Turnitin helps you review written work through Similarity Reports that highlight text matches and, depending on local licensing and settings, may also provide AI writing detection through Turnitin Originality. You can use these reports to support academic integrity, discuss source use with students, and inform your academic judgement, while keeping in mind that they are indicators rather than automatic verdicts. Any concerns raised by a report should lead to closer review and, where relevant, to a conversation with the student rather than to an immediate conclusion.
- Functions
- Collect student work | Teacher feedback
- Via Canvas
- In Canvas | Standalone
- Difficulty of use
- Moderate
Examples of use in your education
Use Turnitin Similarity when you want to review text matches in submitted work as part of assessing written assignments.
When reviewing a Similarity Report, a useful approach is to work through it step by step:
Start with the report as a screening tool - Review the Similarity Report on essays, reports or other written work before final grading when you need to see whether a submission requires closer inspection.
Adjust filters where needed - Apply filters and exclusions to remove less relevant matches, such as bibliographies, quotations or small matches, so the report gives a clearer starting point for review.
Check matched passages in context - Look beyond the overall percentage and examine where matches occur, especially in assignments that contain templates, standard phrases or common terminology.
Interpret the report as one input into academic judgement - Use the report to support your review rather than treating the score itself as proof of plagiarism.
Tip 1
Discuss with students in advance what the Similarity Report does and does not show, so they understand that text matching is not the same as a plagiarism verdict.
Tip 2
Review a few reports together with colleagues when you first use the tool in a course, so you can calibrate how similar types of matches should be interpreted in your local teaching context.
Use Turnitin Similarity formatively when you want students to reflect on paraphrasing, citation choices and responsible source use. This can help students become more aware of when their wording is too close to a source, even if there was no intention to plagiarise.
You can apply this tool in your teaching in several concrete ways:
Formative submission - Allow students to see the Similarity Report before final submission when your assignment settings and institutional approach support this, so they can reflect on their source use and revise their text.
Report discussion - Use selected reports in class or supervision to talk about quotation, paraphrasing, patchwriting and attribution through concrete examples.
Revision opportunity - Invite students to revise a draft after reviewing their report, so the tool becomes part of the learning process rather than only a control mechanism.
Tip 1
Introduce Turnitin to students as a tool that can support paraphrasing, citation and revision, for example by discussing sample reports or by linking the report to draft-based writing activities instead of presenting it only as a control measure.
Tip 2
If students are allowed to see their reports, explain clearly what kind of revision you expect from them before the final deadline.
Use Turnitin Originality and AI writing detection when you want to explore whether generative AI may have played a role in a student submission and support a careful academic judgement. The practical interpretation and reliability of this functionality in everyday use still require caution, and faculties may differ in how they weigh it.
When an AI writing report raises questions, a useful approach is to work through it step by step:
Treat the indicator as a prompt for closer review - Review the AI writing indicator when a submission raises questions about authorship or writing process, but do not treat it as a final conclusion.
Read highlighted passages in context - Compare the flagged passages with the assignment, the student’s earlier work and the expected writing level in the course.
Discuss the writing process where needed - Use the report as a basis for follow-up questions when you want a student to explain drafting choices, source use, revision steps or the role of AI tools in their writing process.
Interpret the report within your faculty context - Treat the report as one input into a wider academic integrity process, and always check how your own faculty approaches AI-supported writing and AI detection results.
Tip 1
Explain to students in advance whether AI writing detection is active in the course and how results will be interpreted, so expectations about drafting, acceptable AI use and academic integrity are transparent from the start.
Tip 2
When a report raises concerns, begin with specific passages and writing choices rather than the overall percentage alone, so the discussion stays focused on evidence and the tool is not overinterpreted.
How-to videos
How to get started with Turnitin
All major benefits of Turnitin Similarity’s report
How to use the Document Details Panel
Getting started
- You can find all the relevant information on the official site of Turnitin.
- If Turnitin Originality and AI writing detection are enabled in your local setup, you can also use the official guidance.
Support
In case of educational questions, please contact your learning innovator or web team from your faculty.
In case of technical difficulty, please consult the Turnitin Help Centre.
