What happens if I submit on Turnitin?

Turnitin is a popular plagiarism detection software used by many educational institutions. When students submit their work on Turnitin, the software compares the text to its extensive database of web content, journals, books, and previously submitted student work to check for potential plagiarism. But what exactly happens when you hit that dreaded submit button? This guide will walk you step-by-step through the Turnitin submission and feedback process.

Overview of the Turnitin Similarity Report

After submitting your paper on Turnitin, you‘ll receive a coloredSimilarity Report highlighting any text from your work that matches sources in Turnitin‘s database. Here‘s a quick overview of what the different colored highlight percentages mean:

• Green (0-24%) – Low level of matching text. Likely quotes and citations properly attributed.
• Yellow (25-49%) – Moderate level of matching text. Paraphrasing and analysis should be increased.
• Orange (50-74%) – High level of matching text. Significant revision required even if not plagiarized.
• Red (75-100%) – Very high level of matching text. High chance of plagiarism requiring corrections.

While there are no absolute rules, most experts recommend keeping your Turnitin score below 15-20% for an original paper with properly used quotes and citations. Higher percentages may indicate relying too heavily on quotes or close paraphrasing rather than original analysis. However, some disciplines like law and humanities that require extensive referencing can reasonably expect higher scores. The key is checking that all source usage is properly attributed.

Why Your Turnitin Score May Be High

There are a few common reasons your similarity percentage may be higher than ideal on Turnitin:

• Too many direct quotes – Limit quotes to only the most critical text and aim to paraphrase sources instead.
• Heavy reliance on citations – Try to balance citations with your own original analysis.
• Bibliographies or appendices – Large blocks of standard text from citations can increase your score.
• Common terminology – Some technical terms and phrases may match other papers.
• Paper mills or recycling old work – Reusing work entirely or in portions will get flagged.

Tips for Reducing Your Turnitin Similarity Score

If your similarity score seems too high, here are some tips to reduce it:

• Properly quote and cite all sources used, including paraphrased content.
• Avoid overquoting – use only the essential text needed to support your points.
• Paraphrase sources by putting things completely in your own words.
• Focus on adding original analysis and insight to balance cited material.
• Remove block quotation citations from the paper body and place them in footnotes or appendices instead.
• Replace commonly overused terms and phrases with synonyms.
• Run your paper through Turnitin‘s Revision Assistant for feedback before your final submission.

What Happens When You Resubmit to Turnitin?

If your instructor allows it, you may resubmit a paper to Turnitin to replace the previous submission. Turnitin will overwrite the old similarity report with a new one generated from the resubmission. Your similarity percentage will be recalculated based on the latest version only.

However, be aware that Turnitin does not allow immediate back-to-back resubmissions. After your 3rd submission, you‘ll have to wait 24 hours before Turnitin will generate a new similarity report. This prevents students from quickly modifying their paper to try to "beat" Turnitin‘s system. So make sure you carefully review your work before multiple submissions.

Can My Instructor See All My Turnitin Submissions?

Yes, when you submit to Turnitin through an assignment link in your institution‘s learning management system (like Canvas), your instructor can see all submissions made for that assignment. So even if you overwrite an old draft with a new file, your professor still has access to view your revision history and previous similarity reports if they choose.

How Long Does Turnitin Store Student Papers?

Turnitin maintains a vast database of all student papers ever submitted through their system. Once your work is submitted, it becomes part of the Turnitin repository and will always be associated with your name.

However, some schools opt to use a local institutional repository that does not add student papers to Turnitin‘s general database. In this case, your work is only stored within your university‘s internal collection. Students may also request removal of their work from Turnitin‘s database after grading, but it is up to the instructor whether to approve the request.

Understanding Turnitin‘s Plagiarism Flags

In addition to the colored similarity score highlighting, Turnitin also uses flags to indicate possible issues related to academic dishonesty in a submitted paper. Different colored flags include:

• Red – Manipulated text, hidden text, or suspected cheating based on submission pattern
• Purple – High similarity to previously submitted works, indicating recycling
• Orange – Potentially missing citations for identified source material
• Blue – Percentage of text from a single source exceeds allowable limit

So be sure to check for any flags on your Turnitin report and address the problematic areas that are flagged accordingly.

Strategies to Check Your Work Before Final Submission

To avoid surprises from Turnitin‘s similarity report and flags, students can take some proactive steps before uploading their final draft including:

• Use Turnitin‘s Viewer to check parts of your paper for potential issues.
• Have a friend review your paper for proper source usage.
• Use citation management tools like EasyBib to organize and correctly format citations.
• Copy and paste sections into a Google search to identify any problematic phrases.
• Review your paper summary in Turnitin for "Top Matches" before submitting.

Carefully checking your work first and addressing any errors or weaknesses can help minimize any flags and surprises when your full report is generated.

In Conclusion

Dealing with Turnitin submissions can be stressful, but understanding the process will help you navigate it smoothly. Focus on properly crediting sources, minimizing large block quotes, and balancing citations with original ideas. And don‘t forget to proofread your paper thoroughly before that final upload to avoid any unpleasant surprises! With some practice and care, you‘ll be submitting plagiarism-free papers that earn high marks.