Turnitin

Plagiarism is an ongoing problem for schools and universities. The problem is compounded when one considers that a large number of people are now completing college degrees online. Turnitin was created to provide verification of the authenticity of academic papers. Turnitin offers a complete suite of tools that include the Turnitin Feedback Studio. This app allows educators to check for plagiarism in student papers, and it also provides grading tools that simplify the process of evaluating student work. Educators can use the app to create comments, grade according to a rubric, and even leave voice comments for students. Students use the Turnitin platform by first creating an account with an access code that is provided by their instructor. Once they have signed up, students are taken to a dashboard where they can view their classes and assignments. The completed assignments are then submitted right from the app. Students upload their work in various formats. Once a student's paper has been uploaded, Turnitin performs a thorough plagiarism check. The app is able to determine if passages from the paper have been copied verbatim from other sources. It can also check to see if students have used the appropriate citations in their work when they have quoted sources. The entire process takes only a few minutes and is very accurate. If plagiarism is found, students can be given the opportunity to correct their work by revising portions of the paper which are similar to other works. Alternatively, educators can take the appropriate measures to discipline students when necessary. The downside of the Turnitin app is that all educational institutions are not currently providing it to students and educators. Another issue is that on rare occasions the app will flag portions of a paper without proper cause. This can lead to a need to make multiple revisions.