Direct answer
Direct Answer - In Turnitin's AI writing report, an asterisk followed by a percent sign (*%) means the AI-detection score fell below 20% but was not reported as an exact number. Turnitin deliberately displays every sub-20% result as *% rather than a single-digit figure, with 0% being the only explicit low numeric outcome a student typically sees [1]. So an asterisk is not a glitch or a zero — it is a "low-confidence bucket" telling you the paper is unlikely to be flagged as AI-generated, though it does not guarantee a completely clean scan [1].
Why Does Turnitin Show an Asterisk Instead of a Percentage in the AI Writing Report?
Turnitin designed the *% display to avoid making overly precise claims about very low AI-detection scores. When a paper's AI writing probability falls below the 20% reporting threshold, the report shows the asterisk bucket instead of a number, which keeps the score interpretation cautious and consistent with the tool's accuracy limits [2].
The rule is simple: the only explicit low number you will see is 0%; everything else below 20% appears as *%. This means a paper showing *% could have an underlying detection value anywhere in the 0–19% range, and Turnitin does not intend for you to infer a precise figure from it [2]. For instructors, the asterisk still counts as "no significant AI writing detected," which is usually the outcome that matters most.
You can verify this behavior in the report's AI writing indicator, which sits alongside per-sentence highlights. If the indicator shows *%, Turnitin's model did not find strong AI-pattern evidence in the submitted text, and the flagged-sentence view will typically be empty or minimal [2]. This is why students often see *% on essays that are fully human-written — the asterisk is a normal, expected display, not a warning.
Is an Asterisk in Turnitin the Same as a 0% AI Score?
No. An asterisk (*%) and a 0% score are not the same thing, and treating them as identical can lead you to the wrong conclusion about your paper [3]. A 0% result is a definitive statement that Turnitin detected no AI-written text, while *% only indicates the score is below the 20% display threshold — the true value could be anywhere from 1% to 19% [3].
In practice, both outcomes are usually safe for submission because neither sits in the "highly likely AI-generated" range. However, the asterisk does not guarantee a perfect scan: detection tools are probabilistic, and a sub-20% result still leaves some margin of uncertainty [3]. If your essay combines human writing with AI editing or uses AI-drafted frameworks, a *% reading should be interpreted cautiously rather than as proof of 0% AI involvement.
Because the asterisk is only a display bucket, instructors are advised to read it together with the sentence-level highlights and the similarity report before making an academic-integrity judgment [3]. For a student, the practical takeaway is this: seeing *% on your own report is good news, but if you want the strongest possible confirmation that your draft is clean, you should verify it with a full Turnitin AI + similarity report before submitting.
How Can I Check My Own Turnitin AI Writing Score Before Submitting?
The catch is that Turnitin's AI writing detection is not available to students directly — the feature must be enabled by your institution, and you usually only see the report after submitting through an assignment set up by your instructor [4]. Many students therefore have no way to preview their AI score until the paper is already in the system, which defeats the purpose of checking beforehand.
Access also depends on your school's license and the text itself: not every Turnitin subscription includes AI detection, and very short texts (under roughly 300 words) may not generate an AI writing score at all [4]. That means even if your school has the tool, a preview isn't guaranteed for every assignment.
The practical solution is to run your draft through a service that produces the same official Turnitin AI and similarity reports before you submit. That way you see exactly what your instructor will see — including whether your score lands at *%, 0%, or a flagged range — while you still have time to revise [4]. A pre-submission check turns the asterisk from a mystery into a confirmation.
If your report shows *%, you already know your draft is in the safe zone — but you shouldn't have to guess whether that asterisk holds up on the instructor's screen. turnitin0 gives you the real Turnitin AI writing report and similarity report on your own draft before you submit, so you can see the exact score, flags, and matching highlights your professor will see. Check your paper now and submit with confidence instead of uncertainty.
※ Turnitin0.com - Actual Turnitin AI Report Cover, Score, Flag And Similarity Summary
FAQ
1. Is an asterisk in Turnitin a bad score?
No. An asterisk (*%) means the AI-writing score is below 20%, which is the low-confidence range [1]. It is generally considered a safe outcome and is not a warning that your paper will be flagged.
2. Does *% mean Turnitin detected zero AI writing?
Not exactly. Only a literal 0% guarantees no AI text was detected; *% simply means the score fell below the 20% display threshold and could be anywhere from 1% to 19% [3]. Both are typically safe for submission.
3. Why does my report show *% instead of a number like 5%?
Turnitin deliberately hides exact single-digit percentages below 20% and shows *% instead, reserving 0% as the only explicit low numeric outcome [2]. This is a display rule, not an error.
4. Can students check their Turnitin AI score before submitting?
Only if your instructor enables the AI writing report on the assignment — the feature is not available to students as a standalone tool [4]. Many students use third-party services that deliver the same official Turnitin reports to preview their score beforehand.
5. Should I still run a similarity check if my AI score shows *%?
Yes. The asterisk only addresses AI detection; it says nothing about plagiarism or similarity [1]. A full Turnitin report includes both the AI writing score and the similarity report, so checking both gives you the complete picture before you submit.