Turnitin is an assessment tool that generates and estimates the originality of written work. The tool generates a “similarity report” by comparing an uploaded paper to a database of web pages, articles, books, and other uploaded files. When similarities exist, the tool highlights sections of the uploaded paper and displays the original source.
Check out our Turnitin: Viewing the Similarity Report / Originality Score (Student Guide) article for details on accessing your similarity report from your Canvas Turnitin submissions.
Table of Contents
This article will address the following information:
Identifying If Your Assignment Is Using Turnitin
Canvas assignments that have Turnitin enabled to generate a "similarity report" will present a required Acknowledgment Statement checkbox to students at the time of submission.
Students must check this box in order to submit the assignment, however, this is not an acceptance of the Turnitin End User License Agreement (EULA). Students are not required to accept the EULA in order to submit.
Even if not accepting the EULA, a student's submission will still be run through Turnitin and a similarity report will still be generated for the instructor to view.
Below is the language presented prior to submission of an assignment in Canvas.
By checking this box, you acknowledge that:
- Your paper will be shared with Turnitin to generate a similarity report, which your instructor and/or you can view to help you use sources more effectively in your writing.
- Your paper may be stored for comparison against future papers submitted at Yale. Your paper will not be stored as part of the larger Turnitin student database and so will not be used to check the originality of papers submitted at other universities. Turnitin does not acquire any rights to your paper.
- When you first attempt to view your similarity report, you will be prompted to accept the Turnitin End User License Agreement (EULA). This agreement is between you, the individual user (not the university), and Turnitin, LLC, the company that licenses the tool to the university for integration through Canvas. Please read the entire Turnitin EULA carefully.
- If you choose NOT to accept the Turnitin EULA, you will not be able to view the similarity report; however, your course instructor will still be able to view the report.
Please review the available resources on writing from the Poorvu Center for Teaching and Learning, the Turnitin Assignment Setting Options, and speak to your instructor if you have any questions or concerns.
If you would like further information, please contact the Poorvu Center at [email protected].
Submitting a Paper to Turnitin Through Canvas
You can submit a Canvas Turnitin assignment the same way you submit a Canvas file submission assignment.
- Navigate to the Canvas Turnitin assignment you would like to submit and click the "Submit Assignment" button in the top-right hand corner.
- You can select "File Upload" or "Text Entry" depending on what the instructor has allowed.
- Choose the file you would like to upload or enter your text in the box provided.
- Acknowledge the Turnitin statement by selecting the checkbox.
- Once the box is checked and your file / text is added, you can click the "Submit Assignment" button finalize your submission.
For more help, please contact [email protected].