Guidance for students submitting work to Turnitin via Moodle
This page contains information on submitting work to a Turnitin assignment within Moodle.
- 1 Preparation
- 2 Step 1 - locate the correct assignment submission link
- 3 Step 2 - note any instructions
- 4 Step 3 - accept the Turnitin user agreement
- 5 Step 4 - make your submission
- 6 Step 4 - check your submission
- 7 Step 5 - check you have quoted, paraphrased and referenced properly
- 8 Interpreting a Turnitin Similarity Report
You can click the images contained in this guide to enlarge them.
Preparation
Turnitin supported file types - information is available in MyServices knowledge article - Submitting to Turnitin (File types).
Maximum upload per file - is fixed at 100 MB. For files larger than this, please refer to the Turnitin FAQ 'How can I minimise the file size of my submission?'
Word count - do consult your module guidelines on how to calculate word count, since different software tends to yield slightly different word counts for the same text.
Step 1 - locate the correct assignment submission link
Turnitin Assignments are located in the Moodle course for the module and display with a distinctive icon.
Navigate to the relevant Moodle course then either scroll through the Moodle course and locate the relevant Turnitin assignment submission link. An icon similar to the one below will appear beside any Turnitin assignment submission point.
Tip: You can expand the Course Index at the left of the course home page to help locate the required course section.
It may also be possible to view all Turnitin assignments on the course by expanding the block area to the right of the course, navigating to the Activities block and selecting Assignments (Turnitin) from the item list.
Please note: Not all Moodle courses are configured to show an Activities block.
Also, navigating to the assignment via the Activities block may mean you miss important guidelines relating to the submission that were included on the home page of the Moodle course.
It is therefore best to navigate to the assignment via the course page, as described above.
Step 2 - note any instructions
Once you have located the submission link and clicked on it, the first section of the My Submissions page displays the details for that Assignment.
Assignment areas:
Title: Check via the title that are you submitting to the right assignment.
Summary text: Check for any instructions?
Key dates: Submit before the Due Date. The Post Date is the date that you can expect marks and feedback to be released.
Click 'Submit Paper' to upload your work and make your submission.
Step 3 - accept the Turnitin user agreement
If this is your first time using Turnitin you will be prompted to accept the Turnitin User Agreement.
If you have used Turnitin before you will not be prompted again to accept the User Agreement and you can skip to step 4.
You may need to allow pop-ups for https://moodle.ucl.ac.uk to allow Turnitin to run properly, and to be able to see the Turnitin User Agreement.
Please see the instructions on disabling pop-up blockers
Step 4 - make your submission
Occasionally you will be asked to enter text directly into a Turnitin assignment - but more often you will be asked to upload files.
Anonymous marking
Wherever possible, UCL operates a policy of anonymous marking of assessments. It is up to the student to ensure their submitted document is anonymous. For advice please see the guide Maintaining the anonymity of your submission.
When submitting a PDF file - please create the PDF file via Adobe software (or Microsoft Word using File-Save As, and selecting PDF file type). This will create a text based PDF file.
To upload a file, first click the Submit Paper option within the Turnitin assignment.
Enter a submission title.
Either drag-and-drop your file to the ‘File To Submit’ area OR click on the 'Add file' icon on the left, to attach the file. Once attached, the file will display in the 'File To Submit' area.
Tick the box to confirm the assignment submission is your own work.
When the file is attached click the 'Add Submission' button.
There will then be a slight delay while Turnitin synchronises data and uploads your work to its servers.
Example of an uploaded Word document prior to clicking Add Submission.
Step 4 - check your submission
If you're submitting a file created on Microsoft Office for Mac or Microsoft365 online, very occasionally the document may be truncated. Please go back to the assignment and click on your submission to view it. Check the number of pages is as expected.
You may find it easier to save your work in PDF format, and upload that.
Files submitted using Apple Pages will NOT receive a similarity score.
After clicking Add Submission, you are immediately presented with a digital receipt.
You will receive an online receipt and an email receipt.
Check your work is successfully uploaded but don't worry about text formatting within the digital receipt, since it doesn't display original formatting.
To close the receipt window click outside of the text area or click the Close link.
Once your submission has been accepted you will return to the assignment, where you will be able to see the details of your submission.
Step 5 - check you have quoted, paraphrased and referenced properly
Turnitin Assignments will likely be set to show you a Similarity Report for your work.
This may take a few minutes to generate. If no Similarity score is showing after a while, press the 'Refresh Submissions' link.
You may also want to refer to the FAQ - I have uploaded my work again (re-submitted), but no Similarity Report has been generated, why?
Checking your work prior to official course assignment submission
Visit the UCL’s Turnitin Similarity Checker at any time for more information on academic writing and using Turnitin. Here you can also check your work for similarity, prior to making an official submission to your course assignment for assessment.
Important: Always remember to submit to your official course assignment by your allocated Due Date.
Interpreting a Turnitin Similarity Report
Please see Step 3 - understand/interpret your Similarity report on Turnitin wiki page Guidance for students collecting marks and feedback.