Issues of plagiarism: the use of Turnitin software

Turnitin originality reports:  Essay 1

Below is a section from an essay which was put through the Turnitin plagiarism software.  It was given a  12% ‘similarity’ rating.  This would be considered a little too high.

Task 1

Look at the highlighted phrases on the left.  Do you think that this is genuine plagiarism?  Give reasons for your answer.

Task 2

Now look at the column of sources on the right.  The number (and colour)  of the source matches with the number (and colour) of ‘similar’ (identical) text on the left.

·         What are most of the sources?

·         What do you think that this means?

Task 3

Do you think that this student would lose marks or be failed as a result of this plagiarism?

Turnitin originality reports:  Essay 2

The following essay had a 27% similarity rating.  This is definitely too high.

Task 4

Look at the section below.

·         To what extent do you think that the student is actually ‘cheating’?

·         What does the student need to do to avoid the accusation of plagiarism?  List the alternatives below.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Task 5

Look at the sources on the right that are NOT student writing.  Do you think any of them are suitable for a university essay?  If so, which ones do you think are acceptable?

Task 6

The passages above need to be rewritten. 

·         What would be the first step to take in order to do this effectively?