iThenticate
iThenticate is a web-based platform that compares text in uploaded documents with millions of items of existing scholarship and webpages to identify matching text.
All La Trobe researchers have access to iThenticate as part of the University’s suite of support for research integrity. Journal editors, publishers, and thesis examiners often use iThenticate or similar software to detect and deter plagiarism and self-plagiarism. Researchers can identify and address potential areas of concern from early in the writing process by using iThenticate themselves.
Using iThenticate can help you:
- avoid inadvertent plagiarism
- prevent copyright issues from excessive use of your own or others’ text
- comply with the Australian Code for Responsible Conduct of Research (2023)
- develop personal judgment about acceptable practices of academic integrity.
iThenticate does not:
- compare text in different languages
- match diagrams and tables
- match images.
iThenticate does not save a copy of any file which is scanned to a database of sources (unlike Turnitin, similar software used in undergraduate teaching). It protects intellectual property while allowing researchers to identify errors in citation and attribution.
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).
Only a La Trobe account can be assigned as a username. Your account will be created within 10 business days. Once your account has been created, you will receive an email from noreply@ithenticate.com containing a link to the software and your login details.
Note: iThenticate accounts which have been inactive for more than 12 months will be closed but can be reinstated.
Do not use the ‘Sign Up’ link on the iThenticate home page. You will be charged an access fee which cannot be refunded by La Trobe, and may experience problems later with your La Trobe account.
- Interpreting iThenticate Reports: A Guide for Researchers [DOC 695KB]. It contains step-by-step instructions on how to set up an account and use the software, and also provides technical details such as what file types and sizes can be used.
- Access iThenticate user guides
Once a file is uploaded, iThenticate scans it and produces a report identifying ‘matching’ text and sources. It gives an overall percentage of text which matches previously published material. There is no ‘correct’ percentage figure to aim for. iThenticate does not identify whether matching text is plagiarised. Only an informed researcher can make that judgement on a case-by-case basis by considering the iThenticate report carefully.
To open the similarity report, click on the percentage.
The presence of matching text does not necessarily indicate plagiarism. iThenticate may have highlighted direct quotes that are attributed correctly or standard or generic phrases (see the example to the right). Interpreting the Similarity Report using your informed judgement as a researcher is key to identifying and correcting any problem text. Review each section of highlighted matching text. Some sections will require more attention and thought than others.
Download Interpreting iThenticate Reports: A Guide for Researchers [DOC 695KB] for further information about percentages, similarity reports, and other ways iThenticate can be useful, including reference checking, copyright compliance, and proofreading.
Some general principles to keep in mind are:
- there is no ‘correct’ minimum or maximum percentage of matching text
- a high percentage of matching text does not necessarily indicate plagiarism or any other form of academic dishonesty, and a low percentage does not indicate that the document is free of problems
- different disciplines and genres of academic writing have varied expectations and conventions about how much direct quoting is appropriate
- detecting plagiarism (inadvertent or deliberate) is not the only use for iThenticate reports; they can also assist with proofreading, reference checking, and copyright compliance.
You are advised to scan all substantial pieces of writing (e.g. articles, thesis, book chapters, etc.) in their final form before submission for examination or publication in any forum. iThenticate can also be useful throughout your writing process. Scanning a first draft of a chapter or article can help you identify any issues and address them early.
Researchers should only scan their own work with iThenticate.
Where an allegation of research misconduct has been made against a graduate researcher, the staff member conducting an investigation may scan the document(s) in question. In the case of allegations of research misconduct involving staff scanning with iThenticate may be done by the Designated Person (under the Research Integrity Policy).
Protocols for graduate researchers
It is a good idea to scan drafts throughout the writing process to identify issues early on. You are strongly encouraged to share and discuss reports with your supervisor, even if you do not think there are problems. Supervisors are experienced researchers with expert knowledge of their discipline and may identify concerns which are not apparent to you. Discussing your reports with your supervisor may help you develop your own informed personal judgement and knowledge of disciplinary practices.
You are advised to scan all of your written submissions for each progress report or candidature milestone, including confirmation and final submission.
Protocols for supervisors
iThenticate is an educative tool, so it is strongly recommended that you encourage candidates to use it throughout the thesis writing process.
Supervisors should not use iThenticate to scan a candidate’s work. If a problem with citation or other issue that iThenticate may identify is suspected, supervisors should ask the candidate to conduct the scan and then provide an opportunity to share and discuss the Similarity Report. Supervisors may request candidates share their reports, but candidates are not obliged to do so.
Protocols for co-authors
If researchers are co-authoring a publication, the individuals involved should check their own sections of writing. The writing of others should not be scanned with iThenticate without consent.
As many journals use iThenticate to scan submissions, it is a good idea to scan at least the final version before submitting. All authors should agree to any scan of a final document before it is conducted, and the report should be shared with all. If a co-author is not a member of staff or a student at La Trobe and does not otherwise have access to iThenticate, you may share the report with them by generating and emailing a PDF.
Protocols for examiners
iThenticate should not be used to scan a thesis you are examining. If you are a staff member from another institution examining the thesis of a La Trobe student and have concerns about referencing or a related issue, please contact Exams.GRS@latrobe.edu.au.
If you are a La Trobe staff member examining the thesis of a candidate from another institution, you should contact that institution if you have concerns.
FAQS
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).
After you have registered and received your login details, you can log in via the La Trobe iThenticate homepage
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.
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.
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.
Access the iThenticate user guides for information on managing files and folders.
- 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.