What is Turnitin at Penn State?

Turnitin at Penn State is a web-based originality checking and plagiarism prevention service that checks submitted writing for citation mistakes or inappropriate copying. When a paper is submitted, Turnitin attempts to match it to passages in its massive database of student work, websites, books, and articles in scholarly journals. An Originality Report, which highlights passages of matching text.

PSU Resources

External Resources

Accessibility & Privacy

If using this tool, including the following links in your course help meet Quality Matters (QM) Standards 6.4 and 8.6, respectively:

Additional Information

It is highly recommended that instructors create Turnitin Feedback Studio assignments from within Canvas to prevent errors in synchronization. Accessing Turnitin Feedback Studio with Canvas provides enhanced functionality, including bypassing account activation and access codes and grades posted directly to the gradebook.  

Turnitin includes Draft Coach, a Microsoft Word add-on that highlights grammar mistakes and provides explanations to help students edit and understand. 

At a Glance

person Availability: Students, Faculty, Staff

paid Cost: Free to PSU

smartphone Mobile App: No

web Canvas Integration: Yes

dvr Supported Technologies: Computer, Mobile device, Internet

alarm Learning Curve: 1 - 2 hrs

Practical Applications

Pedagogical Goals:

  • Create a Classroom Community
  • Increase Student Participation
  • Support Research and Development
Associated Teaching Activities:
One Minute Paper One Minute Paper Exam Wrapper Directed Paraphrasing Directed Paraphrasing Background Knowledge Background Knowledge & Misconception Check
Associated Use Cases:
A flow chart titled TurnitIn: Original Writing within Canvas. Integrity by Design