How do I enable Turnitin Plagiarism Detection for a Canvas Assignment?

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Quick Links: | Prerequisites | Instructions | Troubleshooting |

Integrating Turnitin Plagiarism Detection with Canvas assignments streamlines the process of ensuring academic integrity by identifying potential instances of plagiarism. This guide outlines the steps instructors need to take to enable Turnitin for a Canvas assignment, helping to maintain a fair and honest academic environment. By following these instructions, instructors can provide valuable feedback to students and promote originality in submissions.

Note: This guide covers adding Turnitin Similarity Check to an assignment in Canvas. This will allow you to see an indication of a submission's similarity to other submissions in Turnitin's database in your gradebook. If you want to use Turnitin's grading interface, you must use the Turnitin Feedback Studio integration.

Prerequisites

  • Instructor access to a Canvas course
  • Familiarity with creating assignments in Canvas

Step-by-Step Instructions

To enable Turnitin Plagiarism Detection for an assignment, do the following:

  1. Navigate to the Assignments section within your Canvas course.
  2. Select + Assignment to create a new assignment.
  3. Fill in the assignment details, such as the assignment name, instructions, and due date.
  4. Under the "Submission Type" section, select Online.
  5. Choose Text Entry or File Uploads as the submission method, ensuring Turnitin can check the submissions for similarity. Note that Turnitin supports specific file types and criteria:
    • File size must be less than 100MB
    • Supported file types include doc, docx, html, txt, rtf, pdf, odt, hwp, hwpx, pptx
    • File must contain a minimum of 20 words and less than 800 pages
    • File should not be password protected
    • To restrict file types, check the Restrict Upload File Types box and input the supported file types.
  6. Scroll to the "Plagiarism Review" section and select Turnitin from the dropdown menu.
  7. Configure the similarity report settings to your preference, including options to exclude bibliographic materials, quoted materials, small sources, and whether to enable grammar checking. Decide when the similarity report will be available to students (immediately, after grading, after the due date, or never)
    Turnitin settings available in Canvas
  8. Select Save or Save & Publish to apply the settings to your assignment.

You have successfully enabled Turnitin Plagiarism Detection for the Canvas assignment. This integration will help you identify potential instances of plagiarism, ensure academic integrity, and provide valuable feedback to your students.

Remember that Turnitin's similarity reports are tools to assist you in evaluating student submissions, and it's important to review the reports thoroughly before making any judgments about plagiarism. By using Turnitin responsibly, you can contribute to maintaining a fair and honest academic environment.

Troubleshooting

  • Submission Not Checked: Ensure the submission meets the file type and size requirements set by Turnitin. If the file is too large or not compatible with Turnitin, no similarity report will be generated.
  • Similarity Report Delay: Large files or high system demand may delay report generation. Wait a few moments and refresh the page.
  • Settings Not Saving: Double-check that all required fields in the assignment setup are completed. Missing information may prevent settings from being saved.

Still need help? Reach out to the Technology & Learning Program for further assistance.