This is a preliminary document I’ve prepared as a support reference for an upcoming forum on assessment. Its intended audience is academic staff who are highly unfamiliar with online technology.

1. Turnitin Information Sheet
Overview
Turnitin is an online system for creating “submission boxes” for student written work. It can
be used either in conjunction with a learning management system, such as Blackboard or
Moodle, or independently from the Turnitin website.
Assignments are uploaded using a simple web-based form. This process can be completed
either by students, or by instructors on behalf of students. Once uploaded, instructors are
able to access the entire cohort’s assignments from one place, as well as perform a variety
of other tasks.
Most commonly, this involves plagiarism detection. Uploaded files are compared against a
large collection of material for any similarities. Sources include assignments submitted by
students around the world, web pages, books, journal articles and academic publications.
When the comparison process is complete a value is displayed for each file that indicates
the percentage of the work that matches other sources. A report is also generated that
indicates which portions of the assignment were flagged as similar, and what source they
matched.
Assignments can be read and marked online in a browser window or downloaded to a local
computer. When used in conjunction with a learning management system, Turnitin also
synchronises marks and student enrollments with the Grade Centre.
Resources
● TELT Turnitin Support Site: http://telt.unsw.edu.au/turnitin/
● Uses of Turnitin - Andrew Chambers (video): http://tv.unsw.edu.au/video/uses-of-
turnitin-andrew-chambers
● Setting up Turnitin Submission Boxes (video): http://tv.unsw.edu.au/video/setting-up-
turnitin-submission-boxes
Further Information
Mike Bogle
Educational Technologist
Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
Em: m.bogle@unsw.edu.au
Ph: 9385 2796