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Dissertation automatic plagiarism detection is referencing my google docs files?!

My university uses an automatic plagiarism detection thing called 'safe assign'.
Yesterday I uploaded my final dissertation and got a shock when it highlighted large chunks of text as plagiarised, citing "another student's work".
I know I have definitely NOT plagiarised anything.
Now I wrote up my first and second drafts using google docs which is an online word processor, then later finished writing using MS word - offline. Do you think safe assign has somehow found my old google docs files which are still saved online? It must be this because the highlighted areas match word for word with my earlier drafts.

Should I email my course tutor and explain what I think has happened? or does this happen all the time and they will likely realise whats going on when they see the cited files have my name on them? What should I do :confused:
Reply 1
Avatar for Jimmyboyz
Jimmyboyz
It depends on the institution's academic integrity statement... I would email as its better to be safe than sorry.
I know Southampton's would prefer it if you referenced it as your own work and do you have link sharing turned on in those documents?
Better safe than sorry and email them to explain what you think has happened.

Do you have your google docs set as public as opposed to private? As I've always used Google docs and this has never happened to me.
Original post by jamdoughnut
My university uses an automatic plagiarism detection thing called 'safe assign'.
Yesterday I uploaded my final dissertation and got a shock when it highlighted large chunks of text as plagiarised, citing "another student's work".
I know I have definitely NOT plagiarised anything.
Now I wrote up my first and second drafts using google docs which is an online word processor, then later finished writing using MS word - offline. Do you think safe assign has somehow found my old google docs files which are still saved online? It must be this because the highlighted areas match word for word with my earlier drafts.

Should I email my course tutor and explain what I think has happened? or does this happen all the time and they will likely realise whats going on when they see the cited files have my name on them? What should I do :confused:


Google Docs certainly isn't public by default - but you may have turned on link sharing, with could, in theory, have allowed the documents to be picked up by the plagiarism detector. Definitely email your course tutor and explain the situation, but also check the sharing status of the individual document, and the folder that it's in.
Reply 4
Avatar for jamdoughnut
jamdoughnut
OP
Original post by SophieSmall
Better safe than sorry and email them to explain what you think has happened.

Do you have your google docs set as public as opposed to private? As I've always used Google docs and this has never happened to me.


Just sent an email. I have them set as private which is worrying. The only other time I've put my dissertation online was when I used an online word counter.
Original post by jamdoughnut
Just sent an email. I have them set as private which is worrying. The only other time I've put my dissertation online was when I used an online word counter.


Why did you use an online word counter? Google documents has a word count feature.

Oh well, irrelevant now. At least you've emailed and hopefully everything will turn out alright.
Original post by jamdoughnut
Just sent an email. I have them set as private which is worrying. The only other time I've put my dissertation online was when I used an online word counter.


Never use an online word counter.

Never.

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