SafeAssign

SafeAssign is a plagiarism prevention service integrated into our learning management system, MyUni. This service helps teachers detect text that is copied from other sources and may not be referenced or acknowledged appropriately. SafeAssign can be used by students to assist them in evidenced-based writing and proper attribution of content from other sources.

SafeAssign is based on a unique text matching algorithm capable of detecting exact and inexact matching between a paper and source material. SafeAssignments are compared against several different databases, including:

• Internet – comprehensive index of documents available for public access on the Internet;
• ProQuest ABI/Inform database with over 1,100 publication titles and about 2.6 million articles from 1990s to present time, updated weekly (exclusive access);
• Institutional document archives containing all papers submitted to SafeAssign by users in their respective institutions.

Once a paper has been processed, a report is available that details the percentage of the submitted paper that matches existing sources. It also shows the suspected sources of each section of the submitted paper that returns a match. Instructors can remove matching sources from the report and process it again. This may be useful if the paper is a continuation of a previously submitted work by the same student.

Because SafeAssign identifies all matching blocks of text, it is important to read the report carefully and investigate whether or not the block of text is properly attributed.

The following flowchart briefly illustrate the process of setting up a SafeAssignment in MyUni.




Here is a step-by-step guide to setting up and grading a SafeAssignment.