Student Tips for Turnitin Submissions
This helpsheet details additional guidance for students on successfully submitting assignments to a Turnitin Submission point within a Blackboard module. If you are experiencing technical difficulties when submitting please follow the advice below:
- Internet connection: We recommend uploading your work using a strong and fast internet connection. On-campus WiFi and computers in the library are connected to a fast network suitable for this.
- Check your file-type: If you are having problems uploading, consider converting your document to .pdf. (Usually this can be found under ‘Save as’ or ‘Export to’, depending on your software. Additionally you should have the option of saving as PDF through the ‘Print’ process). You may also need to convert to .pdf or .docx if you are using software that is not directly compatible with Turnitin such Pages, OpenOffice, LibreOffice, etc.
- Internet Browsers: We recommend uploading your work using Chrome as your browser. If you are having problems with an upload, consider trying an alternative browser and see if the problem persists.
- Upload Timeout: If you are experiencing very long upload times then there may be a problem. This can be a factor of connection speeds and file-type/size. Your document should not contain large image files as this can contribute to excessive upload time on Turnitin. Consider the tips written above and if problems persist then reach out for assistance.
- Anonymisation and privacy: If submitting an assignment that contains private identifiable information, such as names of private individuals (i.e., not historical, or public figures relevant to the assignment) or other identifiable personal details, please anonymise this information before submission. This should be done by deleting the information or directly replacing text (e.g. XXXX). Do not use highlight or colour fills to obscure reading of the text, as a computer will still be able to read this information and you could inadvertently be sharing private data.
“What if I am still unable to submit to Turnitin?”
If you are unable to submit to Turnitin, and have made a good effort to resolve the issue with the information presented in this helsheet, then we advise that you do the following:
Email your Module Tutor: You should send an email to your module tutor with the following information:
- Title: The email title should include MODULE ID + ASSIGNMENT TITLE – STUDENT ID, for example your email subject line might read “Turnitin Issue – MED1001M-2021 – Project Portfolio Upload – STU12345678
- Attachments: You must attach a copy of the piece of work you are submitting as part of your assignment, attach this directly to the email, and if the file is too large, provide a link to it stored in your One Drive, with your module tutor listed as a user who can access it.
- Information: Explain to your tutor that you are experiencing problems with Turnitin, and believe that this is not something you are able to resolve, you have attached a copy of the work you want to submit and the relevant assessment ID information prior to the deadline of the submission.
- Communicating to Relevant Departments CC: It is important that you communicate this information to both your Module Tutor and ICT (ICT@lincoln.ac.uk). You may choose to CC the ICT email address so that they are also aware of the issue, and can investigate the problem with all of the relevant information you have provided.
“How do I know if the issue is only affecting me?”
You can always check the status of Turnitin by clicking on the link here: https://turnitin.statuspage.io
Information on this page will indicate a more widespread problem and you should contact your Tutor immediately.