Turnitin: Similarity Scores and Reports

Relevant to: students

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Introduction

TurnItIn is the university's plagiarism detection tool. It allows you to review the Similarity Score and Similarity Report [before submitting your final assignment for grading].. The Similarity Score shows how much of a submission matches existing sources. Reviewing the report can help you identify areas where you may need to improve your citations, paraphrasing, or quotations before submitting your final draft.  

If additional support with the writing process (eg. citations, paraphrasing, and quoting) or understanding your Similarity report, you can contact Academic Support. They offer writing resources, tutoring services, and one-on-one assistant to help you interpret your Similarity Score and strengthen your writing.

This article guide will help you learn how to:

  • Understand your Similarity Score.
  • Access and review your Similarity Report.
  • Navigate the features of the Similarity Report.
  • Enroll in and use the Student Turnitin Portal

You can enroll in the Fall Term 2026 Turnitin Student Portal by using the Self-Enroll Link.

Understand Your Similarity Score

Turnitin scans your work against a massive database containing billions of web pages, both current and archived, a repository of student papers previously submitted to Turnitin, and thousands of periodicals, journals, and publications.

The similarity score reflects the amount of matching or similar text uncovered, ranging from 0% to 100%.

The percentage score is highlighted in a specific color that corresponds to its level indicator:

  • Blue - 0–20% — Low similarity: Minimal matching text found.
  • Green - 21–40% — Moderate similarity: Some matching text detected.
  • Yellow - 41–60% — Noticeable similarity: A noticeable amount of text matches external sources.
  • Orange - 61–80% — High similarity: A large portion of the paper matches external text.
  • Red - 81–100% — Extreme high similarity: Most or nearly all text matches other sources.

Why Matches Occur

It is perfectly natural for an assignment to match against some of the Turnitin database. If quotes and references are used correctly, Turnitin will still find matches. The score simply highlights matching areas so it can be verified that quotes and paraphrased content are properly cited. Legitimate citations can still show up as matches.

Pending Status

If a warning sign with an exclamation mark appears instead of a number, the report is still processing or pending. Reports can take some time to appear, so refresh your web browser as needed.

Access and Review Your Similarity Report

Follow these steps after submitting your work:

  1. Select Course Menu from the Brightspace navbar.
  2. Select Assignments from the drop-down menu.
  3. Locate the specific assignment you wish to check.
  4. Select Completion Status next to that assignment.
  5. In the submission details, locate your Turnitin Similarity percentage level indicator.
  6. Select the Similarity score percentage to open the report. A new window will open to display the Turnitin Similarity Report.

Navigate the Features of the Similarity Report

Inside the interactive Turnitin viewer, you can use the Turnitin tools to review what your assignment includes:

  • Examine possible matches: Turnitin labels and highlights text that matches other sources.
  • Compare sources: Select each match to view the original source and compare it directly with your writing.
  • Verify citations: Ensure any identified quotes or paraphrased content are correctly cited.

Enroll in and Use the Student Turnitin Portal

The Student Turnitin Portal Plagiarism Checker allows SUNY Empire students to submit their draft work to Turnitin for citation-based revisions before final submission.

  • Via Discover: The portal is set up as a course in Brightspace that you can find and join using the Discover feature. For step-by-step instructions, review Self-Enroll in a Course with Discover.
  • Direct Link: You can also join the Fall Term 2026 Turnitin Student Portal directly using the Self-Enroll Link.

Uploading Documents to Check for Similarity

  1. Enter the Student Turnitin Portal and select the Check my Documents module.
  2. Navigate to the Learning Activity Dropboxes submodule and select one of the assignments.
  3. At the bottom of the screen, select the Upload button and choose the file you want to review.
  4. Select Submit.

Tip for Discussion Posts: If you want to check a discussion post, construct your response in a Word document first, then upload that file to one of the Learning Activity Dropboxes.

Viewing Your Similarity Scores

  1. Inside the Student Turnitin Portal, select Course Menu in the navbar and choose Assignments.
  2. Locate the assignment you submitted your file to, and select the link under the Completion Status column.
  3. Your Turnitin Similarity Report will open for you to review.
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