FAQs
How do I get access?
Graduate researchers and staff can arrange for an iThenticate account by emailing ithenticate@latrobe.edu.au. Please include your first and last name and either your La Trobe student email (for graduate researchers) or your La Trobe staff email (for staff).
You will receive a welcome email from noreply@turnitin.com with login details once your account has been created (usually within 10 business days).
How do I log in?
After you have registered and received your login details, you can log in via the La Trobe iThenticate homepage
What should I do if I do not know my username?
Your username is your La Trobe email account.
Please check your La Trobe email archive for an activation email from noreply@turnitin.com. If you cannot locate one click the ‘Forgot Password’ link on the iThenticate home page here and enter your La Trobe email address when your username is requested. If you do not receive an email with a new password, you may not have an account and should contact ithenticate@latrobe.edu.au (please check your junk/spam folders first).
Some students may have a numerical email address (1234567@latrobe.edu.au) as well as the alias based on their name (j.bloggs@latrobe.edu.au) and should attempt to reset their password using both before contacting support services.
Staff may also have more than one form of their email address (e.g j.bloggs2@latrobe.edu.au and jcbloggs@ltu.edu.au). Your username will be the form of your email from which you wrote to request an account. Please attempt the ‘Forgot Password’ method with all versions of your address before contacting support.
Do not use the ‘Sign Up’ link on the iThenticate web page.
What should I do if I don’t know my password?
iThenticate does not integrate with the La Trobe single sign-in system, so your password will not be the same even though your username is your La Trobe email address. If you do not know your password, go to the iThenticate login page and click on the ‘Forgot Password’ link. You will be asked to enter your username (La Trobe email address), and instructions will be emailed to you. If you do not receive an email, check your junk or spam folder.
If you need further help, contact iThenticate support. It is recommended that you do so from your La Trobe email address.
I forgot my password
iThenticate does not work in the same way as most other La Trobe University systems; your standard University username and password will not allow you to log in to iThenticate. If you’ve forgotten your iThenticate password, the usual La Trobe University support resources will not be able to assist you – you’ll need to follow the forgotten password instructions from iThenticate.
My file won’t upload. Help!
Access the iThenticate user guides for information on managing files and folders.
Where can I get training to learn how to use iThenticate?
- Register for the AI, Academic Integrity and your Thesis: Expectations and Support workshop in the RED Program.
- Download and use Interpreting iThenticate Reports: A Guide for Researchers [DOC 695KB]
- Access the iThenticate user guides.
Who do I contact if I need help?
Contact iThenticate support.
iThenticate support is provided by the software maker, not by La Trobe. Please do not contact EdTech, Student IT Support, or the ICT Help Desk if you require assistance.
Who uses iThenticate?
The software is used by staff and graduate researchers at leading national and international universities to help them manage citations and attribution correctly in the digital environment of academic publishing. Many journal editors and publishers also routinely check submissions using iThenticate before considering them for publication.
When should I use iThenticate?
All researchers are advised to scan the final version of all documents before submitting them for publication, for example to a journal, blog, or media outlet.
Graduate researchers are advised to scan all major pieces of writing before submission as part of their progress reports and milestones, e.g. at confirmation and final submission.
iThenticate can also be used throughout your writing process. Using it on drafts will help identify and address errors early and prevent problems becoming deeply embedded. Running the final version of a piece of writing through the software before submission will catch any new issues introduced during revision.
What is the difference between iThenticate and Turnitin?
iThenticate is produced by iParadigms, the same company that makes Turnitin. iThenticate is specifically designed for the needs of researchers, whereas Turnitin is designed for coursework students and teachers. There are some important differences:
- iThenticate does not save the file you submit to its central database of sources, unlike Turnitin.
- Your Similarity Report is not automatically viewed by anyone else unless you have set your account to Share it with selected users, although you are encouraged to share and discuss it with a more senior researcher.
What does the Similarity Report mean?
Interpreting iThenticate Reports: A Guide for Researchers [DOC 695KB] can help with this. You might also discuss your report with your supervisor or a more senior researcher in your discipline who can help you understand the expectations of your specific field.
What percentage of text similarity is acceptable?
There is no definitive answer to this question. Large amounts of correctly cited quotations, for example, may be acceptable in a literature review section but not in the discussion or conclusion of an article. See the ‘Percentages’ section of Interpreting iThenticate Reports: A Guide for Researchers [DOC 695KB] for more information.
Who is my Similarity Report shared with?
The answer to this depends on how you have set your ‘sharing’ options in your account for the different files and folders. Sharing is not automatically enabled. You might choose to share and discuss your report(s) with a mentor, or your supervisor if you are a graduate researcher. Your supervisor may also recommend that you run a piece of work through iThenticate and ask to discuss the report with you.
Can I use iThenticate to check someone else’s work?
It is not appropriate to put another person’s work through iThenticate except in very limited circumstances. Do not scan someone else’s writing without their consent. The software is primarily a tool for self-education.
iThenticate is a tool provided for La Trobe candidates and staff. You should not use it to check the work of someone from another institution unless you are a co-author and they have requested or agreed that you do so.
If you think that a piece of writing by a candidate, peer, or colleague includes citation errors or other problems that iThenticate might identify, you could suggest that they use the tool themselves.
Instances of suspected research misconduct should be reported in keeping with the Research Misconduct Procedure (staff) or the Research – Higher Degree Student Misconduct Procedure in the case of graduate researchers.