How Do I Check My Turnitin Score After Submission?
Table of Contents
- What Happens Right After You Submit a Turnitin Assignment
- How to Check Your Turnitin Score in Your LMS (Canvas, Blackboard, Moodle)
- Similarity Score vs AI Writing Report: Two Different Numbers
- What Your Submission Email or Receipt Actually Shows
- Instructor Settings That Control What You Can See After Submission
- What Students Cannot See (Even After Submitting)
- What to Do Before Your Next Turnitin Deadline
- FAQ
- Sources
- Related articles
What Happens Right After You Submit a Turnitin Assignment
Turnitin does not email most students a similarity percentage the moment a file lands in the inbox. Instead, your submission enters a processing queue. Turnitin compares your text against its databases—web pages, journals, and previously submitted student papers—then generates a Similarity Report. That work usually finishes within minutes, but resubmissions and busy periods can stretch toward 24 hours, according to Turnitin’s own student guidance and many university help desks (Turnitin Student FAQ; Capitol Tech Canvas instructions).
While processing runs, your assignment page may show:
| Status you see | What it usually means |
|---|---|
| Dash ( — ) under Similarity | Report still generating—check back later |
| “Processing” on the submission tile | Same as above; Turnitin has not finished yet |
| Numeric % | Report ready—click to open details |
| Paper icon with a slash | Instructor disabled student Similarity Report viewing |
| “Available on [due date]” | Reports release only after the due date/time |
None of these states is fixed by leaving the assignment page and searching Google for “check Turnitin score after submission.” The score lives inside your authenticated course context—the assignment, Grades tab, or Turnitin class dashboard you already belong to.
First-hand tip: Screenshot your submission confirmation screen immediately. If the similarity column stays blank for hours, that timestamp helps your instructor or help desk trace the upload without guessing which attempt you mean.
How to Check Your Turnitin Score in Your LMS (Canvas, Blackboard, Moodle)
Think assignment → score column → report viewer, not a standalone Turnitin login—unless your school uses browser-based Turnitin classes separately from the LMS.
Canvas (Document Processor workflow)
When instructors add Turnitin through Canvas’s Document Processor, they choose whether students can view the report after submitting at assignment creation—and that choice is locked once the assignment is saved (Turnitin Canvas workflow guide). If enabled:
- Open Assignments (or Grades).
- Click the assignment you submitted.
- Select Submission Details on the right.
- Click the Similarity Score to open the report in a new tab.
You can also reach the report from the Grades view by clicking the similarity indicator there (Capitol Tech Canvas instructions).
If you see no Turnitin indicators at all, the assignment may not use Turnitin, or student viewing was never turned on—check the syllabus before assuming a hidden score.
Blackboard Ultra
On many Blackboard Ultra courses, Turnitin attaches to standard assignment submission points:
- Re-open the assignment submission point after uploading.
- Look for a colored pill or percentage in the top-right of your submission preview.
- Click the rating to launch the Similarity Report in a new tab (HYMS student Blackboard guide).
Originality reports often appear within about five minutes on first submission; resubmissions may take longer (Ulster Blackboard Ultra support).
Moodle and other LMS integrations
Moodle workflows vary by plugin version, but the pattern matches Canvas: return to the same activity, find the similarity indicator beside your file, and click through. Reddit threads in r/moodle and r/Turnitin repeatedly describe students hunting for scores in email or third-party sites when the percentage was waiting on the assignment page all along—useful as community experience, not as official policy (Reddit, How do I check my Turnitin results?).
Turnitin website classes (no LMS)
If your instructor uses Turnitin’s own website:
- Log in and open All Classes.
- Select your course → assignment dashboard.
- Under the Similarity column, read the percentage or status icon.
- Click the score to open the report (allow pop-ups for
turnitin.comif blocked) (Turnitin website access guide).
Important: Turnitin is not a standalone consumer app students install at home. It appears only when your institution enables it on a specific task (Capitol Tech Canvas instructions).
Many students only discover a mismatch after the final upload locks. If your course shows reports but you have not opened them on the exact file you plan to submit, preview that draft while you can still edit.
Preview your Turnitin reports before you submit →
Similarity Score vs AI Writing Report: Two Different Numbers
Beginners often search for “Turnitin score” and mean one number, but Turnitin produces separate reports:
| Report | What it measures | Typical student access after submission |
|---|---|---|
| Similarity Report | Overlap with other sources (websites, journals, past papers) | Often visible if instructor enabled student viewing |
| AI writing report | Model-estimated AI-generated text | Frequently instructor-only; availability depends on institution and assignment type |
The similarity score is a percentage of matched text—it is not a plagiarism verdict. Instructors interpret matches in context of citations, quotes, and assignment rules (Turnitin website access guide).
The AI writing report uses different logic and a different panel. When you can open it (some Canvas Document Processor setups expose both similarity and AI to students when enabled at creation), read the label carefully:
- On Turnitin’s AI writing report, any score below 20% displays as *%—not as single-digit percentages like 4% or 11%.
- 0% is the usual explicit low numeric outcome students screenshot when the model finds no qualifying AI-written segments.
That display rule matters because a screenshot showing *% is not the same as “exactly 19%” or “exactly 3%.” Treat *% as Turnitin’s sub-20% bucket, and treat 0% as the clear numeric “none flagged” outcome in most student-facing views.
Many integrations still hide the AI indicator from students entirely even when similarity is visible (Harmonize Turnitin faculty and student view). Do not assume you will see AI percentages just because similarity appeared.
Different tools (GPTZero, Originality, Copyleaks, etc.) often disagree on the same file. If your course grades through Turnitin, interpret that institution’s reports in syllabus context—not a pile of unrelated consumer dashboards.
What Your Submission Email or Receipt Actually Shows
After upload, many workflows trigger a digital receipt or LMS notification. What it typically includes:
- Confirmation that Turnitin received your file
- Assignment or course name
- Submission timestamp
- Sometimes a submission ID or reference number for support tickets
What receipts usually do not include:
- A live similarity percentage you can click from Gmail
- The full Similarity Report PDF attached automatically
- Guaranteed AI writing scores (often faculty-only anyway)
Treat the email as proof of upload, not a score portal. If the message lists a submission ID, save it for your instructor or IT help desk if reports stall—but that ID does not replace logging back into the assignment (Turnitin Paper Lookup guide — administrator context).
Practical habit: File the receipt in a “Submitted work” folder with the course code and due date. When the similarity column shows “Processing” for hours, forward the receipt screenshot rather than re-uploading duplicate files that may violate resubmission rules.
Instructor Settings That Control What You Can See After Submission
Your file can be fully processed while you still see no score. Turnitin documents several assignment restrictions (My students can’t see their Similarity Reports):
Similarity Reports disabled for the assignment
If the instructor never enabled report generation, there is nothing for you to view—only they may see metadata or nothing at all until settings change for future submissions.
“Allow students to view Similarity Reports” turned off
Turnitin’s optional assignment settings include a toggle to let students see similarity results (Optional assignment settings). When off, you may see the crossed-out paper icon even though your instructor sees a full report on their side.
Reports generate only on the due date
Some assignments delay all similarity results until the due date passes. Until then, the UI may show “Available on [date]” rather than a percentage (Capitol Tech Canvas instructions). This is intentional—not a broken submission.
Canvas: student viewing locked at creation
In the Canvas Document Processor workflow, Allow students to view report after submitting cannot be changed after the assignment is saved (Turnitin Canvas workflow guide). If your instructor forgot to enable it, only a new assignment or institutional support can fix access for that task.
Anonymous marking and feedback release dates
Anonymous marking can hide names and delay grade-book visibility until a feedback release date (Optional assignment settings). Similarity access and grading visibility are related but not identical—ask specifically about report viewing, not only grades.
What to email your instructor: course name, assignment title, submission time, screenshot of what you see (dash, processing, or blank), and any submission ID from your receipt. Ask: “Is student viewing enabled for similarity—and for AI writing, if applicable?”
What Students Cannot See (Even After Submitting)
Setting expectations prevents wasted hours on unofficial “score checker” sites.
You generally cannot:
- Open a public Turnitin page that shows your score with only an email address and no course login
- View instructor-only AI writing indicators when your institution hides them from student roles
- Force a similarity percentage to appear before the instructor’s due-date release setting allows it
- Use Paper Lookup (
oid:search)—that administrator tool is documented for staff managing institutional accounts, not student self-service browsing (Turnitin Paper Lookup guide) - Treat third-party upload portals as equivalent to your university’s official pipeline when syllabus policy names Turnitin specifically
You generally can (when settings allow):
- Revisit the assignment or Grades area to refresh processing status
- Open the Similarity Report, filter exclusions (quotes, bibliography—where the UI permits), and download a copy as a student in many workflows
- Use receipt metadata to escalate stuck “Processing” or “Timed Out” states with evidence (Capitol Tech Canvas instructions)
Scores after submission tell you what already uploaded. They do not rewrite citations or draft voice for the next assignment—that work happens before the final click.
What to Do Before Your Next Turnitin Deadline
Use this checklist on the next draft while you still control the file:
- Confirm report access rules in the syllabus or assignment instructions (similarity only vs AI too).
- Locate the official preview path—LMS draft assignment, resubmission window, or none.
- Submit a test upload only if resubmissions are allowed; otherwise preview offline on your own copy.
- Open Similarity and AI reports separately when both are visible; fix citation issues and drafting issues in the correct panel.
- Preview both reports on the exact
.docx,.pdf, or.txtyou plan to submit so formatting changes do not shift results at the last minute.
Before you upload
Step 5 is where many students catch problems early: preview both similarity and AI on the file you plan to upload. If you have not done that yet, run your draft once while you can still edit.
Check your draft for similarity and AI detection →
FAQ
How do I check my Turnitin score after submission in Canvas?
Open the assignment you submitted (or go to Grades), open Submission Details, and click the Similarity Score when it appears. If nothing shows, the report may still be processing, release may be scheduled for the due date, or your instructor may have disabled student viewing (Capitol Tech Canvas instructions).
How long after submission does a Turnitin score appear?
Often within minutes on a first submission; resubmissions and peak periods can take up to 24 hours. A dash or “Processing” status usually means wait and refresh—not resubmit blindly.
Will Turnitin email me my similarity score?
Usually no. Confirmation emails prove upload; scores appear inside your course assignment or Turnitin class dashboard when permissions allow.
Can students see the Turnitin AI score after submitting?
It depends on your institution and assignment type. Many setups show similarity to students but keep AI writing indicators instructor-only. When students can open the AI writing report, remember that under-20% results show as *%, with 0% as the typical explicit low number.
Why do I see a paper icon with a line through it?
That icon means your instructor turned off student access to the Similarity Report. Your paper may still be scored on the instructor side (Turnitin website access guide).
What if my report says “Timed Out” or stays queued?
Screenshot the status, email your instructor with your submission time and receipt, and avoid duplicate uploads that may break resubmission rules. Queued states reflect processing backlog—not missing login credentials.
Can I check my Turnitin score after submission without logging into my LMS?
Not through any official student workflow documented by Turnitin. Post-submission access requires your institutional account and assignment permissions.
Where can I preview Turnitin scores before my instructor’s assignment closes?
If your campus offers no draft assignment, some students run a licensed pre-check on their own file for official Turnitin similarity and AI writing reports. Turnitin0 delivers those report types, does not archive papers to third-party databases, and typically returns results within minutes—useful when post-submission views are hidden or delayed.
Sources
- Accessing the Similarity Report and similarity score via Turnitin Website — Turnitin
- How to add Turnitin to the Canvas Assignment Workflow — Turnitin
- My students can’t see their Similarity Reports — Turnitin Help Center
- Optional assignment settings — Turnitin
- Student instructions: Turnitin in Canvas — Capitol Technology University
- Student guide: Turnitin on Blackboard assignment submission — HYMS
- Using the AI Writing Report — Turnitin