Lucknow: The Lucknow University (LU) has introduced Turnitin software, replacing the DrillBit to check plagiarism in research papers submitted by PhD scholars and undergraduate (UG) and postgraduate (PG) students.The initiative has been implemented in accordance with the guidelines of the university grants commission (UGC) to improve research work in the university. TOI had recently highlighted how Drillbit had caught plagiarism in 95% PhD theses submitted in this academic year. In most cases, students had data and texts generated from artificial intelligence (AI) based apps.In Drillbit, plagiarism was caught after the thesis was submitted. Now, after implementation of Turnitin, the research papers and thesis will be first checked and then admitted. Also, earlier UG and PG students were excluded. Now, they too will have to take care not to depend excessively on AI.Professors and teachers have been given access to the platform and will directly review submissions to ensure originality and proper academic standards.“Turnitin offers several features to detect plagiarism effectively. It compares submitted content with a vast international database that includes research papers, journals, books, web pages and previously submitted student work. The software generates a similarity report highlighting matched text and sources, making it easier to identify copied content. It can also detect paraphrased material and AI-generated text patterns. It provides tools for proper citation checking and helps in improving writing by giving feedback on originality, stated LU spokesperson, Mukul Srivastava.
