There isn't a set percentage that is acceptable, but the lower the better. Please note that Turnitin may sometimes also recognise your referencing as copied and pasted; however, if the referencing is done correctly, you will not be marked down for it.

We would advise that if your similarity index is "high" (around 40% and above) and you want to reduce it, check that: 

(a) Quotation marks (“...”) are used around every quote, and the source is cited.

(b) You are not overusing quotations.

(c) Your own words are not too similar to the original text. 

If direct quotes are surrounded by double quotation marks (“...”) and the author is acknowledged, generally, Turnitin will ignore this text. However, some Harvard referencing styles use single quotation marks (‘...’). Turnitin recognises these as text matches rather than quotations. 

Some Turnitin settings create a high similarity index that you can’t fix, for example, when Turnitin matches quotations, bibliographies, and strings of commonly used text (5-8 words long). If you notice this in the report, please rest assured that tutors are trained to consider this by filtering out any erroneous matches.

Conclusion

The similarity score is a tool for learning, not a punishment. As long as you are writing in your own words and not copying from others or your sources, there is no reason to be concerned.

These tools help us and tutors "scan the horizon" for potential issues related to academic integrity. One higher score alone will never trigger action - it would only be used to support an academic investigation if other concerns were raised.

Multiple Submissions to Turnitin

Unfortunately, we do not support multiple submissions to Turnitin on the Academic Forum. Students are welcome to use online alternatives to check the originality of their work.

A popular one is Grammarly: Click here to go to the Grammarly Plagiarism Checker website

Note: These free plagiarism checkers often have a lower frame of reference than Turnitin's databases, which means that their scores are likely to be lower than what you will receive through Turnitin.