Managing filters and exclusions in the new, enhanced Similarity Report

This guide for instructors explains how to use filters and exclusions in the new Similarity Report. Filters and exclusions help you focus on the most meaningful matches.

In this guide:

• Filters
• Exclusions

Filters

Filters control which type of content a submission’s text is compared and matched against within the Similarity Report. They help you refine your view, for example, by hiding common short phrases under a specific word count. Filters don’t alter the submitted content; they make the report clearer and more focused on the most relevant similarities.

1. To view filtering options, select the Filters button located in the top right of the Similarity side panel.
   
2. Use the checkboxes to change the filter settings.
   
   Compare submissions against lets you choose which source types the current submission will be checked against: student database, internet content, and periodicals, journals, and publications.
   
   By default, all source types are selected. You can change this in the optional assignment settings, where you can set a default that applies to all submissions for the assignment.
   
   Exclusion filters let you remove certain types of content from the similarity score calculation. You can choose to exclude bibliography, quoted text, cited text, and small matches.
   
   By excluding these elements, you can focus on the most meaningful text overlaps in the Similarity Report. For more details on how each option works, see our guide on How exclusion filters refine the Similarity Report.
3. When you are done making your selections, select Apply Filters to apply the selected filters to the submission. Select Back to Similarity Report at the top of the panel to view the overall similarity panel with the applied filters.
    

Exclusions

Exclusions hide specific types of text that shouldn’t count toward similarity, such as properly formatted quotations, bibliographies, or in-text citations. Exclusions help make similarity scores fairer and more accurate by ignoring expected or properly referenced text.

Excluding a match

Excluding a match removes a specific text match from the similarity calculation, so it no longer contributes to the overall similarity percentage. This is helpful when a match is legitimately quoted, properly referenced, or otherwise irrelevant but still appears as a match in the report, allowing instructors to focus on meaningful similarity and gain a more accurate view of a student’s original work.

1. From the Similarity side panel, select Match Groups. Then, select a highlight in the submission or a source card from the list.
   
2. Select the Exclude Match button that appears next to the selected text in the submission or in the source card.
   

Excluding a source

Excluding a source removes an entire source and all associated matches from the similarity calculation, preventing any of its text from contributing to the overall similarity percentage. This is useful when a source is not relevant to the review, such as a student’s own previous draft or permitted reference material, allowing instructors to focus on meaningful similarity and get a clearer, more accurate assessment of a student’s original work.

1. From the Similarity side panel, select Sources. 
   
2. Select a highlight in the document to bring that source into focus in the side panel, or choose a source card from the list.
3. Select the Exclude Source icon in the source card to remove all matches from that source in the report. This action removes its highlighted text from the submission and adjusts the similarity score accordingly.
   

Modifying exclusions

Whenever exclusions are applied, the number of exclusions will appear directly beneath the Overall Similarity heading.

Selecting this link will display the complete list of excluded items. From this list, you can choose to restore an individual match or source by selecting the Include Source icon.

Alternatively, you can restore all source exclusions by selecting the Include All Sources button for that category.