USE OF TURNITIN POLICY

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1 Department Academic Registry Author Academic Registrar Authorised By: Academic Registrar Implementation By: Academic Registrar Policy Reference: POAR Policies Replaced: Use Of Turnitin Policy Version 2 POAR Version No: 3 Approval Committee: Senate Date approved: 12 July 2013 Minute no: Status: APPROVED Implementation Date: September 2013 Period of approval: 1 year Review Date: July 2014 USE OF TURNITIN POLICY 1. PURPOSE OF USE OF TURNITIN POLICY: The purpose of this policy statement is to define the ways in which Turnitin Originality Reports will be used within the University and the principles for their use. The University expects staff and students to act with the highest standards of academic integrity. Glyndŵr University has a licensing agreement with Turnitin, a commercial company that provides a web-based text matching service, and the University has agreed to use this service primarily as a means of supporting students in their learning, to understand paraphrasing, in-text citation, referencing and to develop their writing style. Turnitin is used therefore in the following ways: Students have the opportunity to submit draft assignments through Turnitin to aid their learning; Turnitin is used also where a member of staff suspects that plagiarism has occurred, as an aid to identifying whether plagiarism may have taken place; Programme teams have the right to require students to make a draft submission and the final submission of an assignment through Turnitin. Students and academic staff are provided with guidance and support regarding citation and referencing and the avoidance of plagiarism, and the appropriate use of Turnitin Originality Reports as learning support. Academic staff are guided in supporting students and in the appropriate use of Turnitin Originality Reports. This Policy aims to ensure that consistent principles and procedures are applied across the University in the use of Turnitin Originality Reports. 2. ORGANISATIONAL DEFINITION OF USE OF TURNITIN POLICY: This Policy is effective from the beginning of the academic session 2011/12. It applies to all members of academic staff and to all students on undergraduate and postgraduate

2 programmes at Glyndŵr University. Section 5 of the policy explains how the Policy applies specifically to postgraduate research students. Questions or concerns regarding the implementation of the Policy, or failures in the implementation of the Policy should be addressed as follows: Members of academic staff: Initial enquiries to Programme Leader; if not resolved, to Turnitin Lead for AcademicDepartment; if not resolved, to Academic Registrar Students: Initial enquiries to tutor; if not resolved, to Programme Leader; if not resolved, to Turnitin Lead for AcademicDepartment; if not resolved, to Academic Registrar 3. USE OF TURNITIN POLICY 3.1 Academic Integrity The University expects staff and students to act with the highest standards of academic integrity. Academic integrity has been defined as a commitment to five fundamental values: honesty, trust, fairness, respect and responsibility. 1, fairness, respect, and Glyndŵr University recognises that academic misconduct, including plagiarism, collusion and other forms of cheating, damage the reputation of the University; foster a climate of mistrust between staff and students; damage a student s learning opportunities; and devalue the academic awards made by the University which is unfair to students who do not cheat. 3.2 Turnitin Glyndŵr University has a licensing agreement with Turnitin, a commercial company that provides a web-based text matching service. This enables written work submitted by students to be checked against documents available on the web, electronic academic and commercial journals and publications, and previously submitted student work from institutions subscribing to Turnitin. 3.3 Use of Turnitin The University has agreed that it will use Turnitin Originality Reports primarily as a means of supporting students in their learning, to understand paraphrasing, in-text citation, referencing and to develop their writing style. In addition, there are other ways in which the use of Turnitin Originality Reports is valuable. Turnitin Originality Reports are used therefore in the following ways: Students have the opportunity to submit draft assignments through Turnitin on as many occasions as they choose (subject to the practical limitations of using Turnitin). 1 Center for Academic Integrity (1999) The Fundamental Values of Academic Integrity. Des Plaines, IL: Office of College Relations at Oakton Community College. Available from: www. academicintegrity. org/fundamental_values_project/pdf/fvproject. pdf [23 August 2010], p4, quoted in JISC (2010) Policy works Available from: [17 July 2011]

3 Turnitin is used also where a member of staff suspects that plagiarism has occurred, as an aid to identifying whether plagiarism has taken place. A member of staff has the right to require a student to provide an electronic version of an assignment and to submit this through Turnitin (see 10 Data Protection below). Programme teams have the right to require students to make a draft submission of their assignment through Turnitin, to facilitate discussion between staff and students on any issues raised by the Turnitin Originality Report. Programme teams have the right to require students to make the final submission of an assignment through Turnitin. 3.4 Principles for use of Turnitin Students All students are provided with appropriate initial and ongoing guidance regarding citation and referencing and the avoidance of plagiarism. Students are expected to apply these principles to all their academic work. All students are provided with appropriate initial and ongoing guidance regarding the submission of work through Turnitin and the interpretation of Originality Reports generated through Turnitin, so that they develop insight into the information on academic referencing provided by an Originality Report. [A high percentage in an Originality Report can occur when plagiarism is not present, and a low percentage in an Originality Report does not prove that plagiarism has not taken place]. Staff Academic staff are supported in developing students understanding of academic integrity, in detection of academic misconduct and in appropriate interpretation of Turnitin Originality Reports. Academic staff support students in understanding academic integrity, academic misconduct and Turnitin Originality Reports. Academic staff who provide advice to students on Originality Reports or who use Originality Reports when plagiarism is suspected have received staff development regarding the interpretation of Originality Reports. Academic staff appreciate that an Originality Report is an aid when plagiarism is suspected and does not of itself provide proof of plagiarism; the decision as to whether or not plagiarism has taken place is one of academic judgment. [A high percentage in an Originality Report can occur when plagiarism is not present, and a low percentage in an Originality Report does not prove that plagiarism has not taken place]. Academic staff act within the University s Academic Misconduct Procedure when plagiarism is suspected.

4 3.5 Postgraduate research students Postgraduate research students are expected to act with the highest standards of academic integrity. The University expects that postgraduate research students will not require support to understand paraphrasing, in-text citation, referencing or to develop their writing style. Use of Turnitin Postgraduate research students have the opportunity to submit extracts of their thesis through Turnitin should they wish to do so, on as many occasions as they choose (subject to the practical limitations of using Turnitin). Turnitin may be used in respect of a postgraduate thesis where a member of staff suspects that plagiarism has occurred, as an aid to identifying whether plagiarism has taken place. A member of staff has the right to require a student to provide an electronic version of a thesis and to submit this through Turnitin (see 10 Data Protection below). Principles for use of Turnitin Postgraduate research students are required to be familiar with citation and referencing principles and the avoidance of plagiarism and to apply these principles to all their academic work. Postgraduate research students may approach their supervisor if they wish to receive guidance regarding the submission of work through Turnitin and the interpretation of Originality Reports generated through Turnitin. Arrangements for use of Turnitin Guidance regarding academic integrity, academic misconduct, submission of work through Turnitin and interpretation of Originality Reports is provided on a central site on Moodle and is available to postgraduate research students. Postgraduate research students may approach their supervisor for support regarding subject specific issues. 3.6 Arrangements for use of Turnitin Students Students will be advised by Programme Leaders at the beginning of each academic year whether they are required to make a draft submission through Turnitin and whether they are required to make the final submission of assignments through Turnitin. Guidance is available for students as follows: Guidance regarding academic integrity, academic misconduct, submission of work through Turnitin and interpretation of Originality Reports is integrated in academic programmes; Guidance regarding academic integrity, academic misconduct, submission of work through Turnitin and interpretation of Originality Reports is provided on a central site on Moodle; Support regarding subject specific and assignment specific issues is available from academic tutors; Support and guidance for all students, on using research effectively and citing sources appropriately in academic work, is available from Academic Study Skills Tutors on a one-to-one or workshop basis.

5 Staff Guidance on the use of Turnitin and the interpretation of Originality Reports is provided on the Moodle site. Training is organised by the Centre for Learning, Teaching and Assessment. A Turnitin Lead is appointed for each Academic Department. The Turnitin Lead: ensures that appropriate staff development is provided for academic staff; provides support to academic staff in providing guidance to students; supports academic staff in using Turnitin appropriately when plagiarism is suspected. 3.7 Submission of work to Turnitin Database Draft work submitted by students through the programme/module Moodle site is not added to the Turnitin database. Final assignments submitted to Turnitin through the programme/module Moodle site are added to the Turnitin database. 3.8 Filters when submitting through Turnitin When work is submitted through Turnitin, a range of filters are applied to the Turnitin database. The same set of filters is used across the University, by both students and staff comparing work against the Turnitin database. This helps to ensure equity of treatment and avoid confusion. The agreed range of filters is used for the draft submission and final submission of work to Turnitin through the programme/module Moodle site and by staff where plagiarism is suspected. The agreed range of filters is publicised to staff on the Moodle site. 3.9 Unavailability of Turnitin The Turnitin service is externally hosted and subject to the terms and conditions of the external agency. It is possible that the facility to submit through Turnitin may be unavailable on occasion, which is beyond the control of the University. When the facility is unavailable, students should submit the work by the due deadline through an alternative means of submission (electronic or by hard copy to the School Offices). They should in addition make the submission through Turnitin as soon as it becomes available Work lost through Turnitin The Turnitin service is externally hosted. It is possible that work submitted through Turnitin may be lost. Students are responsible therefore for retaining an electronic copy of the work submitted, which they may be required to provide. Where the work lost is a final submission, the member of staff will contact IT Services to clarify the nature of the problem Data Protection All personal student data is processed in accordance with the requirements of the Data Protection Act 1998.

6 3.12 Students are informed that they have the right to request that personal information (such as name) is not submitted to the Turnitin database. However, the University still has the right to require a student to provide an electronic version of an assignment and to submit the work through Turnitin without using the personal data. Copyright and Intellectual Property Copyright in work produced by students belongs to the student, unless it has been assigned in writing to another party. However, students are informed in the Programme Handbook and on the Moodle site that the University may make and may authorise third parties to make copies of any work they submit for assessment but only for the following purposes: assessment of the work; demonstration to third parties, such as the Quality Assurance Agency, that the University s assessment procedures are appropriate; comparison with databases of earlier answers or works or other previously available works to confirm the student s work is original; and addition to databases of works used to ensure that future works submitted at this institution and others do not contain content from the student s work. The University will not make any more copies than are necessary for these purposes, will only use copies made for these purposes and will only retain such copies as remain necessary for those purposes. Where copies are made and retained for the purposes identified, the University ensure that it complies with the required provisions of the Data Protection Act. Students are informed that, where final submissions are made through Turnitin, their work is added to the Turnitin database, which is owned by an independent commercial organisation. The arrangements currently in place mean that the written work cannot be accessed by individuals other than employees of the University or of the company that owns Turnitin. However, the University is bound by the terms and conditions of the company, available at Sharing of Work with Other Institutions When work is compared against the Turnitin database, the Originality Report can flag a match with a piece of work submitted by a student at another institution. On occasion, requests are received from other institutions to have sight of such work, to assist staff in assessing cases of academic misconduct. Glyndŵr University considers that it is appropriate to cooperate with colleagues on other institutions on such occasions, but that the University should also protect the privacy of students. When a request is received from another institution for a copy of student s work, the request shall be dealt with by the Module Tutor who shall ensure: That any personal identifiers are removed from the work; That the work does not contain any information that is confidential either from an ethical or a commercial point of view; That a Glyndŵr University disclaimer is added as follows: This document is submitted to you for the sole purpose of review for plagiarism detection and for no other purpose. You agree not to copy or redistribute this document and to destroy your copy of the document when your use for the stated purpose has been completed. By receiving this document you agree to these conditions. The Module Leader shall then refer the request and the work to the Programme Leader, for the Programme Leader to authorise release to the other institution.

7 Where a member of staff is unsure whether sensitive data is included in the work, advice should be sought from the Regulations, Assessment & Awards Unit Evaluation This Policy is subject to review at the end of academic session2012/13. The review will be carried out by the Turnitin Task & Finish Group reporting to the Quality Strategy Committee. 4. THE SCOPE OF THE POLICY The Policy applies to all members of academic staff and to all students on undergraduate and postgraduate programmes at Glyndŵr University. The Policy is being rolled out to partner organisations. This is being kept under review. 5. RESPONSIBILITIES FOR DELIVERY 5.1 Responsibilities of the Executive To ensure allocation of resources to enable the University to retain its licence to operate the Turnitin software To take appropriate action in instances of non-compliance with the Policy 5.2 Responsibilities of the senior operational managers Academic Registrar To ensure that staff and students are aware of the Policy To ensure that appropriate guidance is provided to staff and students Head of IT Services To ensure that the University s licence for the Turnitin software is maintained (provided funding is available) To ensure that the Moodle site for advice and guidance on Turnitin and academic integrity, and the central facility for submission of assignments to Turnitin, is maintained To ensure that advice is provided to staff when the Turnitin facility is not available or work is lost through Turnitin 5.3 Responsibilities of Centre for Learning, Teaching & Assessment To provide training sessions for members of academic staff on: - Use of Turnitin and interpretation of Originality Reports - Designing assessment to minimise plagiarism 5.4 Responsibilities of Academic Heads of Department To ensure that staff are aware of and implement the Use of Turnitin Policy To appoint Turnitin Lead(s) for the Academic Department To ensure that academic staff are aware of the responsibilities of Turnitin Leads To ensure that each programme team determines whether students will be required to make a draft submission and whether they are required to make the final submission of assignments through Turnitin, and that students are notified accordingly at the beginning of each academic year To ensure that appropriate induction is provided for students regarding academic integrity and Turnitin

8 5.5 Responsibilities of Programme Leaders To decide whether students on the programme for which they are responsible will be required to make a draft submission through Turnitin and whether they will be required to make the final submission of assignments through Turnitin, and to notify students accordingly at the beginning of each academic year To provide a draft assignment, for submission of draft work, in each programme-level Moodle space, for use by students in modules that do not provide a draft assignment facility. To incorporate information about Turnitin into the induction programme for students To ensure that appropriate members of the programme team have received training and are able to advise students regarding Turnitin To authorise the release of anonymised student work at the request of other institutions, in accordance with this policy 5.6 Responsibilities of Turnitin Leads To contribute to the development of policy and guidance regarding academic integrity and Turnitin Originality Reports within the University To take a lead role in rolling out use of Turnitin Originality Reports by students and staff in their academic area(s) and in partner organisations where the Academic Department is responsible for delivering programmes To ensure that all students within the Academic Department receive induction tutorials about academic integrity and about the use of Turnitin Originality Reports: this will cover both the mechanics of using Turnitin and how to interpret Originality reports from Turnitin in the context of type of assignment submitted. The TL will either take the lead on organisation of induction for students regarding Turnitin or will provide staff development and training sufficient to allow other members of academic staff to deliver Turnitin induction To be responsible for providing guidance sessions about Turnitin and the interpretation of Originality reports for those members of academic staff who will receive queries from students about this. Appropriate members of academic staff will be identified by the Academic Head of Department and TL; this is likely to include Programme Leaders or their nominee To advise and support staff in responding to queries from students about Turnitin and the interpretation of Originality reports To be responsible for providing training sessions about the mechanics of using Turnitin for those programme teams that decide that final submissions should be made through Turnitin To support academic staff who suspect plagiarism in an assignment, in using Turnitin as an aid to identifying whether plagiarism has taken place. 5.7 Responsibilities of individual members of academic staff To act with the highest standards of academic integrity To implement the Use of Turnitin Policy and programme team policy regarding submission through Turnitin To undertake any necessary training To understand the implications of Turnitin Originality Reports with reference to the academic subject and the type of assignment set for students, and to advise students appropriately

9 To refer students to appropriate sources of advice on academic integrity and use of Turnitin 5.8 Responsibilities of students To act with the highest standards of academic integrity To access available guidance on academic integrity and use of Turnitin Originality Reports and attend guidance sessions To seek advice on academic writing and referencing and on the use of Turnitin and the interpretation of Originality Reports when required To retain an electronic copy of all work submitted through Turnitin 5.9 Responsibilities of the Turnitin Task & Finish Group To review the Use of Turnitin Policy on an annual basis, reporting to the Quality Strategy Committee 6. IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGY 6.1 Support and Advice Support or advice is available as follows:: For Academic Staff From Turnitin Leads Centre for Learning, Teaching & Assessment For Turnitin Leads From IT Services Regulations, Assessment & Awards Unit Centre for Learning, Teaching & Assessment For Students From Academic staff Academic Study Skills Tutors 6.2 Linked documents Further information is available for both staff and students on the relevant Moodle pages. The Academic Misconduct Procedure is available on the Student Moodle site ( School Offices, Policies and Procedures for Students, Student Conduct). A Guide to Good Practice in Assessment is available on Glynfo (Learning, Teaching & Assessment, Centre for Learning, Teaching & Assessment) 6.3 Communication Strategy Appropriate training is provided for Turnitin Leads. Information is available on the relevant Moodle pages. Turnitin Leads then have responsibility for further dissemination of information to academic staff and students. 7. EVALUATION The Policy was reviewed and revised following the first year of operation (2011/12) and further revised in 2013.