blackboard)
  2. Use the navigation menu to go to the Courses section
  3. Click on the askASC course in your current courses list
  4. Click the Turn It In link in the left hand navigation
  5. Find the Turn It In Class ID and Enrollment Key for the current semester

How does Turnitin work?

We have answers to your most common questions about Turnitin.

You can submit one document three times and receive an instant similarity report each time. After that, you will be required to wait 24 hours for your next report. You can submit a different document during that time but it will still take 24 hours to receive a report.

It's free for all UFV students. By accessing the ASC Turnitin "course" called Academic Integrity Matters at UFV, you can use Turnitin for free yourself anytime even if your instructor hasn't made it available to you through their course.

The ASC has set up its Turnitin course so that your paper is not added to the larger repository of written work that makes up the global database. If your paper is added to the database, it becomes part of the pool of written work that any submission is compared to (that's a good thing because the larger the database, the more confident you and your instructor can be about the results).

We opted out of this for any submissions to the Academic Integrity Matters at UFV because we want to give you a chance to check your paper before it is officially submitted to your instructor. If the submission to the ASC course is added to the database, then the official submission to the instructor would be flagged as highly plagiarized because it matches a paper (your own) that has become part of the database of previous submissions.

The only people besides yourself who can see what you submit are the administrative staff of the Academic Success Centre (the Coordinator and the Learning Strategist).

We're happy to connect you with a tutor to discuss how to improve your paper and avoid plagiarism, but generally, we will wait for you to ask for that help. We are not routinely looking through the submissions and contacting students who use this service.

When Turnitin gives you feedback, it creates a list of icons on your page. One of these icons looks like a stack of papers and has the letters ETS in the box. If you click that icon, you are given the "e-rater results" which is the feedback on grammar, mechanics, style, usage, and spelling. On your paper itself, you will see words and phrases highlighted with a tag identifying the type of problem (e.g., article error, sp., proofread, etc.). Click on the error label to open a pop-up window with detailed explanations and suggestions.

No, but it will flag words and phrases that are problematic. In addition to flagging plagiarism, Turnitin can help you identify errors in grammar, usage, and spelling. It won't give you the correction, but often just having your attention drawn to a problem is enough for you to begin solving it yourself.

Remember that you can always consult with a tutor at the ASC if you can't figure out some of the information Turnitin is giving you.

No. You are welcome to use the ASC Turnitin at any time for any written work, but doing so will not submit your assignment to your instructor.

You must use your instructor's course in Turnitin for any submissions related to your course work. And, if you are using your instructor's Turnitin to check your work, remember that you also need to submit it through Blackboard or whatever method your instructor has specified.

 

Protection of privacy and use of personal information

Because you are using Turn It In through UFV's Blackboard system, you have logged in with your student ID and that ID will be connected to whatever document you upload. You do not have to put your real name directly on the document though.

As a UFV student, you are allowed to submit your work through the Academic Success Centre TurnItIn account on the terms stipulated in the agreement between the ASC and Turnitin. This agreement includes the retention of your submitted work as part of the Turnitin database. 

Please be aware that Turnitin servers reside in the United States. Accordingly, UFV suggests that you use an anonymous identity in your interactions with Turnitin. If you have concerns about using Turnitin, you should consult with your instructor in advance of any submission deadline.