Guidelines on Turnition

1. The similarity index reflects textual matches between the submitted manuscript and available online sources. A high similarity index does not automatically indicate plagiarism.
2. The similarity percentage is calculated by comparing the matched text with the total word count of the manuscript.
3. It is the responsibility of the instructor or faculty reviewer to examine each similarity instance carefully to determine whether it suggests potential plagiarism.
4. If the identified similarities appear substantial, the student or researcher should be guided accordingly; in serious cases, the matter may be formally reported based on the documented evidence.
5. Matches with the author’s own previously published or submitted work may be disregarded, provided the material is demonstrably the same.
6. Bibliographic entries and properly quoted material may be excluded after verification. However, excessive reliance on quoted content is discouraged under the prescribed policy.
7. Common phrases, technical terms, and proper nouns frequently appear as matches; such instances should be ignored during evaluation.
8. The originality report generates similarities from three primary databases: internet sources, periodicals, and the student repository. Matches originating from the student repository may be disregarded if they correspond to the author’s own earlier work. These sources are particularly useful in detecting possible collusion.
9. Visual components such as graphs, tables, formulas, and other non-textual elements are not assessed by the system; therefore, the similarity index is based solely on textual content.
10. The final determination regarding plagiarism rests with the supervising instructor or faculty member, who must interpret the report judiciously. The originality report serves as documentary evidence in this process.