Excitement. Eagerness. Exhilaration. Other positive emotions starting with “e.”
But also anxiety. Dread. Nervousness at the very least.
You’re bound to experience such feelings at the opposite ends of the spectrum as a university student when writing assigned papers.
As a student, I loved writing literature essays – morphology and syntax ones not so much. I know what it’s like to submit a paper that’s been your sole focus for weeks. After putting your favorite show on hold and saying “no” to hanging out with friends, the feeling of accomplishment at the end of it all can hardly be topped.
Then I had to learn all about writing papers from an educator’s perspective.
While teaching how these should be written at 3 UK universities, what I discovered is that there is something that tops said feeling of accomplishment. And that’s reading well written papers which show passion for and deep comprehension of a topic.
With the rise of AI used for learning, the process of writing an academic paper can be speedier if a tool like ChatGPT is used. Should you? Can Turnitin detect ChatGPT content?
Keep reading to find out what Turnitin itself has to say about this. Also check out my related posts on whether Chat GPT plagiariazes and study tips for college students.
What is Turnitin?
The ominous-sounding Turnitin is indeed an ominous system if foul play is attempted. Or if there’s no fair play.
Used in 153 countries, Turnitin is a web-based service that detects plagiarism in an academic paper and gives you a similarity index. This is the extent to which your paper has any text identical to other – mostly academic – texts, including any of your own past papers.
The purpose is to ensure academic integrity. Basically, no cheating (plagiarism).
Once you submit a paper, the similarity percentage should be available to you straight away, and some educational institutions kindly allow multiple submissions before the final one. Precisely so you can lower a Turnitin percentage that is too high.
What Turnitin Similarity Percentage Is Acceptable?
The answer to this often asked question is not as scary as you think.
A percentage of up to 15% will definitely not get you in trouble.
If you’re worried about quotes which you give the source of or reference lists that overlap with other students’ on the same topic, don’t be. If these are mistakenly flagged up by Turnitin, they will be wisely ignored by your lecturer / professor.
Extra Tip
A Turnitin percentage of 0 is suspicious. It means you haven’t included the research-based evidence that’s needed.
What Is ChatGPT?
ChatGPT is an AI writing tool (one of an ever-expanding set) currently used by around 180 million people worldwide.
The free (!) software can create text on anything you ask it to. Provided it does not harm anyone, is not biased (according to the concept of cognitive bias, discussed in my “Favorite Books” post), and proves safe.
Given the right prompt, ChatGPT can do everything from helping you get started (ideation) to ensuring you have a persuasive tone in writing.
Can ChatGPT Be Used for University Paper Writing?
The university paper (usually an essay) writing process usually involves:
- analysing the essay topic
- doing research using reliable sources
- incorporating these into your draft
- showing your position on the matter
- supporting it
- writing the reference list
- checking (editing and proofreading) everything before submitting.
ChatGPT’s AI-generated text can assist with all of these stages.
If you want a mundane comparison, writing without the assistance of AI tools might be like cooking using no tech. No microwave, no electric onion chopper, no air fryer, no toaster. You rely solely on what you can do. Some cooking enthusiasts still make their own pasta as they say the supermarket kind doesn’t come close in terms of taste and texture. To be honest, I love home-made pasta myself.
Human written text is indeed superior. AI language models can’t express what people can. ChatGPT’s generic thoughts are no match for a person’s strong and well substantiated opinion on an issue.
But the way I see it, deciding to use AI writing tools such as ChatGPT can be about speed. If you have a deadline to meet, want to come up with initial ideas or need to move on when stuck, AI will be there to help.
Can Turnitin Detect ChatGPT? Turnitin’s Answer
The simple answer is “YES.” The accuracy of AI detection is up to 98%. That’s huge!
No wonder this is something proudly advertised on Turnitin‘s website:
Let’s say, for example, that you’re writing about etymology.
If you were to simply copy and paste AI generated content from ChatGPT – in this particular case, 24 sentences, Turnitin would report all of them as AI generated text. Hence the bright green highlights.
What if you use only some AI generated content and edit the rest?
This is where it gets tricky. Turnitin’s AI detection tool remains accurate, but there are (rare) times when it can’t be sure.
If you told ChatGPT to write you a story in the style of Sherlock Holmes and then made some changes to it, the Turnitin report may show something like this:
Just like before, the bright green portions of text (22 out of 43 sentences) are recognized as AI generated work, so they would fail the academic integrity test. Sorry.
The non-highlighted bits are completely fine. Turnitin knows a human wrote them. Yay!
Interestingly, the light green pieces of text show that Turnitin is not certain. It could be the case of a sentence that is part AI, part human written.
What happens then?
Your lecturer or professor will need to use their professional judgment, knowledge of you as a student, and the specific context of the assignment to make a call.
Which brings me to my next point.
Can (University) Teachers Tell If You Use ChatGPT?
Turnitin makes it clear that, if their AI detection tool flags a piece of content as AI generated, this should be treated as an “indication, not an accusation.”
Based on my uni teaching days, I can tell you that – AI detection tool or not – it’s ultimately the teacher’s decision to deem a piece of writing (partly) plagiarized.
What do we base this on?
A mix of experience and instinct that rarely fails us. Experience comes from checking countless student papers for anything from academic writing conventions to someone’s personal style. And instinct comes into play when we just know that a bit of text can’t have been produced by a particular student. Or a human, for that matter.
If a student of microbiology has been using technical language since the beginning of the semester, but then suddendly switches to poetic or Dickensian phrases, I’m going to know that’s not like them. That something’s “off.” The entire essay could be put into question as a result.
Can You Outsmart Turnitin?
In terms of copying and pasting, either from ChatGPT or any online source, NO. The plagiarism detection software will pick up on that.
Massive editing might do the trick, but that involves good paraphrasing skills (expressing the same ideas in your own words). And this can be very time consuming. So if you’re struggling to meet a deadline, it’ll be more stressful than helpful.
Why do that to yourself? Why not just write the content yourself?
Key Considerations for Using ChatGPT
1. Generating Ideas
There’s nothing worse than staring at a blank Word document with no clue as to how to begin your academic work.
ChatGPT can be great for this. Prompt it to give you 5 research ideas for your topic or 3 analogies you can then delve into on your own.
2. Critical Thinking
This means showing your reader where you stand on any given issue, from euthanasia to best practices in mechanical engineering (not that I know what the latter are).
ChatGPT generated text is not going to do that for you. If anything, ChatGPT will sit on the fence to avoid offending anyone. So you need to make an informed decision based on facts, examples, etc. Never be afraid to do this as it will turn you into a strong independent thinker.
3. Authenticity
Turnitin or not, your teacher will recognize inauthentic content. It just can’t evade detection as human writing is unique.
Look at it this way. This is actually your chance to create a signature writing style, one that will not only inform, but also delight the reader. Can ChatGPT do that?
4. Ethical Implications
A phrase that ChatGPT – if I can use a word that applies to humans – loves.
The extent to which you decide to use AI text producing tools is not a matter of getting caught.
It’s (you know this already) a matter of ethics. Academic integrity, to use the university term.
If no learning or progress happens due to submitted work not being original, will that benefit you? Or the educational institution itself?
Conclusion
AI generated content is here to stay.
I personally believe AI technology is incredibly helpful in terms of ideation. Getting some intriguing initial ideas from ChatGPT sure beats staring at your computer screen in frustration.
However, AI assisted writing might not be best suited for university student assignments. These require reading academic journals and human written content that reveals critical thinking.
But that’s just me.
At any rate, plagiarism detection tools like Turnitin will stop anyone from over-using ChatGPT or similar software.
The real question though is, “How can you put ChatGPT to the best use when producing academic work?”
As a student, also check out my “How to Break the Cycle of Performance Anxiety” and “How to Overcome Learning Limiting Beliefs” posts.
FAQs
1. Does ChatGPT show up on Turnitin?
Yes. Recent developments have ensured that this happens.
Turnitin will show the exact number of sentences taken from ChatGPT and exactly which they are in a text. If Turnitin is not sure (rarely the case), that text will be highlighted in light green. Think of light green as the new grey.
2. How do I make sure ChatGPT is not detected?
Do not simply copy and paste from ChatGPT. Paraphrase (express the same ideas in your own words). You CAN do this, but you just need to push yourself. This is an incredible skill that will serve you well beyond your university years.
3. Can universities tell if you use ChatGPT?
Yes, universities detect ChatGPT.
Based on the AI detection tool that is now part of Turnitin, a Turnitin originality report will be produced. This will give a similarity percentage (the extent to which your paper is identical to any other student’s, to one of your own past papers or to online content). You need to keep this low (up to 15%).
About Rebeca Duriga
Well-versed teacher, passionate writer with Googleable work, Udemy instructor, and someone who can’t resist a good story. I’m here to infuse joy into your learning journey, be it improving English, tackling IELTS, overcoming limiting beliefs, or conquering uni assignments with a sprinkle of AI support. Need motivation and inspiration as a student, adult learner, wordsmith in the making? Look no further.
