Since 2012, Icelandic universities and several upper secondary schools have used the software Turnitin. The current agreement covers all upper secondary schools and universities and runs until the end of 2026. The National and University Library of Iceland manages the project and negotiates the agreement.
The National and University Library has overall responsibility for the project. The project manager is Hilma Gunnarsdóttir, information specialist hilma.gunnarsdottir (at) landsbokasafn.is and technical support is in the hands of Sigurbjörg Jóhannesdóttir sigurbjorg (at) hi.is, project manager at the University of Iceland’s Division of Academic Affairs.
What is Turnitin?
Turnitin is software that offers a range of teaching aids, among them plagiarism detection. With it, teachers can check the originality of the text and the correct use of sources in the assignments students hand in. Turnitin compares the text of a submitted assignment with a large body of stored material, including many articles from international databases, text from websites and student theses, both Icelandic and foreign, such as the theses submitted to Skemman, the digital repository of the Icelandic universities. After the comparison, Turnitin produces an originality report showing the matches between the submitted assignment and the texts stored in the database. A match in Turnitin’s results does not necessarily mean plagiarism. It is up to the teacher to interpret the Turnitin report and decide whether the sources have been used properly.
Teachers can also use the software to guide students visually, comment on assignments and give constructive criticism. This video made by Turnitin shows what the software can do.
Honesty and academic practice
Plagiarism is a problem in the academic world, and most universities have taken steps to prevent it and set policies on how such cases are dealt with. The introduction of Turnitin in Iceland is part of the effort to prevent plagiarism.
Useful links:
Turnitin: The ten types of plagiarism
Vísindavefurinn: What is plagiarism? (in Icelandic)