Quickstart - submitting many documents for comparison

Introduction

The commonest use of Turnitin is to check a class set of student work for evidence of copying from each other or published sources. If you have only one document to submit, you should follow the instructions on submitting a single document for comparison.

Please note Turnitin will match the text against an extensive database of electronic material sourced from the Internet and from other student submissions. It is likely that it will not find all copied material and it is unable to decide whether any copying is appropriate or misconduct. Academics must still evaluate submitted work to determine whether there are any issues that need addressing, the extent of copying reported by Turnitin should only be used a rough guide.

Instructions on submitting many documents for comparison

1. Before commencing, assemble the documents for submission and create a zip archive containing the files. It is very important that the file names clearly identify the individual students (names or student IDs are best). Free software for creating zip files is readily available and if you need assistance in getting or using this software you should contact the ITS Service Desk (x5050, its-service@vuw.ac.nz).

2. Connect to the Turnitin system (http://www.turnitin.com) following the instructions in the Accessing Turnitin page if necessary.

3. You should then be taken to the main Turnitin web page listing your classes. It will welcome you:
    
   

4. In the middle of the page is an area that lists your exiting classes:
    
   

5. Select the appropriate class by clicking on its name. If necessary follow the instructions on creating a new class.

6. You will be presented with the assignment list panel for this class:
    
   

7. Find the appropriate assignment in the list. If necessary follow the instructions on creating a new assignment.

8. Click on the submit button for that assignment:
    
   

9. A new page will open, with the following panel:
    
   

10. Change the "Submit a paper by:" menu to select the "zip fle" option:
     
    

11. Select the file to be uploaded using the "Choose File" button.

12. Leave the rest of the settings at their default values:
     
    

13. Click on the submit button.

14. If there is a problem with the file supplied, you will be given an error message and will need to correct the problem before proceeding. Otherwise the file will upload, this may take some time:
     
    

15. Once the file has been successfully uploaded, you will get a confirmation screen showing a list of the submitted files for checking:
     
    

16. If the information is correct, click on the "submit" button to provide the details. Note, if the details are left blank then the student's work is not retained by Turnitin for use other than in your class - this is recommended as the best course of action

17. The system will then request a final confirmation before submitting the files for comparison:
     
    

18. If the information is correct, click on the "submit" button to confirm the submission.

19. You should now see the new submissions appearing in the list:
     
    

20. The greyed out box in the report column indicates that the Turnitin system has yet to process the submissions. Within 24 hours this should be updated to reflect the amount of copied material detected by the system.

21. Once the report is generated, you can:
    • use the Turnitin reports