Acceptable Turnitin Similarity: How Much Is Too Much Percentage?

authorVasy Kafidoff
October 3rd, 2024

Table of contents

If you are trying to figure out how much is too much percentage Turnitin, you should understand that it does not actually check for plagiarism in your content. The thing is that the software is created to run your work against the documents in their database. If there are similarities or matches to the content in the pages or sources, Turnitin tends to flag your paper.

Therefore, the question of acceptable similarity and how much percentage is too much appears when your student paper or assignment includes copied content. That is why every student must know the best Turnitin similarity index, especially when you are willing to come up with the best result.

Here, you will find all the important information related to Turnitin similarity score.

What Does the Color-Coded Turnitin Report Mean?

It is critical to understand how to interpret the originality report of Turnitin. You must also be cautious about how this software creates similarity scores.

The Writing Metier professionals will tell you that Turnitin is one of the best plagiarism checkers online. By using the services of our agency, you are guaranteed content that will pass the tool and the one that meets your requirements.

One of the reasons is that the software has a robust use by institutions. The second one is that it thoroughly checks the similarity score against the web pages, documents, and student submissions in its repository.

This way, Turnitin assists you in minimizing plagiarism. Therefore, if you notice a high level, you should paraphrase the words and cite properly because the software points you to the paraphrasing mistakes, citation errors, and incidences when you utilize words verbatim.

At the same time, if the content overlaps between the repository and the text you submit, there will be a high similarity index.

So, what is a bad Turnitin score? Check our similarity column below to figure out what the similarity index percentage indicates.

Blue – no similarities. This color shows that no content has been matched. This may mean that the text has no references at all, and that there is no use of direct quotes. Depending on the assignment`s nature, this might not be a problem, but such a score should be checked to make sure that the student did not submit a paper with content that cannot be recognized by Turnitin.
Green – one word to 24 percent matching content. This color implies matches between 1 percent and 24 percent, and it is also the most common result. While a green similarity Turnitin percentage may mean that the content is acceptable, it is just an indication of the amount of matched content. Therefore, up to 24 percent of the text might still have been copied with no referencing.
Yellow – 25 percent – 49 percent of matching content.
These colors mean that the similarity score goes above 24 percent. A higher percentage might imply:
· Cutting and pasting text from other sources.
· An overreliance on direct quotations because of bad academic writing.
Orange – 50 percent – 74 percent of matching content.
Red – 75 percent – 100 percent matching content.

 

What Is the Acceptable Turnitin Score? Interpreting the Similarity Report

Now let me explain everything in detail. In this block, I’ll guide you by interpreting the similarity report with all the low, average and high similarity scores.

So, what is a good Turnitin score?

The commonly acceptable Turnitin score is 15 percent and lower. At the same time, there is no clearly stated similarity percentage because plagiarism policies tend to vary from one institution to another. Therefore, some universities accept scores of 10 percent, while others do not see an issue with a percentage as high as 45 percent if all sources in student’s paper are cited properly.

What is a bad Turnitin similarity score, then?

Regardless of the accepted score, anything above 15 percent is just too much plagiarism and implies a lot of copying. The software does not have an acceptable plagiarism percentage, but everything depends on the university`s requirements.

So, if the assessment file and guidelines state 100 percent original, you have to come up with a completely unique text.

If you properly perform the pre-writing stages of any academic paper, which involves brainstorming, researching, and outlining, you will be less likely to go past the 5 percent acceptable level. Is 5 plagiarism bad? Although 10-15 percent sounds good because the score falls within the green band, writing content with 0-5 percent makes you an essay professional.

So, getting a score of 5 percent will automatically demand the keenness of your professor, and you will definitely get a good grade for it.

What similarity score is too high on Turnitin?

If you have yellow, orange, or red colors in your result, your content is too similar to others. Therefore, you have to work on the text to avoid too much plagiarism using the pieces of advice below.

via GIPHY

What Causes High Turnitin Similarity Score?

Now that you know what Turnitin score is too high, you should remember that the software shows the similarities of your content to other sources.

The tool does not determine if your paper is plagiarized because it is your professor`s task. Yeah, folks, they do check your sources, unfortunately… And the process implies that the assessor figures out whether the similar content is attributed accurately and quoted correctly.

In most cases, a high similarity score Turnitin appears because of a combination of the following:

  1. Not crediting the source. This one means that you copy every word from another source without placing original words inside the quotation marks and adding a citation about the original content`s source. Even though you include the ideas from a certain source in your own words, you still have to credit the source.
  2. You credit the source but paraphrase too closely. You cannot take ideas from a different text, even if you use your own words and fail to cite the original source. Still, there is another type of plagiarism when you get someone else`s work paraphrased. When you place words and ideas in a different order from the original text and add your unique words, you will still plagiarize.
  3. You use statistics with no source crediting. Charts, statistics, or tables are the property of someone who created them. Therefore, you must credit the original creator in your content to avoid a high Turnitin match percentage. At the same time, there is an oratorical advantage when the source is cited because a creator has reached statistics that support the information in your paper. This way, your argument becomes stronger.
  4. You use the uncited images. This case is similar to identifying a table or figure. If you use someone`s picture, put it in your text, and add a description without acknowledging the source, it is plagiarism. Even if the photo belongs to you, it is recommended to cite yourself because you are the creator.
  5. You add a bibliography or reference list to demonstrate that you have researched when you have not. This is the case when students do not complete their work and leave it till the last moment, especially when they are required to add different books and articles to their reference list. If you face this issue and get a high plagiarism percentage Turnitin, you can easily contact Writing Metier and ask our professionals for some help.

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What Can I Do to Avoid High Similarity on Turnitin?

If you know what percentage on Turnitin is bad and you see it, you should do something to reduce this score. Here are a few things that should help you:

  1. You should make sure that all quotes are well-cited and in quotation marks. Each quote you have utilized in your text, dissertation, research paper, or any other type of academic paper must be introduced in quotation marks and the correct page number from the original source.
  2. You should do your best to minimize the use of quotes. For instance, if you write a text from 500 to 1,500 words, it is critical to keep your quote count to between one and three quotes.
  3. You should paraphrase everything in your own words. Knowing what Turnitin score is acceptable, you should do your best to avoid it. If the percentage is too high, you might need to paraphrase your content to make it different from the original text.
  4. You should check the Turnitin settings. The thing is that some settings include strings of commonly used content, the bibliographies, and the topics used. You can check that and let your professor know the reason for the similarity. If the settings are rectified, you might get a score below 5 percent.

You should always take new similarity report and make sure that you utilize the mentioned strategies to lower your percentage. You should remember that it is possible to get a similarity report of 0 percent when your content is original.

Contact Writing Metier to Let Us Help You

So, what is a high Turnitin Score? Anything above 15 percent is high, and you should do your best to avoid this kind of outcome.

If you feel that you cannot cope with the task or do not have enough time to improve your text, you are always welcome to contact Writing Metier. Our professionals know how much percentage plagiarism is allowed in Turnitin, and they are experienced enough to reach the required result. You just need to provide us with all the requirements, and we will meet them.

For only $9.99 extra, we will provide you with a PDF version of the Turnitin report and AI check for your final draft.

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    author

    Vasy Kafidoff

    Vasyl Kafidoff is a co-founder and CEO at WritingMetier. He is interested in education and how modern technology makes it more accessible. He wants to bring awareness about new learning possibilities as an educational specialist. When Vasy is not working, he’s found behind a drum kit.