Turnitin Assignments

LearnZone has two different types of assignment plugins of which you are likely to come across in the courses, units or modules.  These are:

  • Assignment
  • Turnitin Assignment 2

The main difference between these different types is that Turnitin is an external service that your lecturer can use to acquire a similarity report on the work you submit.  To learn more about the Assignment plugin please visit the help page for it.  This help page will focus on how you can use Turnitin to submit work and access any feedback left by your lecturer or tutor.

The Turnitin Assignment Plugin on LearnZone

You might notice the Turnitin assignment tile within the sections of a course page.  The Turnitin assignment is a sort of activity requiring you to complete a task and submit evidence.  You may need to submit a file or enter your submission text into a text box.

The tile itself may contain information on the deadline date and/or details on whether or not this has been submitted or not.

Turnitin link example

Additionally, your lecturer may have set a number of different features that you may need to take into consideration when submitting.  For example, the assignment may have a start date, a deadline and/or could have restricted file types.  It could also be of two different types, which will expect you to upload an accepted file or enter text into a text box.

If you are having issues submitting your work please contact your lecturer.  Remember that all of your attempts whether they fail or not, are logged so we will be able to determine if you have attempted to submit your work in the case of any issues raised.

To enter the Turnitin assignment simply click on the title text of the assignment tile.  Once inside you will see the instructions for the assignment (assuming your lecturer has added these) and a small ‘Submit Paper’ button.

Submitting Your Work to a Turnitin Assignment

Submitting your work on a Turnitin assignment is relatively easy.  Simply locate the assignment tile (see above) and click on it.  Once the assignment page has loaded you will see the instructions for the assignment (assuming your lecturer has added them).

Please note that on Turnitin there could be multiple parts to any one assignment.  Make sure you select the correct part to the assignment by clicking the correct tab.  Once there, you will see a ‘Submit Paper’ button underneath of which you should click to submit your work for this assignment.

Generally, you will be required to add your Turnitin assignment submission in one of two ways.  The first method and least common is by adding text to a text box in the browser window.  You can type directly into the web browser or just copy and paste.  The second method and most common involves submitting an allowed file type for assessment, such as a Microsoft Word or PowerPoint file.  Be aware there may be a word limit, or a file size limit.  If you are having issues trying to submit your work, contact your lecturer for further instruction.

If you are having issues uploading a file, then please try to convert your file to a PDF, and this will more likely solve the problem.  To find out how to do this go to the help section on the Microsoft Website ‘Save or convert to PDF‘.

Before clicking the ‘Add Submission’ button you must ensure you have done the following:

  • Added a Submission Title
  • Uploaded a file OR entered text to the submission
  • Any submission must be at least 20 words.
  • Confirm that the work is your own and has been appropriately referenced.

If you do not do this, you will not be able to submit the work.

The Submission Digital Receipt

Once you have successfully submitted your work, you will receive a receipt for your submission and a submission ID.  This reference can be used if there are any issues or errors in submitting the work.

If you are experiencing issues submitting your work, you must contact your lecturer.  All of your interactions on HELearnZone are recorded and we can investigate any issues by accessing your activity logs.

Getting Your Feedback on Turnitin

Once your lecturer has marked your work and the post date of the assignment has passed you will be able to access your feedback.  The post date is set by your lecturer in order to enable all feedback for all students to be released at the same time.  To access your feedback simply go back to where you first submitted the assignment.  Once there you will see a few details, including the title of your assignment, Turnitin Paper ID, submission date and time, grade (if necessary).  You can also download a copy of the submission.

Clicking on the title of your assignment will enable you to access the feedback provided by your lecturer.  The link will transport you to a Turnitin Feedback Studio screen where your assignment will be visible with any feedback and annotations on your work itself.

You will see a number of buttons on the screen that provides access to the following:

  • [Speech Icon] – Overall feedback comments
  • [Download Icon] – Download assignment submission and feedback
  • [Info Icon] – Information about the assignment submission, such as date and time submitted, etc.

Should you have any difficulties accessing your feedback please contact your lecturer.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

I can't see my assignment.

If you have already had a good click around for the assignment and you can’t locate it, it could be for a number of reasons.  It could be that it doesn’t exist yet, or that it’s hidden.  Please contact your lecturer to ask them where the assignment is located.

I can't submit my work.

Depending on how your lecturer has setup the assignment you should be able to either use the online text editor or submit a file.  If you can’t see the ‘Add Submission’ button, check that the assignment start date has passed.  If not, you will need to contact your lecturer or wait for the date to pass.

My file type is not allowed.

Most normal file types are allowed.  The most common are .docx .pptx .xlsx .pdf and these should be allowed.  If you are having trouble try converting your file to a PDF.  If problems persist contact your lecturer.

I can't find or see my feedback.

To find your feedback simply go back into the section where you uploaded your submission.  If you can’t see any feedback, it’s probably because the feedback is not there or the date whereby all feedback is released has not yet been reached.

What is a similarity report?

A similarity report is a document detailing matches inside your submission to other submissions for other students at our institution and others around the world.  Your lecturer may choose not to show you this report.  If your lecturer has any issues with your submission they will discuss it with you privately.

I can't see my similarity report.

The similarity report may not be visible to learners.  This is the choice of the lecturer who may choose not to show this report to students.

Does a high similarity score mean that am in trouble?

The similarity score matches the text inside your submission to others that are stored in a database online.  This is used to detect similarities between your work and that submitted by others.  As long as you reference any work within your own submission there is probably no need to worry.  You should contact your lecturer if you are concerned.

What's the difference between the assignment plugin and the Turnitin plugin.

The plugins are slightly different but essentially both are used to enable you to submit work.  Turnitin will run checks on your work to enable your lecturer to detect Plagiarism more easily; whereas the Assignment plugin does not.  However, your lecturer can still use Turnitin to detect plagiarism without using the Turnitin Assignment tool.