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Really bad anxiety about unintentional plagerism/Turnitin

Does anyone else get really anxious and terrified when they have to submit their assignment to Turnitin?

I've submitted maybe 4 assignments on there now with no issues (although I did once get a 28% similarity report and was panicking and losing sleep over it until I got feedback back with no mention of the %). I'm a conscientious student and would never, ever plagiarise. But I guess the combination of being a perpetual goody-two-shoes and all the fear-mongering we had in first year about plagiarism and expulsion has got to me. I have a lab report due next week and I have literally rewritten it twice already from scratch just incase I had accidentally phrased something similarly to the reference I cited and it flagged up. I've read countless plagiarism guides from my university as well as other universities. I've scrutinised every word I've written in attempt to be as original as possible. I've even simplified aspects (which will be deterimental to my overall mark) because I couldn't reword a particular aspect any different to the sources I've used. But when you get down to it, I study Biology. There's only so many ways you can word a particular enzyme pathway, there's countless of resources giving the same description of a drug, a disease, an enzyme, a methodology.

I have now finished my report and just bringing up the upload page on Blackboard brings me to tears because I am so anxious to submit it. I don't know why I'm like this but I'm wondering if there are others out there with the same nerves and worries?
Reply 1
Original post by LeaX
Does anyone else get really anxious and terrified when they have to submit their assignment to Turnitin?

I've submitted maybe 4 assignments on there now with no issues (although I did once get a 28% similarity report and was panicking and losing sleep over it until I got feedback back with no mention of the %). I'm a conscientious student and would never, ever plagiarise. But I guess the combination of being a perpetual goody-two-shoes and all the fear-mongering we had in first year about plagiarism and expulsion has got to me. I have a lab report due next week and I have literally rewritten it twice already from scratch just incase I had accidentally phrased something similarly to the reference I cited and it flagged up. I've read countless plagiarism guides from my university as well as other universities. I've scrutinised every word I've written in attempt to be as original as possible. I've even simplified aspects (which will be deterimental to my overall mark) because I couldn't reword a particular aspect any different to the sources I've used. But when you get down to it, I study Biology. There's only so many ways you can word a particular enzyme pathway, there's countless of resources giving the same description of a drug, a disease, an enzyme, a methodology.

I have now finished my report and just bringing up the upload page on Blackboard brings me to tears because I am so anxious to submit it. I don't know why I'm like this but I'm wondering if there are others out there with the same nerves and worries?


Apparently the people who worry a lot about plagiarism, are those who have the least % of plagiarism in their work. [According to medicine examiners from the University of Nottingham] :biggrin:
Reply 2
Original post by I <3 WORK
Apparently the people who worry a lot about plagiarism, are those who have the least % of plagiarism in their work. [According to medicine examiners from the University of Nottingham] :biggrin:

That's reassuring I guess!
Original post by LeaX
Does anyone else get really anxious and terrified when they have to submit their assignment to Turnitin?

I've submitted maybe 4 assignments on there now with no issues (although I did once get a 28% similarity report and was panicking and losing sleep over it until I got feedback back with no mention of the %). I'm a conscientious student and would never, ever plagiarise. But I guess the combination of being a perpetual goody-two-shoes and all the fear-mongering we had in first year about plagiarism and expulsion has got to me. I have a lab report due next week and I have literally rewritten it twice already from scratch just incase I had accidentally phrased something similarly to the reference I cited and it flagged up. I've read countless plagiarism guides from my university as well as other universities. I've scrutinised every word I've written in attempt to be as original as possible. I've even simplified aspects (which will be deterimental to my overall mark) because I couldn't reword a particular aspect any different to the sources I've used. But when you get down to it, I study Biology. There's only so many ways you can word a particular enzyme pathway, there's countless of resources giving the same description of a drug, a disease, an enzyme, a methodology.

I have now finished my report and just bringing up the upload page on Blackboard brings me to tears because I am so anxious to submit it. I don't know why I'm like this but I'm wondering if there are others out there with the same nerves and worries?


Hello :smile:

A lot of people get anxiety from worrying about plagiarism but as long as you understand how to write an assignment, reference and cite everything you do - you'll be fine. A certain amount of plagiarism is understandable and with some universities - you'll match with other students assignments because they've used similar quotations or sentences and that's where some plagiarism comes from and that's just what happens - it's easy to panic!

Unfortunately, there isn't anyway to avoid you - you just have to know what you are doing and be confident in your own work!

Good luck! :biggrin:

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