Turnitin is a new resource at Grand Valley State University. It checks written work for originality and works through Blackboard. Faculty can set up an assignment to be submitted directly through Turnitin via Blackboard and the software checks it against several online databases, thousands of websites, and their own database of papers that have been submitted through Turnitin.

This new tool can be used as an outstanding educational tool. As we are teaching our students how to research and write properly with appropriate credit and citations, Turnitin will allow them to review their assignment to improve their writing. If set up properly, they can even view their assignment and revise it, submitting their best original work by the assignment's due date. It also contributes to peace of mind for faculty who have that "gut feeling" about submitted work but it's difficult to verify the sources. Although Turnitin is not foolproof, it is a great resource for all in the academic community.

In Educational Technology, we agree with the developers of the product that it should be used as an educational tool rather than a policing tool. We're here to help with that! Additionally, as part of our licensing agreement, there is an expectation that syllabi reflect that assignments may be submitted through Turnitin. It is expected that students will submit their own papers rather than faculty submitting them. Provided is verbiage that you can use in your syllabus (and it is also found on the portal in Blackboard.):

"Students should be aware that their course(s) may require papers be subject to submission for textual similarity review to Turnitin.com for the detection of plagiarism. All submitted papers will be included as source documents in the Turnitin.com reference database solely for the purpose of detecting plagiarism of such papers. Use of the Turnitin.com service is subject to the Terms and Conditions of Use posted on the Turnitin.com site."

Additionally, here are two handouts to assist in getting started. One will walk you through how to set up an assignment, and the other is a handout that you can pass out to your students or post in your Blackboard course site that explains to students how to submit papers using Turnitin and how to retrieve their originality reports.  One will walk you through how to set up an assignment, and the other is a handout that you can pass out to your students or post in your Blackboard course site that explains to students how to submit papers using Turnitin and how to retrieve their originality reports.

Handout for faculty to set up a Turnitin Assignment
Handout to pass along to students  (please note - if you would like a Word copy of this for your own editing, please let us know!)

Please note that Educational Technology is offering several workshops on the use of Turnitin and strategies for constructing assignments to avoid plagiarism. Please contact the I-tech team if you have questions about how to use Turnitin.