Interpreting the Unicheck Similarity Report

When you submit a document to Unicheck for analysis, the software compares the content of the document against a vast database of existing texts, which includes published articles, books, websites, and other student submissions. The software then generates a similarity report that highlights parts of your document that are similar to existing sources. Here's how to interpret the key elements of a Unicheck similarity report:

Similarity Percentage: This is the overall similarity score reported as a percentage. It represents the portion of your document that matches existing sources. A high similarity percentage might indicate potential plagiarism, but it's important to review the specific matches to determine if they are properly cited or if they need to be rephrased.

Colour Coding: Unicheck often colour-codes the matched text in the similarity report. Each colour represents a different level of similarity, which could range from exact matches to similar phrasing. Some software use colours like green (low similarity), yellow (medium similarity), and red (high similarity).

Unicheck Report uses the following colours to highlight matched segments in the text:

Source Links: The report should provide links to the sources that match your document. These links can help you verify the matches and assess whether they are appropriately cited or need further attention.

The highlighted parts of the text in the Document Viewer show matches with sources from the Internet or sources from the Unicheck Institutional Library (other stored assignments). Matches identified as citations and references are also highlighted (Harvard).

You can click on the highlighted segments to see the corresponding matched sources (alternatively, when you click on sources from the list, the corresponding text segments are highlighted).

Direct Quotes and Citations: It's common for direct quotes and properly cited information to appear in the similarity report. These instances are not necessarily considered plagiarism if they are correctly attributed.

Paraphrased Content: Paraphrased content is when you rephrase someone else's ideas in your own words. Unicheck may detect paraphrased text and mark it as similar. Properly paraphrased content should still be cited, but excessive or unattributed paraphrasing could be a plagiarism concern.

References and Bibliography: The presence of references and bibliography at the end of your document is important. Plagiarism detection software may not always correctly identify citations, so it's crucial to ensure that your references are properly formatted and included.

Exclusion Options: Some plagiarism detection tools allow you to exclude certain types of matches, such as bibliographic information, common phrases, or properly cited content. This can help you refine the accuracy of the similarity report.