Turnitin is widely used across Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) to maintain academic integrity and ensure that all student submissions meet the university’s standards for originality.
Whether you are preparing coursework, essays, research reports, or a thesis, understanding how Turnitin works is essential.
This guide explains how Turnitin is used at UGM, how to submit assignments, and how to interpret similarity reports effectively.
1. What Is Turnitin?
Turnitin is an online plagiarism-detection system that compares your work against:
- Academic articles and journals
- Books and publications
- Websites across the internet
- Turnitin’s global database of student papers
Turnitin highlights any matching text but does not independently judge plagiarism. UGM lecturers and examiners evaluate the context of these matches to determine whether proper academic practice has been followed.
2. Why Universitas Gadjah Mada Uses Turnitin
UGM emphasizes research ethics and academic honesty. Turnitin helps the university:
- Encourage proper citation practices
- Ensure fairness across student submissions
- Prevent plagiarism and self-plagiarism
- Support students in developing original academic writing
- Maintain accountability in undergraduate and postgraduate research
Turnitin is commonly required for assignments, papers, seminar reports, theses, and dissertations.
3. Turnitin Access at UGM
UGM students typically access Turnitin in one of the following ways:
A. Lecturer-Provided Turnitin Class
Many faculties provide Turnitin Class IDs and Enrollment Keys to students. You join the class on Turnitin.com and submit your assignment there.
B. Integrated LMS Submission
Some courses at UGM use platforms like eLisa, UMAS, or other faculty-specific LMS systems that automatically connect to Turnitin. In these cases:
- You upload your document directly to the LMS
- Turnitin runs in the background
- Your similarity report becomes available within the platform
Always check your faculty or course guidelines for the correct submission method.
4. How to Submit a Document to Turnitin
- Prepare your file
- Accepted formats:
.doc.docx.pdf - Ensure the text is selectable, not scanned
- Accepted formats:
- Log in to Turnitin or LMS
- Use the class credentials or LMS link provided by your lecturer
- Upload your assignment
- Enter your paper title
- Upload the file and confirm submission
- Download the digital receipt
- This serves as proof that your assignment was successfully submitted
5. Understanding Turnitin Similarity Scores
Turnitin similarity percentages indicate how much of your writing matches existing sources. UGM faculties may set slightly different thresholds, but common guidelines include:
- Below 20% — Generally acceptable
- 20–40% — Review needed; may require revision
- Above 40% — Usually unacceptable; rewrite recommended
Keep in mind that similarity is not automatically plagiarism. Quotes, references, and correctly cited sections may still appear as matches.
6. Reasons for High Similarity at UGM
Common causes include:
- Excessive quoting from books or online sources
- Copying definitions or explanations without paraphrasing
- Reusing your own past assignments (self-plagiarism)
- Improper or missing citations
- Matching structures such as tables, appendices, or templates
- Using publicly available thesis samples from previous UGM students
7. How to Reduce Similarity Before Submitting
A. Paraphrase Clearly
Rewrite sentences using your own words and structure. Avoid simple word substitution.
B. Cite Your Sources
Use the citation format required by your faculty (often APA, IEEE, or Vancouver depending on the program).
C. Limit Quotations
Use quotes only when the original wording is essential.
D. Check Your Draft (If Allowed)
Some lecturers allow pre-submissions to Turnitin so you can improve your final version.
E. Avoid Copying from Older UGM Theses
These documents are stored in databases that Turnitin checks against.
8. Tips for UGM Students Writing Academic Papers
- Start early to avoid rushed, low-quality paraphrasing
- Organize your notes and sources properly
- Use UGM academic writing guidelines or faculty-provided templates
- Avoid copying standard definitions directly from sources
- Proofread your writing before uploading
9. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q. Does Turnitin count my references as similarity?
Yes, reference lists often appear as matches, but lecturers typically ignore this.
Q. Can I reuse my own writing from previous semesters?
Only with explicit lecturer permission. Otherwise, it is considered self-plagiarism.
Q. My Turnitin score is high due to my methodology section—what should I do?
Methodology often contains standard wording. Paraphrase where possible, but consult your lecturer if unsure.
Q. My file was rejected—why?
Turnitin may reject:
- Scanned PDFs
- Files larger than system limits
- Documents with corrupted formatting
Q. How long does it take to receive the similarity report?
Usually within minutes, though during peak submission periods it may take longer.
Conclusion
Turnitin is a vital academic tool at Universitas Gadjah Mada.
In understanding how it works, following proper citation practices, and reviewing your similarity report carefully, you can produce high-quality academic writing that meets UGM’s standards of integrity and scholarship.