If you used Turnitin Draft Coach (available from 9 February 2026) before submission, your similarity report should be interpreted in the same way as in this guide.
When you submit work to Turnitin, you may be able to view a Similarity Report. This compares your writing to a large database of sources, including websites, books, and other student work. It highlights parts of your text that match these sources and gives an overall similarity percentage.
There are two main ways to access your Similarity Report at assignment submission point, depending on whether you are using assistive technology or not.
- Text-only Similarity Report (for use with assistive Technology)
- Feedback Studio layers menu
- Blackboard Assignment integrated Turnitin Similarity Report
In either case you will need to locate your submitted paper by going to the Assessment area, clicking on the assignment title and launch Turnitin to open the Assignment Inbox or dashboard.
Text-only Similarity Report
If you use assistive technology, you may prefer to view the text-only report. To do this, click on the Text-only report link at the bottom of the page.
For further guidance, please see the Turnitin guidance: Accessing the text-only Similarity Report
Feedback Studio layers menu
You will see your Similarity Score shown on the Assignment Dashboard page. To open the Similarity Report, click the percentage (%).
You can also click the Paper Title button to open your assignment and access the Similarity Report.
The page that opens is called the Feedback Studio.
Use the red menu icons in the right hand Layers menu to investigate the source of matches made in your assignment.
Remember: The matches shown do not necessarily indicate plagiarism. The report will highlight all matches it finds to an online source. Some of these can be safely disregarded, for example, if they are commonly used phrases or if you have cited and correctly referenced the text.
Important: There is a 24 hour delay in the generation of the similarity report when you re-submit your work more than three times to the same assignment.
- Navigating the Similarity Report (Turnitin Support guides)
- Help from Study Advice on using Turnitin in the Academic Integrity Toolkit.
Blackboard Assignment integrated Turnitin Similarity Report
If your assignment was submitted via a Blackboard Assignment submission point it may still be set up to generate a Turnitin similarity report.
Open the Blackboard Assignment submission point:
- If the Turnitin integration has been turned on it will be indicated under Addition Information – Originality Report
- Once you have submitted your attempt you will be able to open it by clink on the x submitted link.
When the submitted paper opens:
- A small pill shaped icon with the similarity score will appear at the top right-hand corner of the submitted paper.
- Click on this button to view the report.
For a detailed guide on how to interpret this report please see the Turnitin overview of the new similarity report guide.
What the Similarity Report shows
Watch this short video from Study Advice, which explains what the Similarity Report does and how you can use it to ensure you write academically and reference your sources accurately:
The report is not a plagiarism detector. It simply shows which parts of your work look similar to other sources. It’s a helpful learning tool that can support your understanding of referencing, quoting, and paraphrasing.
It’s normal – and often expected – for academic work to include some matched text, such as:
- Correctly quoted and referenced material
- Common phrases or standard assignment wording
- Properly cited definitions.
The key is how you’ve used and acknowledged your sources.
Similarity percentage
You’ll see an overall percentage on the report. This shows how much of your submission matched other sources. But:
- A low score doesn’t mean your work is perfect.
- A high score doesn’t always mean there’s a problem.
- It’s how you’ve written and referenced that matters.
Focus less on the number, and more on what the matches are showing you.
Using the report to improve your work
Use the similarity report as an opportunity to:
- Check that quotes are in quotation marks
- Make sure you’ve included citations where needed
- Avoid relying too heavily on one or two sources
- Practise rewriting information in your own words (paraphrasing).
Need help?
If you’re unsure how to interpret your report or improve your academic writing:
- See Library ‘Citing References’ guide – for advice on referencing and citations, including example references.
- See Study Advice guides and videos: Academic integrity and referencing.
- Speak with your tutor or Academic Liaison Librarian.
For guidance on checking similarity before you submit your work, see the University guidance on using Turnitin Draft Coach (available from 9 February 2026).
Guide last updated on January 20, 2026