


The software has been a source of controversy, with some students refusing to submit, arguing that requiring submission implies a presumption of guilt. Students may be required to submit work to Turnitin as a requirement of taking a certain course or class. Results can identify similarities with existing sources and can also be used in formative assessment to help students learn to avoid plagiarism and improve their writing.

Turnitin is an Internet-based plagiarism detection service run by the US company Turnitin, LLC, a subsidiary of Advance Publications.įounded in 1997, it sells its licenses to universities and high schools who then use the software as a service (SaaS) website to check submitted documents against its database and the content of other websites with the aim of identifying plagiarism.
