Turnitin Problems

 When a paper is accidentally stored in the Turnitin repository (often by an admin or clerk choosing “standard paper repository” instead of “no repository”), every future submission of the same text — even your own revised version — is automatically flagged as 100% similar because Turnitin is literally comparing the file against itself in its database.

That’s not plagiarism and certainly not incompetence on your part — it’s an administrative error in how the similarity check was configured.

Here’s how you can fix or work around it depending on what stage you’re in:

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If You Haven’t Submitted Yet

Ask the Turnitin administrator (or your journal’s editorial team, or your institution’s Turnitin manager) to:

1. Run the report using the “no repository” option.
   This ensures Turnitin checks against web sources and publications, but not the stored copy of your earlier draft.

2. Temporarily delete the original file from the Turnitin repository (the admin can contact Turnitin Support to do this). Once removed, your similarity score will drop instantly when rechecked.

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If You Already Submitted to the Journal

Write a brief note to the handling editor or technical editor, explaining that:

“The similarity report shows near 100% overlap due to an earlier version of this manuscript being mistakenly stored in the Turnitin standard repository. This is not duplication or plagiarism; it is a system artifact. A version-to-version comparison between identical files naturally yields full similarity.”

Most journal editors are very familiar with this scenario and will disregard the inflated percentage when they see your explanation.

Preventing This Next Time

When you (or the staff) upload a file to Turnitin:

• Choose “No Repository” before submitting.

• Only check against “internet” and “periodicals/journals/publications,” not student paper repositories.

• Save your originality report as a PDF for future evidence.