For many years, Turnitin has been the most reliable tool for plagiarism checks. It is still effective, but it has been found to produce false positives when used for AI similarity checks. Teachers should therefore not rely on the results of the AI similarity check function, shown in the final blue box (marked ‘AI’) on Turnitin’s right-hand margin.
Given that there are false positives, what can we do?
Teachers should:
- Be fully aware of the possibility of false positives in AI writing detection. Since the tools have limitations, the detection results can only be used for reference.
- Speak with the relevant students and ask them to explain the process whereby they arrived at the submitted assignment – for example, by submitting the sequence of drafts.
Students should:
- Understand the importance of academic integrity and undertake their assignments accordingly.
- Be prepared to talk in detail with teachers and to share evidence of their writing process, such as outlines or drafts.
Turnitin provides more resources on the issue of false positives:
Understanding false positives within our AI writing detection capabilities
https://www.turnitin.com/blog/understanding-false-positives-within-our-ai-writing-detection-capabilities
How to prepare for and discuss the possibility of false positives
https://www.turnitin.com/blog/how-to-prepare-for-and-discuss-the-possibility-of-false-positives
AI conversations: Handling false positives for students
https://www.turnitin.com/papers/academic-integrity-in-the-age-of-ai-handling-false-positives-for-students