Turnitin or Turncoat?
My son sent me a web reference on the Turnitin system UCLA and many other universities use to check student papers for plagiarism. Much of the article complains about shortcomings of the system, i.e., things it does not find for various reasons. But toward the bottom, the article reveals that Turnitin has a service for students that tells them what their plagiarism rating is. That is contrary to the impression given instructors – and presumably to university officials who are paying for the service – that student paper ratings are known only to the instructor. The student gets only a receipt for the paper, not the rating. That’s true unless that student subscribes to Turnitin’s “Writecheck” service.
Full article at http://davideharrington.com/?p=594
As you can see above, the Writecheck website says it is part of Turnitin. It is not someone else’s emulation of the Turnitin system.
UCLA is paying for this service. Is it worth it given what Turnitin is now doing?
PS: Apparently, Turnitin did not see the unconscious humor in calling its student paid subscription service Writecheck. Maybe it’s because fewer people pay by check these days.
Update: Insider Higher Ed has a piece on this issue: http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2011/09/09/turnitin_writecheck_lights_fire_in_plagiarism_debate