 What is plagiarism?
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"Plagiarism is the improper use of another person's writing or ideas. It can be as subtle as the inadvertent omission of quotes or proper references when citing a source or as blatant as knowingly copying an entire paper verbatim and claiming it as original work." [Adapted from turnitin.com's FAQ]
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| Is plagiarism a significant problem?
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"Yes, very significant. According to a survey by Who's Who Among American High School Students, four out of five college-bound high school students admit to cheating on schoolwork, and a recent Center for Academic Integrity study reports that 80 percent of college students admit to cheating at least once. Additionally, the latest polls from the Gallup organization indicate respondents consider a crisis in education and a decline in ethics to be the top two problems facing America today." [Adapted from turnitin.com's FAQ]
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| What is Turnitin in Moodle?
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Turnitin is an Internet-based service intended to help identify and prevent plagiarism cases. Turnitin is now integrated with Moodle. This means that instructors and students can use Turnitin directly from inside Moodle at AUB.
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| Can I use Turnitin without using Moodle?
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As of Fall 2009-10, Turnitin at AUB will only be used through Moodle.
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| How does Turnitin in Moodle work?
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- From inside Moodle, teachers and students submit documents to Turnitin
- Turnitin's servers compare documents submitted with databases and Internet files
- The results of the comparison between a paper and the above sources returns as a color-coded customized Originality Report
The report shows all text matches found, along with the sources of those matches. The report will guide instructors in deciding whether or not plagiarism has occurred.
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| What are the consequences of plagiarism for AUB students?
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The consequences can be severe. Since students must abide by formal rules of the AUB Student Code of Conduct, committing plagiarism constitutes breaking one of the most fundamental rules. Consequences of plagiarism in higher education may include: a failing grade on a paper, a failing grade in a class, a formal university hearing, a mark on your transcript, probationary status, or even expulsion from the university. Check the AUB Student Code of Conduct for more information.
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| If I submit a paper for one class and then submit the same paper again for another class, can I correctly be accused of plagiarism?
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If you do not properly reference yourself and the content extracted from your previous paper, then you are recycling work. This could be considered plagiarism in some cases.
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| Are students papers kept confidential at Turnitin?
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For U.S. institutions, Turnitin has engaged the services of the law firm Foley and Lardner to insure that our use of student work complies with FERPA, COPPA and copyright laws and requirements. Foley and Lardner is one of America's top law firms, with offices across the United States, experience with clients around the world, and a team of nearly 1,000 attorneys. The Turnitin Legal Document includes answers provided by Foley and Lardner to some of the most commonly asked legal questions concerning Turnitin and explains how the service operates in compliance with U.S.
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| As a student, how can I use Turnitin?
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Your instructor will create an assignment inside Moodle. You login to your Moodle account and click on the corresponding assignment in order to open it. When you finish solving your assignment click on submit the assignment.
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| As a faculty member, how can I use Turnitin?
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You login to your Moodle account and inside your course choose to create an assignment activity. Once the assignment is created, you can submit papers to Turnitin.
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| How can I submit a paper?
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To submit a paper, students or faculty login to their Moodle accounts and find the assignment. Then submit the paper (Word, plain text, PDF, or postscript formats). Moodle in return will send the paper to Turnitin.
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| If a paper gets high similarity rating it means it was plagiarized?
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Not necessarily. For instance, a paper with many proper citations of sources might get a high similarity rating. Also, a paper previously submitted by the student for self-checking prior to final submission will present high similarity rating. Multiple student submissions need to be allowed by the instructor. Thus, high similarity rating simply means that the instructor should analyze the originality report and then determine whether or not there was a case of plagiarism.
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| Where can I get support with Turnitin in Moodle?
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- Tunitin is a commercial service and AUB has acquired the license to use it. Because it is a service provided outside of AUB, most support related to connectivity will need to come from Turnitin.com
- The Academic Core Processes & Systems , however, can provide assistance in training faculty on how to use Turnitin in Moodle. You can contact ACPS by email or by phone at extension: 3515 / 3519
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