Turnitin enables instructors and students to check the similarity of student work comparing submissions to other sources on the Internet and in Turnitin's extensive database. Additionally, instructors can directly mark-up student submissions - saving your frequently used comments in libraries of "quick marks" for improved work flow - as Turnitin integrates into your existing Blackboard Learn.
Since students own the copyrights to their works (in most cases), Turnitin asks students for confirmation to submit a copy of their paper to Turnitin's repository. Students opting out of this may need alternatives, such as: requiring a photocopy of the first page of all reference sources used, an annotated bibliography, and a one page paper reflecting on their research methodology.
Turnitin FAQ and Known Issues (Google Doc)
If you get an ERROR 423 the first time you use Turnitin, please consult the following FAQ article to learn how to fix it: Why do I get an error message when adding a Turnitin assignment to Blackboard Learn? (Google Doc).
Marjorie Shepard