Transcript All About Turnitin

All About Turnitin®
A Faculty Training Module
Created by
Arlene R. H. Pincus, Ph.D.
[email protected]
&
Ruth Collins, Ed.D.
[email protected]
Graduate Faculty Members
Walden University Masters in
Education Programs
.
What is Turnitin and What is its Purpose?
Turnitin (http://www.turnitin.com) is a resource that
provides students and faculty with information that they must
interpret in order to judge a paper’s authenticity and to assess
appropriate crediting of sources.
Turnitin (Tii) does the following:
•It compares the text within student papers to other sources
worldwide within a few minutes of that paper’s
submission to the Turnitin website.
•It identifies text within newly submitted papers to all
previously scanned information, including previously
stored student papers and published work.
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What Information Does Tii Provide?
For each submission, Tii provides a report that consists of the
following:
• A color-coded “similarity” percentage that answers this
question: How much of this paper matches data that are in Tii’s
database?
• Boldfaced, color-coded, and numbered matching wording that is
congruent to wording already in the Tii database.
• Sources of matching information.
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The Students’ and Instructors’ Roles in This Process:
The Tii report is a learning tool for students and an assessment tool
for instructors.
Students must review their Tii reports, interpret them, and edit their
work accordingly.
Instructors must review students’ Tii reports and interpret them,
responding to problems instructionally unless there is clear intent to
plagiarize, in which case Walden’s academic honesty policies
should be in play. Sanctions may apply at that point and instructors
would contact their program director.
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How Should Students Interpret Tii Reports?
Slide number 7, Example 1 Tii Report, shows that portions of
that paper match another student’s paper and/or match published
work.
The student should have identified sources of any matches. It is
possible that the phrases are commonly used phrases. Other
possible and inconsequential matches might include cover
pages, references, rubrics and/or grading tables from the
instructor.
If the matches are clearly inconsequential, such as the sources
discussed above, there is no additional reference work needed.
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What About Those Percentages?
Papers cannot be identified as problematic or non-problematic by
considering only the total percentages. A paper with a 46%
match may include a standard rubric and/or grading table,
common phrases, or appropriate quotations (standard or block,
which are more difficult to see in Turnitin) and be perfectly fine.
A paper with a 10% match may have one or more academic
violations. The only sure way to tell if a paper is acceptable is for
the student and the instructor to look at each Turnitin report and
judge it individually.
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Example 1: What Does a Tii Report Actually Look
Like, and What Does it Show?
Above is an example of both sides of a TII report. The paper’s text is to
the left, and the matches are to the right. The blue text (3) is in
quotations and has a correct citation that matches the source. The red
text (1) is a properly constructed reference identifying a Walden
textbook. All the matches not explained here are acceptable uses;
therefore, the 27% similarity shown is not a concern.
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Example 2: Making Inferences from Tii Matches.
In the above example (blue), the student has included a
large amount of text that is in Tii’s database. The student
clearly identified the source and page number in the
citation and referenced the book at the end of the paper.
Nevertheless, there are 3 questions to consider, as follows:
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Making Inferences from Tii Matches
(continued)
1. Why does the matching text indicate that it comes from student
papers, when the citation indicates that the source is a
published text?
2. If the student hasn’t used quotation marks around the blue text,
what claim does the student’s paper make?
3. Which of these questions indicates a problem, and how should
the problem be solved?
(Please take a moment to reflect on these questions
before viewing the next slide).
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About Question 1:
Why does the matching text indicate that it comes from
student papers, when the in-text citation indicates that the
source is a published text?
Remember that Tii is a matching program. Tii has matched this text
to the most recent source it has in its database. Other students have
cited this paragraph from Costa and Kallick’s book, and Tii indicates
the most recent match. So is there a different problem?
(Pause and consider, before reading more…)
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What Does the Match As We See It Indicate?
(continued)
The match makes the claim that the text in blue is paraphrased.
• It is highly unlikely that two students have paraphrased
identical text in an identical manner.
• The student should return to the original text, and decide if
is best to paraphrase the idea or use Costa and Kallick’s
words.
• If the student wants to quote these authors exactly, the
matching text requires quotation marks. This is necessary
because the text is quoted and not paraphrased.
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How Will the Instructor Interpret the Report?
(continued)
If the student fails to change the quote into a paraphrase or
supply quotation marks around the text, the instructor will
receive a paper that fails to properly quote text used verbatim.
• The student needs guidance on the difference between
paraphrasing and quoting.
• If this continues after feedback, the penalty should be an
appropriate reduction in grade. The instructor will consider
filing an academic warning report.
• To include the verbatim text in a paper, quote marks are
required.
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Example 3a: A Large Amount of Unattributed Text
The red text at the left shows that 51% of the submission is
redundant with at least one other student paper. A closer
inspection shows that the match is actually a grading table
used by this instructor and pasted into each of the students’
papers each week. Most probably, the instructor has asked
students not to submit these feedback tables to Tii, but the
match does not indicate plagiarism.
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Example 3b: A Large Amount of Unattributed Text
(continued)
The matching text (1, in red, above) requires interpretation. Tii indicates
that the source of match 1 is a student’s paper from another term. Either the
student already knows that the matching text comes from another student,
or the student should realize that this is a quote not properly attributed. If
the student submits this paper as is, the instructor should query the student.
If it is plagiarized material, the paper would receive a zero and the
instructor should file an academic-violation form. This form is found on the
Walden Faculty Portal.
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Summary: How should students use Turnitin?
Students are responsible for:
• Submitting papers to Tii before actual due dates so the reports
can inform students’ submitted papers.
• Using reports to notice what text in papers match text in
Turnitin’s database.
• Evaluating each match to determine whether it is:
• material that is appropriately quoted, cited, and referenced
or
• material that might be better paraphrased (still cited and
referenced) than directly quoted.
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Possibilities to Consider Arranged by Increasing
Degree of Concern
Percent
Match indicates
Possible
Explanations
Appropriate Student
Action Prior to
Submitting Paper
Appropriate
Instructor Action
Only if Paper is
Problematic
All
percents
above
zero.
• Portions of the
paper match
another student’s
paper and/or
match published
work.
The paper contains
appropriate
matches, such as:
Instructors should not
comment on
acceptable matches.
• Some or all of
these matches
may be cover
sheets, commonly
used language.
They may also be
citations,
reference, or
grading
information.
•Question words that
are used in the
answer; similarity is
explained by the fact
that many students
have done the same
thing.
You should notice
each match. Consider
its original source. If
it is one of those
noted to the left,
there is no need for
Turnitin generated
corrections.
•Instances of correctly
cited quotations.
You know these
matches are
acceptable through
your own judgment
which will be
confirmed if your
instructor does not
comment on them.
This will confirm to
the student that the
work is acceptable.
(Continued on next
slide…)
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Possibilities to Consider, Arranged by Increasing
Degree of Concern
(continued)
Percent
Match
Indicates
Possible
Interpretations
Appropriate Student
Action Prior to
Submitting Paper
Appropriate
Instructor Action
All
percents
above
zero.
Portions of the
paper match
another
student’s
paper and/or
match
published
work.
More Appropriate
Matches:
If your matches are of the
type described to the left,
consider the following:
If the paper has
matches that are of the
type to the left
described as
appropriate, and the
student’s percentage
match is high, this
means the student
hasn’t written much in
the paper that is
original. The student’s
grade should reflect
that.
The paper may
contain a Walden
figure or chart. This is
appropriate, but the
figure or chart should
be properly
referenced.
•
If you have cited a
Walden figure or chart or a
scholarly section of the
course website, you must
cite these matches.
•
If such sources or
other appropriate
quotations explain a high
percentage, this means
you haven’t written much
in the paper that is
original. Your grade will
probably reflect this.
(continued)
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Possibilities to Consider, Arranged by Increasing
Degree of Concern
(continued)
Percent
Match Indicates
Possible Interpretations
Appropriate
Student Action
Prior to
Submitting Paper
Appropriate
Instructor Action
All percents
above zero
There are
portions of the
paper that match
another
student’s paper
and/or match
published work
More Appropriate
Matches:
In some instances,
there could be
disagreement, but
it is trivial; you
should ask your
instructor about
matches that you
think fall into this
category to be sure
you agree.
Talk with students
about the line
between scholarly
ideas that should
be attributed and
ideas that have
migrated into
common parlance.
Matches may be cultural
phrases or professional
jargon that we would not
attribute to anyone.
Examples:
• Leveled text is a term
used in many published
and unpublished
conversations about
reading.
• Cooperative learning and
classroom management
are part of the
professional educational
lingo
(Continued on next
slide…)
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Possibilities to Consider, Arranged by Increasing
Degree of Concern
(continued)
Percent
Matches
Indicates
Possible
Interpretations
Appropriate Student
Action Prior to
Submitting Paper
Appropriate
Instructor Action
Percent
is close
to or 100
The paper
completely
matches
another paper
that is in the
Turnitin
database.
Either the student has
re-purposed a paper
that was submitted to
another class in which
the student was
enrolled or the
student has copied
another student’s
paper.
You should not submit
this paper.
• Policies about re
purposing should be
routinely posted
classrooms.
Walden does not allow
students to re-use
papers that have been
graded and submitted to
Turnitin. Whether you
dropped the course or
failed it in the past is of
no consequence.
You can be dismissed
from Walden University if
you submit work that is
not your own.
• Follow you program’s
procedures to be sure
this student does not
have a history of
plagiarism.
• If the student has
plagiarized a paper
then a formal
plagiarism report must
be filed as per Walden
policy.
Please use the
Academic Honesty
Violation Report Form
that you will find when
you log onto the
Faculty Portal.
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Re-Cap: Purposes for Using Turnitin
• Instructors and students are part of communities that honor
scholarship, and we credit those upon whose research we rely;
•
The purpose of Turnitin is to bring potential citation problems
to the attention of students and their instructors, so that all may
actively interpret matches to the Turnitin database;
•
Turnitin helps all in the scholarly community to review
papers, thus ensuring that the work of others is properly
credited;
• Turnitin protects students who are interested in joining the
community of scholars.
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What Prerequisite Understanding of Plagiarism
Facilitates Understanding of Turnitin reports?
To read about the dividing line that separates quotations and
paraphrasing, use this link to The Writing Center’s discussion,
What is Plagiarism? for information on that distinction
between the two:
http://inside.waldenu.edu/c/Student_Faculty/StudentFaculty_3667.htm
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Additional Important Prerequisites: The Other
Information Walden Supplies About Scholarly Writing
For Walden information about APA formatting for citations and
references, use these links to:
The Walden Writing Center
http://inside.waldenu.edu/c/Student_Faculty/StudentFaculty_562.htm
The Walden Writing Center’s APA Template for M.S.
Education Assignments (Enriched Text file)
http://inside.waldenu.edu/c/Files/DocsWritingCenter/APA_Template_MS_Ed_Assignments.rtf
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