SIMILARITY REPORTS
What is a similarity score?
Understand matching text, citations and report settings before deciding whether a similarity percentage needs attention.
A similarity score summarizes matching text identified against comparison sources. A match can be a correctly attributed quotation, so the percentage by itself does not decide whether plagiarism occurred.
Source: Turnitin: Understanding the similarity score for students ↗
Read the passage and its source together
Check whether the wording is quoted, whether the source is identified, and whether the citation points to the right material. A long unattributed passage deserves a different response from a short, properly cited quotation.
Source: Turnitin: Understanding the similarity score for students ↗
There is no universal passing percentage
Your institution, journal or assignment sets the relevant expectations. Ask for those instructions rather than treating a number found online as a universal threshold.
Source: Turnitin: Understanding the similarity score for students ↗
Keep a useful review record
For every match you act on, record the source, the passage, the action taken and the version of the document. Correct attribution problems because they affect the work, not simply to chase a lower total.
- Record any quotation, bibliography or small-match exclusions.
- Compare like-for-like report settings when reviewing versions.
- Do not use this score to decide whether a passage was AI-generated.
Common questions
Is a 0% similarity score a guarantee of originality?
No. A result reports what that comparison found; it is not a certification of originality or authorship.
Does AI detection find the original source?
An AI-writing indicator is not a source match. Use a similarity report when you need to inspect matching sources.
Provider features can change. Official documentation describes the provider product, not a guarantee of Textsure package contents. This guide is not an institutional decision or an endorsement by a provider.