TURNITIn 

Turnitin is an internet-based tool that assists students in the use of proper research and citation methods. Faculty are encouraged to utilize this feature for both course discussion forums and assignments to promote student originality. Immaculata University subscribes to Turnitin to promote original thinking, to improve writing, and to teach students the importance of accountability when using outside sources. 

It is recommended that faculty advise students in their course of the use of this feature in the first week of class. 

There are two methods available to Faculty to use TurnItin:

1. Moodle Integrated Turnitin Feature - Turnitin is now integrated with Moodle, and it can be used directly through the IU Moodle site without having to log into Turnitin.com.

2. Turnitin Standalone - For use via Turnitin.com; requires faculty to establish a TurnItIn faculty account through the University, set up a TurnItIn course on the TurnItIn site, and provide a link/course code to students so that they can upload their work to be evaluated by the TurnItIn tool.

Sample wording in your Moodle course may read something to the effect:

TurnItIn (general)

Please note, this course will be using the integrated Turnitin feature. There is no need to upload to Turnitin; Moodle will do it for you.  As your instructor, I will verify that your submitted work for both assignments and discussions is original.  After submitting, please look at your submission and click on the Turnitin score (it may take a little while to appear). I will grade in accordance with the IU Academic Policy on Plagiarism.

Best Practices for Using Turnitin:

It is recommended that you submit your work early as a draft; in doing so, you will have the opportunity to view your submission and its Turnitin score (which should appear within 12-24 hours). Submitting a draft before the final due date allows you time to ensure everything is properly cited, make any final adjustments (if needed), and then submit the final version of your assignment. Don't forget to change your submission from “draft” to “final” version before your deadline. The assignment will be graded in accordance with the University Academic Integrity Policy in the undergraduate catalog as indicated on your course syllabus. For additional information on this policy, please reference the Academic Integrity Policy and Turnitin. 

Turnitin infraction (first time):

Dear ______,

Immaculata University strives to create an environment of trust, mutual respect, and integrity that fosters scholarly pursuits in an academically challenging and supportive setting. To further the pursuit of truth and the exercise of honest, intelligent inquiry, the University maintains an academic integrity code that promotes the assumption of personal responsibility and integrity and prohibits all forms of academic dishonesty.  

This course utilizes an integrated Turnitin feature. Your work submitted to  ______course ID and assignment/forum number________ received a high Turnitin score and may be considered plagiarism and a violation of the university academic policy (see the undergraduate catalog and referenced in your syllabus for this course). As this is your first such finding in this course, please contact me to review the findings and to discuss resubmitting the assignment.

NOTE: Along with plagiarized content from another published source/student, assignments that include content that has been generated using Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools is also considered plagiarism and is a violation of the same academic policy cited above.

Now that you are aware of the seriousness of submitting plagiarized (including AI-generated) information for assignments, please know that any future instances of plagiarism in your submitted work will be considered a breach of the academic integrity policy.  This may result in failure on assignments and/or failure in the course and a report of the academic integrity infraction to the Dean. 

Please let me know if you have any questions.