Plagiarism/Turnitin

DB10

I got a very high similarity percentage for one of my assignments, I just dont understand the whole thing. I referenced where I got it from but I've been told if I dont re-do it for tomorrow I will fail?

What does that mean, changing every last bit into my own words. ?
I dont understand it, how am I meant to know information on the assignment if I'm seeing the information for the first time myself...:(

Liber8or

What was the percentage?

I remember being told less than 30% is good. Over 50% and questions will be asked, but if you reference a lot and have a large bibliography, they will add to your percentage, so bear that in mind.

DB10

67% I'm trying to change it though, I just dont get the whole thing it was never properly explained.

Daemos

Start again. Did you just submit it straight away or did you do test it first? How many quotes did you use? Was it the lecturer that told you you'd fail or the programme?

DB10

Daemos wrote: »

Start again. Did you just submit it straight away or did you do test it first? How many quotes did you use? Was it the lecturer that told you you'd fail or the programme?

I submitted it once because thats all we were able to do. 1 quote. Lecturer.
What do you mean by testing it? I've redone it in my own words again so hopefully it will come down.

Meanwhile I've just failed 50% of another module for the same sort of craic.
I just dont understand the whole thing, I'm really screwed now because its a CA module and I cant afford to repeat a year.

It showed up I used 20% of info from a website blog I never even visited. Maybe my other sources took it from there but that blog seems totally irrelevant.

So early in the year for this crap....:(

Daemos

Sorry to hear you're having so much trouble with assignments

DB10 wrote: »

What do you mean by testing it?

You can put an assignment through Turnitin without submitting it fully. It lets you see the results, where it's overlapping with other things in its system, so you can decide yourself what you might have to change before submitting the final work.

Go to the bottom of the main Moodle page, click on 'Moodle and Turnitin Help for Students'. In section 1, click 'Turnitin Self-Test' and submit from there [you might be asked along the way if you want to sign up for the course or not. Just click yes]. You'll have to re-submit it through the module page though - testing it is not the same as submitting it.

The Library runs Turnitin as one of its LIST training courses. Unfortunately the next one is in November, but I recommend you go to it to see how it works.

Feel free to PM me if you have any other questions about it in the meantime

Liber8or

Where are you getting your supporting evidence from? Books, articles, journals? Try and stay with good, reputable sources, such as a book from the library. Make sure to paraphrase (take what the original author said, and rewrite it or something similar in your own words) so as Turnitin doesn't see it as a direct copy from a source. Then make sure you reference it.

If it is an English essay, I reckon your word count is 1,500-2,000? So to have 67% means over a thousand words are similar to other students or sources?

Turnitin gives a break-down of where it reckons the plagiarised material lies in your essay, so go through it and find out how it is similar.

DB10

Daemos wrote: »

Sorry to hear you're having so much trouble with assignments :(You can put an assignment through Turnitin without submitting it fully. It lets you see the results, where it's overlapping with other things in its system, so you can decide yourself what you might have to change before submitting the final work.

Go to the bottom of the main Moodle page, click on 'Moodle and Turnitin Help for Students'. In section 1, click 'Turnitin Self-Test' and submit from there [you might be asked along the way if you want to sign up for the course or not. Just click yes]. You'll have to re-submit it through the module page though - testing it is not the same as submitting it.

The Library runs Turnitin as one of its LIST training courses. Unfortunately the next one is in November, but I recommend you go to it to see how it works.

Feel free to PM me if you have any other questions about it in the meantime

Thanks for the response. The first assignment I was talking about there only lets you put it into turnitin once, so there was no testing available. It's a bit silly of course.

Edit - Ah I see what your saying about the Self Test. Never knew that.

What disappoints me most is some of the lecturers just dont go through this stuff or even what they want in the assignment, for more than 2 minutes.
The arrogance of some of them when you look for help, it just doesnt help at all. Felt like telling one where to go after a condescending remark I received..:mad:

I suppose thats college though, I'll have to learn to deal with this stuff. Thanks anyway for your help.

DB10

Liber8or wrote: »

Where are you getting your supporting evidence from? Books, articles, journals? Try and stay with good, reputable sources, such as a book from the library. Make sure to paraphrase (take what the original author said, and rewrite it or something similar in your own words) so as Turnitin doesn't see it as a direct copy from a source. Then make sure you reference it.

If it is an English essay, I reckon your word count is 1,500-2,000? So to have 67% means over a thousand words are similar to other students or sources?

Turnitin gives a break-down of where it reckons the plagiarised material lies in your essay, so go through it and find out how it is similar.

I was getting it from the internet because I didnt know where else to get it. As you said my problem was paraphrasing, I didn't do enough of it. I learn but I mean I'm under pressure now to even get through the year because of this which I think is unfair.

Then when you ask some lecturers they take this sort of thing as though you were shoplifting or something....:rolleyes:

Norrdeth

You can quote people directly if you reference it and are discussing it or
going to discuss it subsequently.

The main thing in avoiding plagiarism is to do a lot of reading from different
media, websites, books, journals,databases, misc. printed docs in libraries/archives etc.
Make shure you understand (or at least try to understand) what the authors
are talking about and compare and contrast different authors on the same
topic, then formulate your own ideas with informed criticism of sources and
come to some sort of a conclusion in the process.
Don't just nip a few words from here and there and stick it in paraphrased so it looks like your own,
you have to explain and reason with the topic at hand.
But as Turnitin is a computer search engine it will not see this, if you have
quotes and references you will naturally have a high percentage of plagiarism
in this.
The best idea is to check it your self and guard against it as you go along.

DB10

Norrdeth wrote: »

You can quote people directly if you reference it and are discussing it or
going to discuss it subsequently.

I've about 700 words from a good source from one of my essays, which I will discuss. That seems like alot though about a quarter of the essay, is referencing alright or would I have to paraphrase that also?

Seems weird paraphrasing official documents etc. The only possible reason is to bring the percengatge down but it doesnt read as well.

DB10

Also how long does the results take for the turnitin self test, ideally I'd like them today, but last time I used it took days which was too late.

Daemos

Took about 15 minutes for an essay I submitted