Setting up a dropbox with plagiarism detection

To use Turnitin, you need to set up a dropbox with plagiarism detection enabled in your DSO site, and instruct your students to use this dropbox to submit their work to Turnitin for plagiarism checking.

For step-by-step instructions to set up a dropbox with plagiarism detection, see the Dropbox with plagiarism detection (Turnitin) guide.

Important settings

To enable students to receive originality reports and resubmit

When you create dropbox with plagiarism detection, it is important to:

• adjust the 'Submission Options' to enable your students to submit repeatedly until the due date (set 'Files allowed per submission' to Unlimited and 'Submissions' to overwrite submissions.)

• adjust the 'Plagiarism Detection Options' to enable students to see their own originality reports (check the box Allow submitters to see Originality Reports).

This way, your students can use Turnitin to learn about plagiarism, as is strongly recommended by the University, rather than just using it as a tool to help you to detect and punish plagiarism.

Note: You should make clear to students that they should allow sufficient time to submit their assignments to Turnitin and deal with any plagiarism or referencing problems well before the due date, as second and subsequent originality reports will take 24 hours to appear.

To ensure students' work is not stored in the Turnitin database

In February 2008 the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) directed that Turnitin assignments should be set in such a way that submitted papers are not stored in the Turnitin database.

To comply with this requirement, under 'Plagiarism Detection Options' ensure that 'Allow other files to be checked against submission' is not ticked.

Note: The 'practice' dropboxes with plagiarism detection that have been set up in some DSO sites by faculty teaching and learning staff are already set up so that submissions are not retained in the Turnitin database.

Communicating about Turnitin and plagiarism

Students who are unsure about referencing, note taking and/or what plagiarism is will probably be alarmed to learn that their work is to be submitted to Turnitin for 'checking for plagiarism'. Communications about this subject should be carefully written and include the following:

• why you are using Turnitin in your unit
• how students can use Turnitin to check their work and revise it before final submission
• how students can learn about what plagiarism is, and how to avoid it.

See Educating about plagiarism and collusion for more information and links to useful resources that you can provide to students.

See the Sample communication to students (43 KB) for an example of the type of communication you could provide in a unit site.