The PlagScan Plugin for Canvas provides plagiarism detection that...
- Checks for textual plagiarism.
- Uses complex algorithms for checking and analyzing uploaded documents for plagiarism detection, based on up-to-date linguistic research.
- Compares an uploaded document’s structure with the PlagScan database of papers, articles, and assignments and millions of online documents.
- Detects most plagiarism types (e.g., direct copied and pasted text or word switching).
- Provides an accurate measurement of the level of plagiarized content detected.
- Is integrated and activated within Canvas.
The Getting Started instructions below are divided into two sections:
- Activating and Configuring the PlagScan Plugin for Assignments
- Viewing the PlagScan Report
The following resources provide additional details and guidance.
Activating and Configuring the PlagScan Plugin for Assignments
- Login to the Auburn University Canvas website at https://auburn.instructure.com/.
- Once logged in, click the "Courses" button on the left-hand side menu and then select the course you want to use PlagScan with.
- On the "Courses" page access the "Assignments" in the second menu on the left-hand side.
- If you want to create a new assignment using the PlagScan plugin, click the "+ Assignment" button.
- If you want to activate the PlagScan plugin for an existing assignment, first click on the assignment you want to edit, then on the "Edit" button.
- While editing an assignment, first check the "Submission type", and select "Online" in the drop-down menu.
- Within the "Online Entry Options", check the box next to "File Uploads".
NOTE: Only after making these selections ("Online" & "File Uploads") you will be able to continue with the next steps to enable the PlagScan plagiarism check and adjust its settings.
- In the next section called "Plagiarism Review" (which only shows up when you made the proper selections described in the aforementioned steps 4 + 5) you can now select the "PlagScan Plagiarism Checking Service" to be used for your assignment.
- In most cases, the default Assignment Settings and User Settings should be sufficient. If you wish to change them refer to the PlagScan Manual for Teachers for details about the options.
- Once you are satisfied with your settings, scroll to the bottom of the page and click the "Save" button to save your settings, or click "Save & Publish" to additionally and immediately publish your assignment.
Viewing the PlagScan Report
Step 1 of 3: Access the SpeedGrader™
- To view the PlagScan plagiarism report navigate to the Auburn University Canvas website at https://auburn.instructure.com/.
- Select the assignment for which you want to see the PlagScan reports.
- Inside the assignment, click on the "SpeedGrader™" link on the right-hand side. Make sure the assignment is "published", otherwise you will not see the SpeedGrader™ link.
Step 2 of 3: Status of the Report
After a file was uploaded to an assignment, it will immediately be checked by PlagScan and a report will be generated. The PlagScan SpeedGrader™ indicates the status of a report with one of the following icons:
- Once the file is submitted, the status is set to "pending" until the file is converted and checked.
- In case an error happens during the conversion or checking process, the status is set to "error". Click on the error icon to receive the actual error message.
- When the file is converted and checked successfully, the status is set to "scored" and display the "PlagLevel", indicating the potential amount of plagiarism in the document. Click on this icon to access the full plagiarism report.
Step 3 of 3: Accessing the Report
Inside the SpeedGrader™ you can see the original files submitted to the assignment. As soon as a student submits a document, a PlagScan report will be generated. Once the report is ready, you will see the "PlagLevel" - the potential amount of plagiarism in the document - displayed as a percentage next to the file name, . Click on the percentage to access the report.
For additional information, refer to the following resources: