Using Turnitin.com

Q: How do I set up Turnitin within an assignment in Canvas?

A: Please review the Set Up a Turnitin Assignment in Canvas instructions.

Q: How do I get an account on the Turnitin.com site?

A: As a Canvas instructor, you already have an account on Turnitin.com if you have created at least one Turnitin assignment in a Canvas course shell. If you have not created a Turnitin assignment, you may do so or submit a request to the IT Helpdesk to have an account created within Turnitin. Your username will be your VU email address.

Q: I have an account, what is my password?

A: Canvas does not share your network password with any outside provider through its interface with the service. The Turnitin site requires you to perform a password reset, as no password is connected to your account. Follow these steps to perform a password reset:

1. Go to the Reset Password page on Turnitin. Enter your VU email address. Also enter your “last name” and then click “Next.”

2. Note: your “last name” is whatever is stored in your Turnitin user profile.

3. Click “Forgot the Answer” and an email will be sent to you with a unique password (re)set link.

4. Once you receive the password reset email, you must use the link provided within 24 hours to set a new password.

Your new password is case sensitive, must be alphanumeric, and contain between 6-12 characters. Please check your spam, bulk or junk folder for the password reset email as it is sometimes filtered as spam. You may wish to add “noreply@turnitin.com” to your list of email contacts to further ensure that our mail is not filtered out from your inbox, as this does sometimes occur. If using a “school supplied” email address, your institution’s network administrator may need to be contacted in order to white-list “noreply@turnitin.com.“

Q: Can I use Turnitin.com for my students to submit their assignment outside of Canvas?

A: The VU IT department recommends against this practice. It is cumbersome to create courses, assignments, and add students to the site. Additionally, professors and students already have access through their Canvas course. Finally, adding students within Turnitin.com creates multiple enrollments and counts against the student license count (Canvas + Turnitin.com = 2). Our Turnitin subscription is based on student licenses not instructor access.

Q. Can I submit an individual student’s assignment without creating an assignment in Turnitin.com?

A: Yes, it is possible to submit an assignment to the Turnitin site without creating a course, assignment, or adding the student. This process is called the “Quick Submit.” This process assumes you already have a Turnitin site account setup. Also, assignments submitted through the Turnitin site will not display in Canvas. Follow the steps to activate “Quick Submit” and to process the submission.

Activate the Quick Submit Feature

To activate the Quick Submit feature, please do the following:

1. Sign into your instructor account.

2. Click on the “user info” tab at the top of the screen.

3. Select “yes” from the “activate quick submit:” pull down menu.

4. Click “submit”.

Submit a Paper to Your Quick Submit Inbox

To submit a paper to your Quick Submit inbox, please do the following

1. Sign in to your account.

2. Click on the “Quick Submit” tab located towards the top of the screen.

3. Click the “Submit Paper” button to the upper left corner of the inbox.

4. Select the databases you wish to have your submission checked against (we suggest you check all the boxes).

5. Click “Submit”.

6. Fill in the name of the student you wish to submit the paper for.

7. Fill in the title of the submission.

8. Select an upload option. (Note: Email attachments must be saved to your computer)

• “Choose from this computer” – Browse to a file saved on the computer. Select the file and then click “Open.”
• “Choose from Dropbox” – Browse to a file saved to your Dropbox.com account and then click “Choose.”
• “Choose from Google Drive™” – Browse to a Document file from your Google Drive account and then click “Select.” (You may need to click “Accept” before connecting).

9. Click “Upload.”

10. A new page will load with a preview window. Click “Confirm” to confirm your submission.