Preventing Plagiarism
Las Positas College is pleased to announce that it has purchased a license to use Turnitin (http://www.turnitin.com), the leading resource in higher education for preventing Internet plagiarism.
What are some of Turnitin's features and benefits?
Turnitin compares each paper submitted by students against billions of pages on the Internet, including most paper mills and cheat sites.
The results of the comparisons are included in what are called Originality Reports. These reports are exact duplicates of submitted papers, except that any text either copied or paraphrased from the Internet appears underlined, color-coded, and linked to its original online source.
The information contained in the Originality Reports lets you determine for yourself the extent to which any given work is plagiarized or original.
In addition to comparing student papers to Internet pages, the service also compares them against commerical databases, electronic books, and millions of student papers already submitted to Turnitin.
Who can use Turnitin?
All full-time and adjunct faculty can use the service.
How do I get started with it?
You have a choice; you can either attend one of the many workshops being offered to faculty, or you can get started on your own.
You mentioned that I can get started on my own. How do I do that?
You will need to email Scott Vigallon, who will give you the necessary login information. You can then get started by going to the Turnitin web site, and clicking the "Training" link at the top.
On this page, you can download the Instructor User Manual (PDF) from the Turnitin site. Alternatively, you can view a Flash movie on how to get started.
Please note that LPC's license does not include the Grademark, Peer Review, or Gradebook tools.
Are there any directions for my students?
Students can get started by going to the Turnitin website, and clicking the "Training" link at the top. They can then download the Student User Manual (PDF).
Students can also view a Flash movie on how to use Turnitin.
Is there any online help available for students and faculty?
If you want to ask a question to Turnitin, click the "helpdesk" link at the bottom of the page you are viewing. Fill out the form that appears, then submit it.
What is LPC's policy on plagiarism?
- Read the college's Student Conduct and Due Process policy.
- Read the Academic Honesty Statement of the Las Positas College Faculty Senate.