The Directorate of Research, Innovation and Consultancy (DRIC) in collaboration with the Sam Jonah Library has organised a training workshop for academic staff and postgraduate students on how to use the “Turnitin (Plagiarism Check Software).

Turnitin Software         

Addressing participants at the workshop, the University Librarian, UCC, Dr. Mac Anthony Cobblah, explained: “Turnitin is plagiarism check software which is used to check how much people have copied from the web sources by giving the similarity index”.  He said when the Turnitin Software was run on a research work; it helped to detect the content that has been copied from other sources.”

Dr. Cobblah explained that having introduced the Plagiarism Policy in the University, there was the need to be vigilant through the use of technology, hence, the use of Turnitin Software by both instructors and students. “We believe that this will help both instructors and students during writing and supervision to produce quality research works in the University,” he said.

Benefits of Turnitin Software

Describing the other benefits of the programme, he noted that apart from checking plagiarism, the software could also provide both the instructors and students with the platform to mark, score, and to make assessment and comments. Emphasising on the number of people to enrol or register on the System, he stated, “We currently have the licence for one thousand (1000) students, however, there is no limit to the number of instructors who can be registered by the System (Software).  On the requirements for registration, he indicated that only an active ‘email address’ would be needed to register each and every instructor or student in order to have access to the use of the software.

The facilitator of the training workshop, a Principal Research Assistant, DRIC, UCC, Mr. Isaac Nketsiah, took participants through the registration and practical sessions at the training workshop.