Similarity Check - SimCheck by Turnitin

You can enable Similarity Checking when you create a new Due Work, or at any time afterwards by modifying the Due Work.

The Similarity Check toggle is found in the Submissions area of a Due Work modify/creation screen. It is only available if you select “Single” or “Multiple” online submission.

To access the Similarity Report for a specific Class Task follow the steps below:

1. Navigate to the Course Outline component.

2. Click the '3 dot menu' on the relevant Due Work item.

3. Select 'Similarity Report'.

4. View the Similarity Report details for the Class Submissions.

5. Use the 'Similarity Score' drop down to filter the similarity percentages in the report.

6. Apply 'Status filters' to provide a comment and require a re-submission for individual or multiple students.

7. Click 'Review Submissions' to open the Submission Area for individual Students. 

1. Select the linked individual student similarity report, to open the TurnitIn submission area.

2. The TurnitIn Submission Area will open and you will be able to see the percentage of similarity in relation to different Sources.

Interpreting the similarity score

Turnitin checks a user's work against its extensive database. If instances are found where a user's writing is similar to or matches against a source this will be flagged for your review in the match overview.
The database includes billions of web pages: both current and archived content from the Internet, a repository of works students have submitted to Turnitin in the past, and scholarly publications, which comprises thousands of periodicals, journals, and publications.

What do the similarity score colors indicate?

The percentage range is 0% to 100% with the possible similarity groupings being:

Sometimes, you may notice that a source or individual text, bibliography, quotes etc is included in the Similarity Report that you didn't intend, or there may be a source you think was permissible, and don't want it to contribute to the overall similarity score.

1. Select a 'Source Overview' on the sidebar.

Note: Sources Overview: A list of the top sources found in the document
All Sources: A list of all sources that have matched in the document.

2. Click the 'Settings cog', to select and de-select which repositories are to be searched.

3. Tick and untick the 'Repositories'. There is also the flexibility to add further exclusions such as bibliography and quotes.

4. Select 'Done' when complete.

You also have control over the inclusion/exculsion of particular sections of text that have been highlighted in the similarity overview.

5. Click on the highlighted text and choose 'View Full Text' to compare or 'Exclude this Text' next to one of the numbered selections.

6. Select a reason to exclude the text. Once you confirm, the similarity score will adjust accordingly.