Navigating the Similarity Report

Feedback Studio • Feedback Studio w/ Originality • OC

In this guide:

• Using the Match Overview and Match Breakdown
• Viewing all sources
• Moving between submissions
• Using layers
• Using thumbnails

Using the Match Overview and Match Breakdown

A match is a string of text that is very similar or the same as some text you have in your paper. Your matches are highlighted in the document, and the colors will correlate with the sources listed in your insight panel.

The Match Overview section displays the similarity percentage and a breakdown of all the matches that have been found on a paper, ordered by highest similarity match to lowest.

The similarity percentage ranges from 0 to 100, with 0 representing no matches found and 100 percent meaning the entire submission matched to other sources. Matches are numbered and color-coded to indicate their respective source in the insight panel.

1. To view the Match Overview, select the red numerical similarity score from the similarity toolbar. If the similarity layer was inactive, it will now be activated, highlighting all matches on the paper.
   
2. A list of matches and the corresponding percentage of the submission that matches to that source will be displayed in descending order.
   
3. To access each match in more detail, select the arrow to the right of each similarity percentage.
4. The Match Breakdown will display all sources identified for each match, including duplicates. To view the sources in this submission, simply click on any source.
   
   
5. A source box will appear on the paper, revealing where in the source the text has been identified. If you would like to read the full source, choose the book icon in the top right-hand corner of the box. You can also access this source box by selecting the numbered match flag to the left of the highlighted text.
   
6. Select the left or right arrow in the source box to move between sources. The full source text can now be viewed in the Full Source Text side panel, with all matching text shown in red.
   

Viewing all sources

The source is where a particular match has been found. It is possible to have multiple matches for each source. 

In the All Sources side panel, every source that has been found, including overlapping sources, are displayed and sorted by highest percentage match. Selecting one of your sources will reveal information like how many matches were found for that particular source and where each match was found.

1. To view all sources, select the red All sources icon from the similarity toolbar. If the similarity layer was inactive, it will now be activated, highlighting all on-paper matches.
   
2. All sources are displayed within the All Sources side panel. A list of sources will be displayed in descending order. Choosing any source will change the navigation bar at the top of the page. This reveals the number of times text from this single source matches in the submission.
   
3. To view each match within the selected source, simply use the navigation arrows at the top of the All Sources side panel. As you navigate through, a new on-paper source box will appear. When you select a source, it will scroll to the area in the submission where that source appears.
   

For example, the screenshot above indicates that there are eight times in this submission that text matches to this single source.

Moving between submissions

You can navigate through submissions to an assignment by looking in the top right-hand corner of the navigation frame. Here, you will find arrows to move between submissions. A dropdown also allows you to choose from a list of all submissions to an assignment.

Using the navigation arrows:

1. Find the navigation arrows in the top right-hand corner of the Turnitin Feedback Studio.
   
2. The left arrow will take you to the previous submission, and the right arrow will move you to the next. Submissions are ordered by the date they were submitted.
   

Using the drop-down menu:

1. Find the submission count in the top right-hand corner of the page. This shows the submission that you are currently grading. Select the arrow to view all the papers that have been submitted to your assignment, along with your students' names.
   
2. This drop-down list informs you of all submissions for an assignment so far. It shows the student's name on the left and the paper title on the right. Select any of the submissions to change the Turnitin Feedback Studio to that paper.

Using layers

Layers allow you to view more than one service at the same time. With layers, you can view the similarity report and add bubble comments at the same time. Toggle layers on and off using either the toolbar or the Active Layers side panel.

Using layers in the product toolbar

The service toolbar makes it easier for you to toggle between different layers, and you can do so from the layers icon at the top of each service section.

1. Find the layer switch for the service you would like to toggle. If the layer switch is blue, red, or purple, this means the service layer is active.
   Online grading
   
   
   Similarity
   
   
   e-rater®
   
2. If the layer is black, the overlay is inactive. Select the black layer icon above each service to activate it.
   
3. In the example below, the similarity section is active, but online grading and e-rater® are inactive.
   

Using the active layers side panel

1. Alternatively, you can select the layer icon at the very top of the toolbar, which will open the Active Layers side panel.
   
2. In the Active Layers side panel, the services available to you will be displayed alongside a checkbox. Select the relevant checkboxes to activate or deactivate your chosen services. This will change the color status of the layer icon for each service.
   
   In the example below, the online grading and similarity layers are active, but e-rater is inactive:
   
   Here, you'll find a view of a submission where all layers are active:
   
   
3. If the layer is black, the overlay is inactive. Choose the black layer icon above each service to activate it.

Using thumbnails

The thumbnail bar gives you a quick glimpse of the entire document you are currently viewing.

1. Select the black tab in the left-hand corner to access the thumbnail bar.
2. Choose one of the thumbnails to jump to the relevant page within the submission.
   
3. To resize the document to fit your current view, use the padlock icon in the top left-hand corner of the thumbnail bar. Locking the thumbnail bar will prevent you from being able to close it.
   
   
4. To close the thumbnail bar, unlock it by clicking on the locked padlock icon, then click the black tab that was originally used to open it.