Interpreting Originality Reports from Turnitin

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Interpreting Originality Reports from Turnitin

This helpsheet will guide on you interpreting an Originality Report in Turnitin. This report details the matched text found in Turnitin’s database of student papers, current and archived internet and periodicals, journals, & publications.

Match Overview

Only the top sources are shown in the Match Overview panel.
Matches are numbered, colour coded and listed in highest to lowest percentage of matching word area to the submission.

To view All Sources, select the red graph icon from the similarity toolbar (the icon should be below the similarity score and the funnel icon).
You can now see a large list of all the sources for this paper. Please note that you can select any of these matches to be directed to it on your paper.

A screenshot of the Match Overview tab in the Turnitin Feedback Studio. A list of sources are displayed and ranked by the percentage of the paper submitted that matches these sources.

Click on the highlighted text in the paper to see the source of the matching text and some of the surrounding text.
To see the Full Source Text and origin of the match click Full Source View.

A screenshot of two sentences in a submitted essay. The sentences are highlighted in red, and a tab is shown above the sentence, it displays the paper title and segment that has been referenced from another paper, and has flagged in the similarity report.

View Match Breakdown and Exclude Sources

Click on chart icon that contains a downward facing arrow, which is located underneath the Match Overview Score, and you will be redirected to All Sources.
You can now see a large list of all the sources concerning this particular match. Click any of these matches to be directed to it on your paper.
You can expand any of the items listed to see the ‘overlapping’ sources.
If a match is not needed it is possible to exclude sources and recalculate the similarity index.

A screenshot of the All Sources tab of the Turnitin Feedback Studio. A source that has flagged as 9% has been expanded to reveal the overlapping sources and how the percentage has been calculated. An Exclude Sources button is displayed at the bottom of the screen.

Filters & Settings

Click on the Filter icon to manage the filters and settings for that Originality Report e.g. exclude quotes, bibliography and small matches.
Please note: Excluding quotes, bibliography and small matches will result in a recalculation of the similarity index and can have a significant impact on the percentage.

A screenshot of the Filter and Settings tab of the Turnitin Feedback Studio. Options are shown to exclude quotes, exclude bibliography, exclude material that is less than a specified number of words or percentage and whether to use multi colour highlighting.

View/Edit Excluded Sources

To restore sources you have excluded, click on the “no” symbol. Select the sources you would like to restore or restore all.
As a student, any exclusions you make to your Similarity Report will not reflect your official similarity score.
Student changes are only temporary.
If you believe your instructor should make exclusions to officially adjust your score, please contact them.

A screenshot of the Turnitin Feedback Studio Exclusions tab. Two grey buttons are shown in the bottom part of the screen, one is labelled Restore and the other is labelled Restore All.

Extra options

A screenshot of two icons in the Turnitin Feedback Studio. They are labelled 1 and 2. The first icon, 1, is a downward pointing arrow representing that you can download a report. The second icon, 2, is an i in a circle representing more information.

Print/download the paper.
See more information about the paper.