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Turnitin Principles for PGR Student Work

Background   

1. In December 2015, PGR Sub-Committee of ULTSEC considered how Turnitin should be used to review the work of PGR students up to the point of thesis submission. 

2. Based on these discussions and the Turnitin Principles outlined to ULTSEC in February 2016, the following principles have been produced. 

 

Principles for using Turnitin   

Annual Progress Reviews 

3. During a PGR student’s first year of study, there should be one opportunity for a student to submit a piece of work to Turnitin for formative feedback.  This is intended to help a student to become proficient in academic writing and/or to check their proficiency in academic writing.   

4. This one opportunity should be in advance of the student’s first annual progress review. 

5. It is the expectation that: 

  • Schools/Institutes will submit student work produced for annual progress review to Turnitin where appropriate. 
  • Detailed information on how Turnitin will be used within each School/Institute will be communicated to Faculty Graduate School Committees, who will, in turn, communicate it to PGR Sub-Committee. 
  • Schools/Institutes communicate clearly to students when their work will be submitted to Turnitin. 
  • There is a clearly identified member of staff in each School/Institute who has the authority to approve instances which are exempt from these principles.

6. Submission to Turnitin should usually be a single one-off action. Students should not usually be able to submit and resubmit their work multiple times before a submission deadline. 

7. Work submitted to Turnitin as a part of a student’s progression should not be added to the Turnitin repository as it is likely that it will form the basis of the PGR student’s later work. 

 

Thesis Submission

8. On submission of the final thesis to the Graduate School, PGR Sub-Committee has agreed that at least 50% of theses per Faculty will be submitted for review to Turnitin. 

9. Graduate Schools will manage this process in line with what has been agreed at the relevant Faculty Graduate School Committee.   

10. The Dean of Postgraduate Studies has the authority to approve instances which are exempt from the principles. 

11. The thesis should not be added to the Turnitin repository. 

 

Student Progress Service – August 2022