Beyond Plagiarism: Using Turnitin to Foster Academic Integrity and Citation Skills

Last updated on March 17, 2025

As an instructor, fostering students’ ability to cite sources properly and produce original work is essential for their academic and professional development. Turnitin’s integration with Canvas offers a seamless approach to support students in mastering citation and research skills. By utilizing Turnitin, you can guide your students in understanding the importance of source credibility, accurate citation practices, and the value of originality in their writing. More importantly, Turnitin’s role extends beyond plagiarism detection. It is a powerful resource to encourage meaningful learning and improved academic habits.

While Turnitin is commonly associated with detecting plagiarism, it is most effective when used as a teaching tool rather than a punitive measure. Framing Turnitin as a resource for promoting academic development fosters a positive learning environment. Students can use the Similarity Reports to reflect on their writing, identify areas for improvement, and deepen their understanding of proper citation and academic integrity. This approach shifts the focus from “catching” plagiarism to cultivating better research and writing practices. 

To effectively use Turnitin as a teaching tool, it is essential to understand the best practices for implementation. The following guidelines will help you maximize its benefits while fostering a supportive experience for students. 

Let’s walk through it together

Best Practices

When should I use Turnitin?

• When requiring a text entry assignment: Turnitin is a valuable tool for any written assignment where you want to review students’ work for proper citation, source integration, and originality. 

• When Citation Skills are Critical to the Assignment: As an instructor, you can use Turnitin to teach students proper citation methods. By using this student guide and reviewing Similarity Reports, students can identify uncited content and correct it, reinforcing their understanding of academic writing conventions.

• When Researching Credible Sources is Required: If you notice a student has not properly cited sources, it’s an opportunity for a constructive conversation. Discussing proper citation practices helps reinforce academic integrity and improve their skills. Refer them to the Academic Integrity Resource page on the MSU Denver website for additional resources and guidance on citing sources effectively.

When should I set this up?

• During Assignment Creation: You can enable Turnitin after creating an assignment and even after students have submitted their work. However, it is highly recommended to enable it before publishing the assignment to ensure proper functionality and consistency. Follow the directions below to enable Turnitin while creating an assignment in Canvas. Once an assignment is submitted, Similarity Reports are automatically generated, giving you and the students immediate feedback on their use of sources and citation practices. This helps reinforce academic skills and supports a more reflective writing process.

When should I not use this?

• Non-Written Assignments: Turnitin may not apply to assignments that do not involve written content, such as presentations or creative projects.
• Short Assignments: Turnitin will not generate a Similarity Score for assignments with fewer than 20 words.

How should I use the Similarity Report?

After students submit their assignments, Turnitin generates a Similarity Report that highlights matched text. You can use this report to guide students in improving their citation practices rather than penalizing them. Review Turnitin’s Overview of Similarity Reports for a more in-depth guide on how to read and utilize the various elements it provides. Start by reviewing the highlighted text to determine whether the matches indicate improper citation, missing attributions, or correctly cited sources. Use this opportunity to engage students in a conversation about academic integrity, proper source integration, and effective paraphrasing. Encourage students to view the report as a tool for self-improvement, helping them refine their writing and research skills. Providing constructive feedback and discussing strategies for revising their work will reinforce proper citation habits and support their academic growth. A few key recommendations for this process are outlined below.

• Using Integrity Flags: Turnitin’s Integrity Flags highlight potential instances of text manipulation, such as hidden characters or replaced text, that may indicate an attempt to bypass similarity detection. While not definitive proof of misconduct, these flags help instructors identify areas that may require further review.

• If you notice a student has not properly cited sources, it’s an opportunity for a constructive conversation. Below are some conversation starters to help frame discussions with students in a supportive way:

• Guiding a Student Toward Improvement
  • “I noticed that some of your highlighted text in the Similarity Report closely matches existing sources. Let’s take a look at how you’re incorporating and citing these sources. What was your thought process when writing this section?”
  • “Your report shows some text matches that might indicate missing citations or paraphrasing issues. How comfortable do you feel with paraphrasing and citing sources? Would you like to go over some strategies together?”
• Reinforcing the Learning Opportunity
  • “I see that your similarity score is a bit high. That doesn’t necessarily mean there’s a problem, but it does give us a chance to make sure your citations and paraphrasing are clear. Let’s go through it together.”

At the beginning of the course, consider modeling how to use the Similarity Report by submitting a sample assignment and walking students through the results. This can help demystify the tool, set expectations for proper citation, and show students how to use the report as a resource for improving their writing rather than as a punitive measure. 

Note: When students submit a Turnitin assignment, they will be required to check a box agreeing to the tool’s End User License Agreement and affirming that they are submitting their own, original work.

Directions

Creating a Turnitin-Enabled Assignment in Canvas:

1. Log in to Canvas.
2. Select the Course you’d like to work in.
3. Click Modules in the left-hand course navigation menu.
4. Scroll down to the Module that you’d like to add a Turnitin assignment to.
5. Click the + icon in the top right-hand corner of the module.
6. Click Create Assignment.
7. Enter a Name for the assignment.
8. Click Add Item in the bottom right-hand corner.
9. Click the Assignment at the bottom of the module.
10. Click Edit in the top right-hand corner.
11. Enter Instructions for the assignment in the large text field below the name.
12. Scroll down to Submission Type.
13. Click the Drop-Down Menu that says “No Submission”.
14. Click Online.
15. Select Text Entry, File Upload, or both.
16. Scroll down to Plagiarism Review.
17. Click the Drop-Down Menu that says “None”.
18. Select Turnitin.
    • You can choose to exclude the Bibliography or Quotes from being flagged as similar content. It is not recommended to modify any of the other settings.
19. Choose Other Assignment Settings as desired.
20. Click Save and Publish at the bottom of the page.

Accessing and Interpreting the Similarity Report:

Once a student submits their work to a Turnitin assignment, a Similarity Report will be generated showing what percentage of the content is similar to publicly accessible content or content uploaded to Turnitin’s database.

To access the Similarity Report in Canvas:

1. Open the Assignment that you would like to view Similarity Reports for.
2. Click Speedgrader on the right-hand side.
3. Locate the Student that you would like to view the similarity report using the arrows or drop-down menu in the top right-hand corner.
4. Click on the Colored Icon next to the left of the file name on the right-hand side of the screen.
   • The icon may be colored green, yellow, or red and will display a percentage indicating how much of the submission is similar to reference material. A lower score is better.
   • If this is your first time accessing Turnitin, you will be prompted to agree to the terms and conditions before seeing the report.
5. Click Filters in the top right-hand corner of the page to choose which sources to check for similarity or choose certain elements to exclude.
6. Click the Show Overlapping Sources to view multiple similar sources for a particular passage.
7. Click on any of the Similar Sources in the right-hand panel to view what passages are similar.
   • Please note that to protect the intellectual property rights of Turnitin users, you cannot view the actual source material for user-submitted works in the repository, only how much of it is similar. A “Private Content” page appears where this is the case.
   • Clicking other sources, like internet sources, will display the similar portion of text.
8. Click Flags at the top of the page to view detected issues like hidden text or replaced characters.
   • Flags indicate a deliberate attempt to evade plagiarism detection.
9. Click the Download icon in the top right-hand corner to download or print the similarity report for future reference.

Interpreting the report:

The Similarity Report provides a percentage score indicating how much of the student’s submission matches existing sources. It’s essential to understand that a high similarity score doesn’t automatically indicate plagiarism, nor does a low score guarantee the absence of improper citation. Here’s how to interpret the report:

• Match Overview: The report highlights matched text in different colors, each corresponding to a specific source. Clicking on the highlighted text will show the matching source, allowing you to assess whether the match is appropriately cited or if it requires further attention.

• Match Groups: The report categorizes matches into four groups:
  • (Red) Not Cited or Quoted – Text matches that are not enclosed in quotation marks and lack proper citation.
  • (Orange) Missing Quotations – Text that is cited but not enclosed in quotation marks, suggesting it may be a direct quote requiring quotation marks.
  • (Yellow) Missing Citation – Text enclosed in quotation marks but lacking a citation, indicating the need to credit the original source.
  • (Green) Cited and Quoted – Properly quoted and cited text. While correctly formatted, it’s essential to ensure the usage aligns with your course’s guidelines.

By integrating Turnitin into your Canvas assignments, you uphold academic integrity and equip your students with the skills necessary for scholarly writing. Emphasizing proper citation and the evaluation of source credibility prepares students for success in their academic and professional endeavors.