Royal Holloway University of London

"Our increasing and widespread use of Turnitin UK has been very successful in deterring and detecting plagiarism, teaching students what plagiarism is and how to avoid committing it, and facilitating frank discussions on the issue of plagiarism throughout the College.

Over a third of students from all faculties here are now enrolled on the system - from pre-sessional courses to taught Masters level - and due to the incredible flexibility and scalability of the service, we envisage an large increase in usage every academic year.

The real success of Turnitin UK is not in catching bad behaviour, but in demonstrating to students the nature of plagiarism, and encouraging them to become more aware of plagiarism and how to avoid it in their academic careers. We have found that the deterrent effect of Turnitin UK is both sizeable and tangible and that it is an excellent educational tool, as it has made students more aware of plagiarism and motivated them to actively avoid it. Furthermore, many students were interested in improving their writing skills and engaging in self-validation of their work, and found it stimulating to see the reports on their papers.

Although we do not believe there is a 'plagiarism problem' at Royal Holloway University of London, we do recognise the need for parity. This can be achieved when all students' assessments for courses currently using the system are checked with equal rigor for academic honesty and integrity, through use of JISC PDS. The increasing amount of web-based content available to students has now been met and kept in check by providing tutors with even greater reach to this vast and growing array of resources, which can be checked automatically against student submissions. By using this system we feel that we are maintaining the value of a Royal Holloway degree, for graduates both from the past and in the future, and adding value to the educational experience.

I will close by saying that Turnitin UK has been an excellent investment for the college."