Originality Check &
Turnitin Similarity Report

Learn about the originality check and Turnitin Similarity Report

for written assignments with links to the guides below

Dropbox - Originality Check report

Turnitin will be available in July 2023, replacing Ouriginal (Urkund) Dropbox - Originality Check by November 2023.
During the transition period, you may be required to use either Turnitin or Ouriginal (Urkund). 

Dropbox - Originality Check (Urkund/Ouriginal) is a tool that can be used to improve writing skills, by identifying instances of unintentional plagiarism. Dropbox - Originality Check compares submitted work to an extensive database including web pages, journals, articles, and other student submissions. Access the Origianlity Check Report within VU Collaborate to view highlighted matched text, identified sources, and an overall similarity percentage score.

This guide shows how to submit to an Assessment Dropbox and then view the Dropbox - Originality Check report.

 

 

How does an Originality Check work?


When your work is submitted to an Assessment Dropbox with the originality check enabled, the submitted material is checked against a database that contains billions of internet pages and previously submitted student work for originality. Not only does this software alert the user and instructor to plagiarism, but it also analyses the writing style contained within the submission to ensure consistent language from the writer. An originality report is then generated for the instructor and the student, depending on the settings.

 

Step One: Submit to an Assessment Dropbox


This guide shows how to submit to the Assessment Dropbox Originality Check - Test Folder, in the Student Induction space. You can use this folder to submit and review the report before submitting to the unit dropbox.

See Submitting to, and Viewing Feedback, in the Assessment Dropbox to learn how to submit an assessment. 

  • Access the Student Induction space
  • On the navbar, select Assessments, then Dropbox
  • Select Originality Check - Test Folder
  • Select Add a File, to located and select your submission
  • When ready, select Submit 

 

Step Two: Accessing Your Dropbox - Originality Check Report


1. On the navbar select Assessments, then Dropbox - Originality Check.

1 access dropbox originality check

2. Select Show Details to view the status of your assignment submission.

select show details

3. If the Originality Check is not yet complete, the status of the document will be displayed as Processing (1)
Refresh the page and recheck the status. Keep in mind that report generation can take between 15 minutes and 24 hours.

4. When ready, the status will be Analyzed (2). Click on the file name then select View Report (3).

view submission status

If an Error or Rejected status appears for a submitted document, it may be due to the submitted document containing less than 400 characters or the document exceeding the limit of 50 MB. If a report has still not been generated, and the earlier mentioned reasons do not apply to your document, then we would recommend reaching out to your teacher for further investigation.

 

 

Step Three: Interpreting Your Dropbox - Originality Check Report


The Dropbox - Originality Report provides a great deal of information and details areas of possible plagiarism, improper referencing, converting documents from other languages and variance in writing styles. See Guide to the new Analysis report (NEW), by Ouriginal, to learn all about the report.

Analysis Overview:

  • This overview highlights specific areas within the document that match other sources. You can select the highlighted regions to be directed to the appropriate section. 
  • Large areas (such as the one demonstrated) should be avoided where possible, consider adjusting your submission if possible to prevent large chunks of potentially plagiarized text.

analysis overview

Findings:

Outlined within this section are sections with matched text and areas of possible concern.

  • Matching Text - Details all areas within the document where sentences are the same as previously submitted assessments or online sources. 
  • Warnings - Any unusual use of full stops or white text (lowering word counts) will be detected within this section. This section will also demonstrate any language variation, possibly indicating other possible authors.
  • Cross-Language - Any text that may have been plagiarised in another language and converted into English within the document will be detected within this section.

Select matching text (1) to view matched details.

select matching text

Matching Text:

  • This shows any text in the submitted document (1) with the matched text (2) from other sources.
  • Text that is correctly referenced, or not needed can be removed, by selecting exclude this match (3). 
  • To Navigate to the next match, use Previous Match and Next Match.

matching text

Similarity:

  • Current submission - percentage for the submitted assignment.
  • Submitter Average - percentage average for reciever. 
  • Group average - percentage average for the assignment.

similarity

Submission Details:

  • This section (at the top of the report), outlines all information regarding the assessed document, including word count, submission date and time along with the submission ID.

 

Download the report 


You are able to download the originality report from Urkund by Ouriginal which may assist in reviewing your submissions or research papers.

At the top right of the screen in the Analysis Overview and in the Findings page, you have the download icon.

download the report

After you click on that icon, the report will automatically download to your computer where you are able to view the overview page and the entire report page by page.

Urkund downloaded report