Just to back up what Raiks has stated in this thread, the program they are trialling for plagarism is actually Turnitin, the online application which most large universities are already using.
http://www.uow.edu.au/student/services/ld/resources/Plagiarism.html
For those who cannot be bothered to click the link, here is the actual article:
EDIT: Actually the article is a bit too long, here is the important bit:
. What is Turnitin?
Turnitin is an Internet-based tool for detecting plagiarism. Turnitin checks each paper submitted to it against content websites such as academic resources, online encyclopaedias and paper mills as well as its constantly growing database of student papers and academic texts in order to check for instances of plagiarism. Each paper generates an ‘originality report’ that tells the person who submitted it (the student or the lecturer) the similarity found between the paper and all the sources checked by Turnitin . In effect, Turnitin creates ‘digital fingerprints’ of text documents (your submitted paper and all the websites and papers it searches) and checks them for matches against each other. It also aims to develop student academic and writing skills by promoting plagiarism awareness and alternatives.
ii. How will Turnitin be used at UOW?
Turnitin is being trial tested in several subjects across the University of Wollongong. The aim is to increase the plagiarism awareness of students. It is not being used in a punitive manner. During this trial period the results of the originality report will be used to single out students whose assignments show evidence of plagiarism. Again, these students will not be punished; they will be given information and assistance in order to create a greater awareness of plagiarism. It is hoped that by making students aware of plagiarism and plagiarism detection tools and also by providing instruction in how to avoid plagiarising, its incidence will decrease.
iii. How do I use Turnitin?
Before using Turnitin, you need to register and join a class/classes.
a. Registering with Turnitin
You begin by using your web browser to get to the Turnitin homepage at
www.turnitin.com
Click on the create a user profile link in the top right corner of the page, below the login box.
Note that all the following instructions appear on the screen when you hit the create a user profile link and that you will be guided through the steps by user-friendly prompts. You can choose to read the instructions below or simply got to Turnitin and create a profile for yourself. If you chose to do this, please note you will first need a class ID and enrollment password, which you should have received from your instructor.
To complete the Create a new user profile form there are 5 steps.
Step 1: Enter a valid email address. This will be your Turnitin user name.
Step 2: Enter your personal password. Note it must be 6-12 characters long, and contain at least one letter and one number.
Step 3: Enter your name and country.
Step 4: Select your user type (student, instructor, or administrator). You will select student.
Step 5: Read the user agreement. If you are happy with the agreement, select I agree—continue with profile. You have now completed your user profile and are registered with Turnitin.
b. Enrolling in a Class:
Now that you have registered with Turnitin, you need to Enrol in a Turnitin class. You can either
hit the start class enrollment wizard option, or
return to the homepage and login.
(NOTE that to enrol in a class, you will need a class ID and enrollment password, which you should have received from your instructor.)
Option A: If you select the class enrollment wizard option, then simply enter the class ID and enrollment password. If successful, you will see a welcome page informing you of the class into which you have enrolled. Be sure to confirm the details before hitting the end wizard and go to login page link. Back on the homepage, enter your full email address (i.e. your Turnitin username) and your personal Turnitin password in the boxes in the top right corner of the page, then hit submit. You should now be taken your student homepage, where you should see your new class listed in the middle, stripped section of the page. Enter a class by clicking on its name.
Option B: If you return to the homepage, enter your full email address (i.e. your Turnitin username) and your personal Turnitin password in the boxes in the top right corner of the page then hit submit. You should now be taken your student homepage. Hit the enrol in a class button in top left corner of the middle, stripped section of the page (which displays your Turnitin classrooms). You will now need to enter the class ID and enrollment password. If successful, you should see your new class listed in the stripped section. Enter a class by clicking on its name.
Note
Your personal Turnitin home page lists all the classes that you are enrolled in.
It is possible to delete classes from your homepage by using the drop class icon.
c. Submitting a paper
You can only submit a paper by entering into the ‘classroom’ of a class in which you are enrolled. See the steps above for how to enrol in a class. Enter the classroom by clicking on the class name in your class portfolio
Your classroom page is divided into two broad sections: to the left is your assignment list and to the right is your portfolio.
In your assignment list, to the right of the assignment that you must submit, you will see an icon of a document beneath the submit column. Click this to submit an assignment.
You will now be asked to attach your assignment. There are two ways you can do this:
The easiest way is to upload the paper from your computer by selecting the BROWSE button. This allows you to navigate to the paper on your computer. To do this, your assignment must be in one of the following formats: Word, Text, Postscript, PDF, HTML, and RTF
If your document is not in one of the required formats, you can also submit your assignment by cutting and pasting the text of your paper into the box provided.
When you have filled in the ‘submit a paper’ page and either uploaded your paper or pasted it into the form, click on the SUBMIT button.
The next page to come up will show you a copy of the text you have submitted. You will need to check this is correct and then click the yes submit button. If it is not correct, you will need to go back and reattach the file or re-paste it into the paper submission form.
Once you hit submit, you will receive a Turnitin digital receipt, which will be emailed to you and which you may choose to print at this stage.
A record of your submitted assignment will appear in your ‘classroom’. You can access the submitted text by clicking on the doc link beneath the contents column in your portfolio. In addition, if your lecturer has decided to allow you access to the originality report generated by your assignment, you can also access this report by clicking on the document icon next to the submitted date in your portfolio. Note that the icon will be coloured once it has been graded. These colours indicate the level of originality of your assignment.
iv. How can I get more help with using Turnitin?
For a quick tutorial on how to use Turnitin, go to
http://www.turnitin.com/static/training_support/tii_student_quickstart.html
For a more detailed tutorial or reference source, go to the Tours and Quickstarts option in the bottom menu bar on your welcome page. Clicking on this option allows you to access quick tours, more in-depth tours or an instruction manual.
If you can’t find the information you require in one of the tours or the manual, you can also email
helpdesk@turnitin.com.
Have a good day.
