Answers to Frequently-Asked Questions (FAQ) About Turnitin2

Goal: To provide any interested parties with detailed answers to questions they may
have about the upcoming Turnitin2 launch.
Audience: Everyone. This material is APPROVED for customer-facing use. Recent
changes are highlighted in yellow.

Disclaimer: Please note that the information below is as accurate as possible as of August 2, 2010 but
is subject to change. The most up-to-date information can be found at
http://www.turnitin.com/static/what_is_new.html.

Questions Answers
What is Turnitin2 is a new, enhanced version of WriteCycle. It includes the
Turnitin2 and same features as WriteCycle with a new name and vastly improved
how does it usability and functionality. Customers that currently have only
differ from Turnitin Originality Checking (without GradeMark and PeerMark)
WriteCycle? will have access to the new version of Turnitin2 OriginalityCheck
(without GradeMark and PeerMark).
What is the September 4, 2010
launch date?
What languages Turnitin2 will be available in English and Spanish at launch. Other
will be non-English languages will be available by year-end.
available?
Will Turnitin2 be Yes. All users who access Turnitin2 through “framed in"
available integrations with Blackboard, ANGEL, WebCT and Moodle (i.e.
through Moodle Basic) will experience the same changes as all other
integrations? Turnitin2 users.

Users of non-framed-in integrations [such as Desire2Learn, Moodle

(i.e. Moodle Direct) and others] will see the newly formatted
Originality Report and the new, integrated view of GradeMark. We
are working with the providers of such "deep" integrations to
support future access to PeerMark.

Users will NOT need to install or change anything to make

integrations work with Turnitin2.
Can institutions A beta version of Turnitin2 will be available to all existing users
see the product starting on August 23, 2010. Login to the Turnitin service or contact
your account manager for more information (sales@turnitin.com).
before it
launches?
What are the With Turnitin2, the tools and feedback for OriginalityCheck,
major features GradeMark and PeerMark are easily accessible in one, integrated
and benefits of environment. All feedback is overlain on a single, consistent, fully-
Turnitin2? formatted view of the student paper at every step in the process of
evaluation and grading.

Turnitin2 provides all the tools you need to evaluate students'

written work, all in one place:

• A single, common view of the student's paper—with styled text,

graphics, tables intact—all through the process. It's easier to
understand and generates less user confusion.

• Streamlined access to tools: everything is “right there,” saving

time and improving productivity.

• Users can simultaneously view superimposed layers of rich

feedback provided by originality checking, by instructors, and by
peers, enhancing insight and understanding.

• To minimize user disruption, users can easily "go back" to pre-

Turnitin2 versions of the Originality Report and GradeMark (at least
through July 1st, 2011).

• This unified functionality makes Turnitin2 easier to integrate with

course managements systems via our API.
What was the • FULLY-FORMATTED PAPER VIEWS: The "text-only" view of the
rationale for this Originality Report was a technological compromise; now, major
choice of technological improvements have made it possible for
features for OriginalityCheck to show fully-formatted Originality Reports without
Turnitin2? degrading system performance.

• INTEGRATION OF ALL TOOLS: Users don’t want to switch

between applications to accomplish their work because switching
disrupts their workflow and train of thought, impeding productivity.
Now all the parts of Turnitin work together, work alike and are
instantly accessible in a common view.

• OVERLAYS OF FEEDBACK: Seeing feedback from the different

tools separately creates disconnects in understanding how to
improve a written piece. With Turnitin2, simultaneously visible
layers of feedback can provide important context and relevance so
feedback is more meaningful and actionable.

• "GO BACK" OPTION: Some people may need more time to

adjust to these improvements, so we have enabled users to easily
 "go back" to the pre-Turnitin2 versions of the Originality Report and
GradeMark.
What • A screen shot walk-thru will be available in May with updates each
documentation month until launch.
will be available, • QuickStart Guides will be available in July 2010.
so they know • Help Center articles will be available available late August 2010.
what to expect • Full user manuals will be available by August 21, 2010.
and can begin
preparing their
own training
materials, and
when will it be
available?
What other • A screen shot "walk-thru" video is available to help users learn
training material about the upcoming changes. View Walk-Through Video
will be available • All web-delivered product training videos will be updated for
to accounts and Turnitin2.
when? • Intercept screens - At launch, intercept pages (aka "interstitials")
will inform users about specific changes, how to "go back" to
previous versions, and how to view instructional videos.
• Live walk-thrus will be given 10x/week starting August 23, 2010.
View Walk-Through Schedule.
What are the Turnitin2 includes OriginalityCheck, which produces an Originality
major changes Report that shows the student's paper with its full
to Originality formatting—including styled text, graphics, tables, charts, photos
Checking? and other visual elements—exactly like the paper that was
submitted. The formatted paper will be displayed in a panel on the
left with matches highlighted in different colors, with the list of
matching sources in the right side panel.

In addition, they will be able to:

• Differentiate matches by numbers and five different colors. These

colors offer a clean, streamlined look and will allow easier viewing
of and differentiating between matches by customers with mild
color-blindness.

• Click any highlighted match to display the full text from the source
right above the matching section of text in the paper (source text
will include some surrounding text). This replaces having the full
text displayed in the right side panel in the text-only view.

• "Drill down" on matches to see a list of additional sources that

contain the same matching text. Viewing this list of "overlapped"
sources will be much faster and easier that the current method of
going through the sources one-by-one in the single source mode.
 • Make all of the same exclusions that are currently possible
(quoted material, bibliographic material and small matches).

• View superimposed layers of GradeMark and PeerMark

comments with OriginalityCheck results. Layers can be switched on
and off with the click of a button.

• Choose to "go back" to the pre-Turnitin2 "text-only" view at the

click of a link. (The text-only view is what Turnitin users see
currently.)
What is the • Previously, the text-only view was necessary for system
rationale for performance reasons. Now, technology improvements enable us to
these changes show the fully-formatted paper without performance degradation.
to the Originality New users, especially, expect the paper to look like the original
Report? submission (“WYSIWYG”); now it does. With OriginalityCheck, the
new fully-formatted Originality Report eliminates confusion about
what happened to formatting, images, tables or figures and works
the way users expect it to work.

• A common concern from customers is that they grade on

formatting so the lack of formatting worries students and creates
work for the instructors (who have to download the paper to see the
formatting). The lack of formatting in the "text-only" view also
makes it difficult to tell when students have correctly used block
quotations. With Turnitin2, instructors can mark up and grade the
paper while seeing the originality information on a fully-formatted
paper with block quotes displayed just as the student wrote them.

• Instructors wanted more insight into matches that have multiple

matching sources, to help them figure our more accurately what
students are using to write their papers. The new Originality Report
shows how many sources are overlapped and offers a "drill down"
feature to navigate through the list of sources.

• The "text-only" view will still be available as an alternate view at

the click of a button.
What are the GradeMark has been streamlined with a unified set of tools for
major changes comments and mark-ups in the right side panel.
to GradeMark?
With Turnitin2, GradeMark users will be able to:

• Drag and drop QuickMark marks and comments onto the paper
from the side panel.

• Highlight phrases, words and single characters—not just

rectangular blocks of text—and associate the highlighted material
with a QuickMark or comment.
 • View superimposed layers of OriginalityCheck information and
PeerMark comments along with the GradeMark mark-ups. Layers
can be switched on and off with the click of a button.

• Choose to "go back" to the pre-Turnitin2 version of GradeMark at

the click of a link. This access will be maintained through at least
July 1st, 2011.

The new design has streamlined, replaced and/or combined some

features such as:
• In-line text commenting has been replaced by the highlighting and
commenting feature.

• The clipboard and the QuickMark palette of symbols have been

replaced by an easy-to-read side panel of labeled comments and
QuickMark tools that all work alike.
What is the • Instructors need to feel really comfortable with online tools to
rationale for make the switch to paperless grading. With Turnitin2, GradeMark’s
these changes look and feel have been significantly updated to be much more
to GradeMark? user-friendly, including the removal of the floating palette of mark-
up tools and symbols which many instructors found confusing and
intimidating.

• Instructors wanted precise, powerful highlighting and comments.

With Turnitin2, GradeMark has the ability to highlight text at the
individual character level (previously only available as strictly
rectangular shapes), the ability to associate a comment with
highlighted text, and the ability to attach additional comments to a
QuickMark.

• Instructors wanted to be able to manage their grading content

much more easily. With Turnitin2, comments and GradeMarks will
be managed in a single, unified side panel, instead of in the
clipboard and palette.

• Instructors did not want to spend a lot of time learning how to use
GradeMark; they want to become more productive NOW. Turnitin2
makes the overall GradeMark experience much more smooth and
efficient, allowing instructors to quickly reap the benefit of these
time-saving, powerful tools.
What are the PeerMark was launched in January 2010 and replaced the service
major changes known as Peer Review. As a result, in Turnitin2, the PeerMark
to PeerMark? assignment set up, assignment inbox, and associated question
libraries will remain unchanged. With Turnitin2, PeerMark users
will:

• Be able to view superimposed layers of PeerMark comments

along with the GradeMark mark-ups and the OriginalityCheck
 information. Layers can be switched on and off with the click of a
button.

• See the same frame around PeerMark as for GradeMark and

OriginalityCheck.

• Have a set of drag-and-drop tools in the side panel that replaces

the palette of mark-up tools.

• Have a simple, unified side panel for mark-up tools and peer
review questions that is fixed (not movable, flippable or resizable).

• Use highlighting and associated comments instead of the in-line

text commenting tool.
How will the The QuickMark marks and rubrics libraries will be made available
Libraries through the Library tab in instructors' accounts. The PeerMark
change? question and assignment libraries that currently exist under the
Library tab will not be changed.
Will there be Yes - the navigation will be consolidated and simplified into easily-
changes to the accessible sets of tabs at the top of the user's screen.
site navigation?
The functions on the left side of the users' screen will be become
tabs above above the main body of the users' screen. As a result,
the user's workspace will be widened.

The tabs for user info and messages will be consolidated with the
links to the help center, feedback and logout at the very top of the
screen.
Will there be Yes - the instructor assignment inbox will be simplified to allow
changes to the easy access to the core Turnitin2 functionality.
Instructor inbox?
What is the • The assignment inbox is cleaner, more intuitive and easier to use,
rationale for with clutter removed.
changing the
navigation and • Navigational headers achieve even better use of the space on the
the inbox? screen and the ability to move more easily between the solution’s
services and features.

• Increased ease-of-use allows users to spend less time learning

how to use the program and more time on producing and
evaluating student work.
What are the Turnitin-only subscribers will see all of the changes to the site
implications for navigation, the new assignment inbox, and all of the changes that
institutions that apply to the Originality Report.
subscribe to
Turnitin only? The Originality Report will show the student's paper with its full
formatting—including styled text, graphics, tables, charts, photos
and other visual elements—exactly like the paper that was
 submitted.

When viewing the Originality Report, these users will see the
buttons that provide access to the GradeMark and PeerMark views,
but if they click on them they will receive a message that those
services are unavailable for their institution. The smaller buttons for
switching the GradeMark and PeerMark feedback layers on and off
will be present but non-functional for Turnitin-only customers.
Does an At launch, all accounts will be automatically moved to the new
institution have service. Individual users will have the option to switch to views of
to move to the old GradeMark and the text-only Originality Report, but all
Turnitin2 on the navigation, inbox, and library access changes will be automatic and
launch date? irreversible.
What if they're
not ready or
don't want to?
If institutions do At launch, all accounts will be automatically moved to the new
not want to service. Individual users will have the option to switch to views of
move to the old GradeMark and Originality Report though at least July 1,
Turnitin2 2011. At launch, all navigation, inbox, and library access changes
immediately, will be automatic and irreversible.
how long can
they stay with
the current
service before
being forced to
switch?
Can a parent No. But individuals can choose to use the current views of the
account Originality Report and GradeMark through at least July 1, 2011.
administrator
have some of its
child or
individual
accounts switch
to Turnitin2 but
not others?
Can parts of a No. But individuals can choose to use the current views of the
single account Originality Reports and GradeMark through at least July 1, 2011.
be moved to
Turnitin2 while
others remain in
the current
service?
How much will There will be no additional charge to current WriteCycle customers;
Turnitin2 cost? Turnitin2 will become available to them at launch. 2010 pricing of
Turnitin2 for new customers remains the same. Current customers
who have a license for Originality Checking only will have access to
 the OriginalityCheck features in Turnitin2 (not GradeMark or
PeerMark).
What kind of Concepts and designs of screen mockups are being tested with
user-testing will users on a weekly basis. Selected accounts will also user-test and
Turnitin2 provide feedback on the alpha release available in late-May. A beta
undergo? version will be available to existing customers on August 23, 2010
when they log into the service.
Will account Administrators who would like to see the changes before their
administrators users do should be invited to join either our alpha or beta group.
be able to see
the service
before their
instructors and
students do?
What will Papers submitted after July 28, 2010 (when we implemented our
happen to the new document imaging method) will be ported automatically into
work that was the Turnitin2 framework after the launch on September 4, 2010.
done (e.g. Any QuickMark and clipboard comments that had previously been
papers that created in GradeMark will be migrated into the new format for
were graded, GradeMark marks. All highlights created in GradeMark will be
marks that were transferred as-is to the new Turnitin2 environment. In-line
created) in the comments will be migrated to display as new GradeMark comments
current version (blue "speech-bubble" comments).
of the service
when a user Papers submitted before July 28, 2010 will only be available
moves to through the old versions of Originality Checking and GradeMark
Turnitin2? which will launch automatically when a user opens such a paper.

It is not currently known what will happen to these papers and this
work after the older versions of the products are removed
(sometime after July 1, 2011) but it is believed that they will either
be available in read-only (print) format or there will be a button to
automatically reprocess the paper using the new method.
Will any Account administrators will see changes to their QuickMark and
administrative rubric libraries which will be updated to match the changes to the
functions GradeMark QuickMark and rubric libraries. This is necessary to
change? allow the Turnitin Administrators to create QuickMark comments
and rubrics to share across their institutions.

Turnitin Administrators will see the change to the site navigation.

Will any No. The assignment creation screens and the functions and
assignment set settings associated with assignment creation will not change for
up functions Turnitin2.
change?
Will any other The libraries associated with GradeMark (the marks and rubrics
ancillary libraries) will be made accessible from the libraries tab in
features change instructors' accounts. This will allow instructors to create marks and
(gradebook, rubrics without having to wait until a paper is submitted to an
discussion assignment. The libraries that are currently available from this tab,
boards)? the PeerMark question library and the assignment library, will
remain and be unchanged.

The instructor assignment inbox will also be changed to

accommodate the new common view of Turnitin2. The inbox will
also undergo organizational changes to improve the usability and
feel of the inbox.

The student assignment list will be slightly modified to

accommodate access to the new common viewer.

The navigation inside users accounts will be changed. The tabs

that are currently above the main body of the users' screen (e.g.
the user info and messages tabs) will be moved to the very top of
the screen next to the links for the help center, feedback and
logout. The tabs that run down the left side of the users' screen will
be moved to the area above the main body of the users' screen
(where the previously mentioned tabs were moved from).
When is Peer Peer Review will reach its end-of-life in July 2010, at which time all
Review no Peer Review assignments and the question sets for those
longer assignments will be migrated to PeerMark.
available?
Will there be a Yes, we are notifying customers of a special maintenance window
maintenance for Saturday, September 4, 2010 from 10:00am to 6:00pm Pacific
window; if so Daylight Time (GMT-0700). All Turnitin services may be
when? UNAVAILABLE during this time.
Will printing of This feature is planned to be included but the specifics of how it will
the paper with appear are unknown at this time.
its layered
information be
possible?
What is the Students will get access to the new Turnitin2 view from within their
impact on the assignment list—the same place they access GradeMark and the
student Originality Report now. Students will see their marks, Originality
experience? Reports, and PeerMark reviews in the new Turnitin2 view. If a
student is not allowed to see one of the services (based on dates or
assignment settings) the button to that service will link to a
message explaining why that service isn't available at that time.
Students will also experience the change to the site navigation and
will see a slight change in their assignment list.
Will Turnitin2 be Macros will still be stripped from all files submitted to Turnitin. The
able to detect insertion of white text and images of text is a known issue and we
cheating are currently working to develop a way to flag such papers for
methods that further investigation by instructors.
the current
version does?
(e.g. white text,
macros)
Will new users The link to the current versions (pre-Turnitin2) of the "text-only"
have access to Originality Report and GradeMark will be available to all users. The
the "text-only" "classic" view (with sources on top) of the Originality Report will be
view of the accessible only through this link. This access will be maintained
Originality through at least July 1, 2011.
Report? Will
new users have
access to the
"pre-Turnitin2"
view of
GradeMark?
Who controls
instructors'
access to these
views?

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