Submitting the same paper twice on Turnitin — or uploading the wrong version by accident — can happen to anyone. Maybe your internet glitched and you hit submit twice, or maybe you realized you uploaded the draft instead of the final version.
Whatever the reason, a duplicate submission isn’t the end of the world. It can look confusing at first, but there are simple ways to sort it out.
Understanding what a duplicate submission means
When you upload an essay to Turnitin, it’s automatically stored in a database so that future submissions can be compared against it. If you try to submit the same paper again, Turnitin will recognize it as already existing in the system.
This means your second submission might show a 100% similarity score, even though it’s your own work. It’s not considered plagiarism, but it can still cause confusion if your instructor thinks it’s a new upload or if the wrong version ends up being graded.
Duplicate submissions can also happen if you upload your paper to two different assignments or courses that both use Turnitin. Even if both papers are yours, Turnitin will treat them as identical and flag the new one as a match to the first.
What to do if you submitted twice by mistake
The first thing to do is let your instructor know right away. Be honest and explain what happened — for example, that you accidentally uploaded the same file twice or submitted a draft instead of your final copy. In most cases, teachers understand that technical mistakes happen, and they can easily fix it on their end.
Your instructor has the option to delete your earlier submission or create a new assignment space for you to resubmit the correct version. If necessary, they can contact Turnitin to have the duplicate paper permanently removed from the database. Once that’s done, your similarity score will return to normal and only the final submission will be visible.
If your duplicate submission causes a high similarity score
Sometimes, students notice the problem only after seeing a very high or even 100% similarity score. This usually happens because Turnitin is comparing your new upload with your own earlier submission. To confirm this, open the similarity report — it will probably show your own previous paper as the only matching source.
If that’s the case, there’s no need to panic. Just explain the situation to your instructor and ask them to exclude the earlier version from the comparison. They can do this in a few clicks or request Turnitin to handle it for them.
Preventing self-matches in the future
To avoid this issue, make sure you only click the submit button once and wait for Turnitin to confirm that your upload was successful. If you’re revising your paper, ask your instructor before resubmitting so they can clear the old file first. Also, keep your final version clearly labeled on your computer to avoid mixing it up with drafts.
Concluding thoughts
A duplicate submission on Turnitin might look like a serious problem, but it’s usually just an easy-to-fix mistake. The key is to stay calm, communicate quickly with your instructor, and make sure they know what happened.
Once the duplicate file is deleted or excluded, everything goes back to normal. Turnitin’s system is designed to catch matches, not to punish accidents — so as long as you’re honest and proactive, your record will stay clear and your real work will get the credit it deserves.