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Added line breaks to avoid detection

 I had a student submit a draft for a peermark review that was riddled with code to indicate line breaks:

<br><br>

After doing a little searching, I'm pretty sure he was trying to evade the detection features for AI or plagiarism and it worked; absolutely nothing was flagged. If he had not uploaded the wrong file format, I never would have known. When I look at his Google doc version, I cannot see anything amiss. Am I right in my assumption? How would you proceed with a student who did this?

3 replies

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    • Digital Customer Experience Manager
    • Audrey_turnitin
    • 2 days ago
    • Reported - view

    Hi  ,

    Thanks so much for reaching out—and for your careful attention to the submission. You're right to note that inserting elements like <br> tags can affect how detection tools interpret a file. While it's hard to say with certainty what the student's intent was, this kind of formatting can sometimes interfere with text analysis and might be a feature of copy & paste. 

    In situations like this, we recommend approaching the student with curiosity and an opportunity for learning. It may be helpful to open a conversation about expectations for academic integrity and how to engage responsibly with AI and digital tools. These two resources can support that dialogue:

    Let us know if we can support you further as you navigate this—it’s great to see such thoughtful engagement around these important topics.

    Warmly,
    Audrey and the Turnitin Team 

      • Jeanne_Garvey
      • 2 days ago
      • Reported - view

       That really is not helpful because I am absolutely certain the student will not own up to his actions. Your product is becoming increasingly ineffective and obsolete.

      • Digital Customer Experience Manager
      • Audrey_turnitin
      • yesterday
      • Reported - view

      Hi,  -

      Thank you for your honest feedback—and I hear your frustration. You're absolutely right that the Similarity Report is just one data point among many, and it’s never intended to replace the insight that educators like you bring to the table. We truly believe that you know your students best, and your close attention to detail in this case reflects exactly that.

      As a next step, you might try removing the line breaks (<br>) and re-uploading the file to see if the similarity percentage changes. This small adjustment could help you generate a clearer picture of the writing and, perhaps, spark a different kind of conversation with your student—even if the student doesn’t directly acknowledge the formatting manipulation. 

      AI is changing the academic landscape every day, and we know it presents new challenges in real time. We’re actively working to evolve our tools in response to these shifts, and your feedback is incredibly valuable in that process.

      If you’d like to continue this conversation or share more context, we’re here to listen and support however we can.

      Best,
      Audrey and the Turnitin Team

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Content aside

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