1. Reading Turnitin Reports
How to Interpret the Report and How to Correct High Matching Percentages
This tutorial will cover how to read a Turnitin report and understand matching percentages. It will also cover how to correct high matching percentages and avoid plagiarism.
4/6/2014
Created by Waldorf College Success Center LMA

2. Created by Waldorf College Success Center LMA
Objectives
Report with high matching percentage
Report with low matching percentage
The 80/20 Rule
Paraphrasing: The basics
In this presentation, we will look at a Turnitin report with a high matching percentage. We will look at the two components of the report and discuss the different elements of reading those components. We will then look at a report with a low matching percentage and discuss the same two components. We will also discuss the importance of the 80/20 rule as it relates to matching percentage. Finally, we will discuss the basics of paraphrasing so students can lower their matching percentages and avoid plagiarism.
4/6/2014
Created by Waldorf College Success Center LMA

3. Created by Waldorf College Success Center LMA
The highlighted text came from an outside source. The next page shows sources that correspond to the highlighted text. Remember, Turnitin does not grade your work. It is important to know how to read this report to detect accidental plagiarism.
High matching, Page 1
Even if you include a citation, if you use an exact phrase from someone else and do not use quotation marks, this could lead to an Academic Integrity Violation.
Created by Waldorf College Success Center LMA
Directly copying from a webpage without including quotation marks or in-text citations is considered plagiarism.
This paragraph contains all matching information. All the information is in quotation marks and is correctly cited. However, this paragraph is still considered plagiarized because it contains no original thoughts or words. Remember, no more than 20 % matching should be present.
This essay has a high matching percentage. On the next page of the report, we will see the exact percentage as well as from where the matching originated. The highlighted text throughout the paper comes from outside sources. The different colors represent different sources from which the text came. The colors also have a corresponding number. The next page of the report will show the exact sources to which the highlighted information corresponds. Turnitin does not grade students’ work. It is merely a tool for students and professors to use to see how much information came directly from outside sources. It is important to know how to read these reports to detect accidental plagiarism. The first paragraph contains a citation. However, the words are exactly copied from the course textbook, as indicated by the blue highlight. Even with the use of a citation, failure to put a direct quote in quotation marks is plagiarism. There were a couple of words in the text that were different from the original source, but most of the words are exactly the same, making it a violation. The next paragraph shows text that was directly copied from a webpage. This paragraph does not have quotation marks nor does it have in-text citations. This is also plagiarism. The fourth paragraph contains all correctly cited information, but all of it comes from another source. Even though all of the directly copied sentences are in quotation marks with proper in-text citations, this is still considered plagiarism because it contains no original thoughts or words. No more than 20% of a paper should be directly quoted. Professors want to see that the student understands the material. The way to demonstrate this understanding is by using one’s own words to explain the information. We will discuss the 80/20 rule in more detail in a minute. Finally, the last paragraph is also considered plagiarism. Not only are the sentences directly copied, but there are no citations and no quotation marks. Now, we will look at the next page of the report that will show more information about the matching phrases and sentences.
4/6/2014
This last paragraph is also plagiarized. Not only are the sentences directly copied, but there are no citations and no quotation marks.

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Hgh matching, Page 2
This shows you the total matching percentage as well as a breakdown of the types of sources with which your paper matched. Remember, no more than 20% matching should appear on your report.
There may be more than one source for the same quote. The Turnitin report is going to show you the most common source for that sentence. However, that might not be the exact source you used. Regardless, if the sentence shows matching, it is copied from another source.
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This is the second page of the report that corresponds with what we just looked at. If you notice, the color codes match the highlights on the previous page. Also, the numbers match the numbers from the previous page. This allows students to see where the matching information came from. The top row of the report shows students the exact matching percentage as well as a breakdown of the types of sources with which the paper matched. This paper shows a 64% match, which is unacceptable in academic writing. No more than a 20% match should be present in any paper. Many students have noticed that sources that show up on a matching report might not be things they have ever looked at before. There might be multiple sources from which the exact information came. For example, the textbook could publish a webpage with flash cards containing the exact information from the book. Or, a journal article could quote the textbook, providing another source for the information. The Turnitin report will show you the most common source for the matching sentence or phrase. Even though that might not be the source the student looked at, it still shows that the information is not original to the student and is thus is plagiarism.
The sources on the matching list will match the highlights on the copy of your paper (above) so you can see which source from where the matching information came.
4/6/2014

5. Created by Waldorf College Success Center LMA
Low matching, Page 1
Directly quoted information is still going to show up on your turn it in report as matching. As long as you have included quotation marks and an appropriate citation, a small matching percentage is ok. Remember, your percentage should be no more than 20%, so use quotes sparingly.
Created by Waldorf College Success Center LMA
Certain things will show up as matching on your report that you have no control over, like your reference citations. Your professors know how to read this report, so do not worry about the matching from this type of text.
This paper is one that has a low matching percentage and is thus an acceptable academic paper. Directly quoted information is still going to show as matching on a Turnitin report. As long as the information is in quotation marks (which it is) and has a proper in-text citation, a small matching percentage is ok. Remember, no more than 20% of the paper should come up as matching, so students should use direct quotations sparingly. Also, certain things will show up as matching on the report that students have no control over. Examples of this include reference citations, titles and headings, and the running head. Professors know how to read this report, so information like this that shows up as matching should be of no concern. Professors will know that this kind of matching is out of student control.
4/6/2014

6. Created by Waldorf College Success Center LMA
Low matching, Page 2
This shows you the total matching percentage as well as a breakdown of the types of sources with which your paper matched. Remember, no more than 20% matching should appear on your report.
Created by Waldorf College Success Center LMA
The sources on the matching list will match the highlights on the copy of your paper (above) so you can see which source from where the matching information came.
Here is the second page of the Turnitin report for the low matching paper. Here, we see that the matching percentage is 16%, which is acceptable for academic papers. Also, as we saw on the last page, some of this percentage was out of student control because the reference citations came up as matching. So professors would know that the percentage from the actual paper without the references would be a bit lower. Again, the sources on this list are color coded and correspond to the colors on the previous page. Also, the numbers for each source also correspond to the numbers on the previous page.
4/6/2014

7. Quotations and the 80/20 Rule
Be careful of using too many direct quotations
The 80/20 rule
Make sure to check with your professor
Quotations should be used to strengthen an argument.  They are used as support, not as filler to make a paper longer or to state what could easily be stated in your own words.  When choosing to use a quotation, students should ask themselves if they could state that point better, if they could easily paraphrase the information, or if the quotations significantly adds to the meaning of the paper.  If the quotation cannot be easily paraphrased or if it precisely states or illustrates the exact point students wish to make, then they can use it.  Otherwise, it should not be used.
Also, there is an unwritten 80/20 rule in which to adhere with writing.  About 80% of a paper needs to be made up of students’ own thoughts, ideas and words, while only 20% of what they write should be directly quoted.
The 80/20 rule is not a hard and fast APA rule. There is a level of professor discretion involved. Some professors want no more than 15% of your paper to be directly quoted. Students should make sure to read the course announcements carefully to ensure they are aware of the professors’ expectations.
4/6/2014
Created by Waldorf College Success Center LMA

8. Avoiding High Matching Percentages
Paraphrase as much as possible
Become familiar with APA citations and format requirements
Place citations in your work as you write, not at the end
Putting information in one’s own words sometimes seems like a daunting task. Students might ask how can they say something better than the way the expert said it. Paraphrasing shows professors that students have been able to read the material and understand it well enough to explain it in writing. The best tip for paraphrasing is to read the material and jot down notes. Once one has finished one’s reading, one should take a break for 5 or 10 minutes: walk away, have a snack. Then, one should come back and write down as much as one can remember about what one read without looking at the book. Then, when writing the essays, students already have a lot of the information in their own words. This way, they won’t be tempted to use too many of the original words.
Using proper in-text citations and reference citations is extremely important. Becoming familiar with APA standards will help to avoid accidentally forgetting a citation or using an incorrect citation. Also, don’t forget that APA requires the use of quotation marks for directly copied information.
Placing citations in one’s paper as one writes is important. If students try to go back and place all of the citations after they have written the paper, they may forget to place an important citation and accidentally show matching without appropriate citations.
4/6/2014
Created by Waldorf College Success Center LMA

9. Created by Waldorf College Success Center LMA
Ask the Writing Center
Writing Specialists can help with proper APA formatting
Writing Specialists can provide paraphrasing tips
Correcting high matching percentages can sometimes be difficult. So the most important thing for students to do is to avoid plagiarism from the get-go. Writing specialists are happy to help teach APA citation standards. Writing Specialists will also be happy to work with students on paraphrasing skills. Again, it is much better to learn the skills before using Turnitin than trying to correct them after using Turnitin.
4/6/2014
Created by Waldorf College Success Center LMA

10. Contact the Writing Center
Students can contact the Success Center any time they have questions or concerns about APA
Question?
Want to get assistance with writing?
Login to the MyWaldorf Student Portal
Click Online Forms
Click Courses
Click Writing Center Request form
Fill out the form, attach the paper, and we will assist!
If students have ANY questions about any of this information or if they need help with APA, we in the Writing Center are here to help. Students can contact the Writing Center any time they have questions or concerns about APA or writing in general. If students have a question or just need help with a reference citation, they can their questions to
In addition, if students would like to work with a writing specialist on APA or paraphrasing skills, they can send their papers in before submitting them to the professor for a grade. In order to submit papers, log in to the My Waldorf Student Portal. Click on Online Forms. Then click on Courses. Towards the bottom of the list will be the Writing Center Request form. Simply fill out this form, attach the paper, and we will give instructions on skills that are needed. We will the paper back with specific resources to help. Please be advised that writing specialists require up to two business days to process requests.
4/6/2014
Created by Waldorf College Success Center LMA