Faculty Resources for Turnitin
The information on this section of the website is important and should be the first step for faculty before using Turnitin in their courses. Please read the details below to ensure you have a thorough understanding before moving forward with Turnitin.
APSU users will access Turnitin through courses in the D2L Brightspace learning management system (LMS). Access is not directly available at the Turnitin.com website. LMS access uses single sign-on, which supports user identity verification, complies with APSU password protocols, and prevents the need for users to maintain and secure an additional account. The LMS also helps consolidate the learning environment and retains gradable items within the online classroom. Directions on setting up a Turnitin assignment are available on the “Enabling Turnitin” page, and directions for student submissions are available on the “Student Resources” page.
Faculty, please consider Turnitin's strong recommendation that the course syllabus of each course using the service carry a notice to the effect of the following:
“Students understand that by taking this course any assignment documents may be subject to submission to Turnitin for the detection of plagiarism and AI generated text, and they may be included as source documents in the Turnitin reference database. Students are encouraged to review the Turnitin End-User License Agreement (opens new window)and the AI Writing Detection FAQ (opens new window).”
If the use of the service is instituted after the distribution of the syllabus, then consider a timely and equivalent written notice to students.
Portions of student's papers that are found to be the same as other sources stored in the Turnitin database will be highlighted and the sources identified in Turnitin. When the source is another student's paper, from any institution, only the portions of the paper that are the same are highlighted. Faculty and students cannot see the full text of the source student's paper.
A feature within Turnitin allows faculty from any institution to request copies of
the full text of student’s papers from any institution. A review by the Office of
the Registrar, Information Technology Security, University Attorney, and Distance
Education has identified this feature as a potential student privacy, FERPA, and intellectual
property concern.
Austin Peay State University has opted not to provide papers in response to these
requests. The portion of the paper in question that may be plagiarized is highlighted
on the student's paper and visible in the Turnitin Feedback Studio. This information
will assist faculty in determining whether concerns about plagiarism are founded.
Sharing additional information could be a risk with regard to FERPA and the student’s
right to privacy, right to determine what happens to their assignments and could create
intellectual property concerns. In addition, the paper content may be of a personal
nature and result in the sharing of the student’s personal information such as their
identity or other covered information in violation of the student’s FERPA rights.
Faculty do not need the other student's paper to leverage Turnitin for academic integrity.
The paper section(s) that match content from the Turnitin database are automatically
identified within the tool. Additionally, to file charges of academic misconduct,
faculty only need to provide a copy of their student's paper and the Turnitin report
showing the similarities highlighted. For more information about academic misconduct
at APSU, please visit Academic Honesty and Integrity.
Important: matches between student papers does not necessarily indicate collusion
or student-student plagiarism, but instead, it could be that both students plagiarized
or poorly cited the same resource. The features within Turnitin can help faculty determine
this possibility.