When it comes to identifying instances of plagiarism, PlagScan, one of the most popular tools, can help. As one of the many products owned by academic plagiarism detector Turnitin, PlagScan identifies instances of copied or unoriginal content in documents and other types of uploads. But how accurate is it and is it worth using? We take a closer look in our PlagScan plagiarism checker review.
PlagScan, a service of Turnitin, is an online plagiarism detector that is generally used by researchers, publishers and academic institutions that want to help prevent and uncover instances of plagiarism. Like many online plagiarism checkers, it compares text that is uploaded to a wide range of databases to determine if there are any matches. It then generates a report
PlagScan works by using a combination of language analysis and advanced algorithms to detect similarities between the content that’s submitted, and content found in its databases. Not only does it scan for copy and paste plagiarism, but it also looks for matching sentence structure and other types of writing patterns that could use the idea from one source but put into the author’s own words (paraphrasing).
When a user submits a document to PlagScan, the system goes to work, scanning the text and comparing it to other sources. It then provides a user-friendly report where sections of similar text are highlighted. It also shows the similarity percentage and the source. Because of its ability to detect many different forms of plagiarism, it is often used to not only detect direct copying but also paraphrasing and patchwriting.
Currently, PlagScan accepts submissions via upload (in .doc, .docx, PDF and plain text format), as a direct copy and paste, or from a URL, such as a Google doc. You can also optionally drag and drop the file into the plagiarism detector.
Rather than charge a monthly fee, PlagScan works on a credit system. The cost to scan a document depends on the number of words. Once you add your document, PlagScan will quickly determine the number of words and tell you the cost. In order to start the scan, you’ll need to add credits to your account.
This type of pricing is ideal for one-off scans, but if you need to do plagiarism scans consistently, such as in an academic setting, it may be better to choose from one of PlagScan’s private plans rather than their pay-as-you-go system:
Like many online plagiarism checkers, PlagScan is relied upon by professionals and professors alike for several reasons, including:
Uphold Academic Integrity - Being able to scan submissions for plagiarism enables schools, colleges and universities to uphold academic integrity. In addition, PlagScan is often used as a teaching tool to help showcase the importance of being able to properly cite and reference work and why doing so helps maintain ethical standards for the student and the school respectively.
Maintain Originality - Online plagiarism detectors like PlagScan help students and professionals to maintain originality and creativity in expressing their own ideas. Before a work is submitted to an academic journal, for example, it’s important to run it through a plagiarism detector in order to avoid any similarities with any other authors or studies and to ensure that all references are properly cited and credit is given where it’s due.
Ensure Legal Compliance - Many professional journalism and news organizations leverage plagiarism detectors to ensure compliance with various laws and regulations, including copyright laws. If similarities are detected, the author or publisher can take steps to remedy the issue before the publication goes live to avoid any legal claims against them.
PlagScan offers a number of features that set it apart from free plagiarism scanners on the market, including:
Multiple File Formats Accepted - PlagScan accepts several different types of file formats and imports including .doc, .docx, plain text, Google Doc and more. You can optionally drag and drop, upload or paste a URL to add your document.
Citation and Reference Check - PlagScan includes information to help students properly cite their work and add references, helping to prevent unintentional plagiarism.
Side-by-Side Text Comparison - PlagScan also lets you do a side-by-side text comparison between two submissions, enabling you to spot similarities quickly and efficiently.
Like PlagScan, Originality.ai also includes a plagiarism checker, however, Originality.ai goes well beyond simply scanning for plagiarism and also includes the ability to scan for AI-written content. This allows both content publishers, content and copywriters as well as professors and researchers to check for content that has been written by AI using the latest AI-detection methods.
Like PlagScan, Originality.ai also scans and creates a similarity report, highlighting potential instances and showing sources. However, Originality.ai can also do an AI scan, to determine if any of the submitted content bears the hallmarks of having been written by artificial intelligence. With Originality.ai, you can choose to do a plagiarism scan, AI writing scan, or both. Originality.ai is an excellent PlagScan alternative that goes beyond the basics of checking a document for plagiarism.
Originality.ai leverages the latest in artificial intelligence and machine learning to detect when content has been written with AI. The platform is continuously trained using both AI-generated and human-generated content, allowing it to pick up on subtle nuances in speech and other context clues that are distinctly human.
Because Originality.ai is developed alongside major AI platforms, it’s able to detect content written by leading AI products including ChatGPT, Bard and many others. As new releases of popular artificial intelligence products are developed, you can expect the Originality.ai algorithm to continue being refined and updated to keep pace with the ever-changing AI landscape.
PlagScan is, without a doubt, a popular way for academicians, students and professionals alike to scan for plagiarism. Because the technology behind the service is powered by Turnitin, you can be confident that it’s leveraging substantial databases as it scans for matching source text.
And although PlagScan doesn’t have nearly the breadth of features as many other plagiarism detectors, such as the ability to scan in other languages or the ability to scan across paid scholarly research databases, it nevertheless remains a popular choice for those who need to scan for plagiarism from time to time as well as in bulk.
It’s important to note, however, that PlagScan only checks for plagiarism. It cannot detect if content has been written by artificial intelligence the way that Originality.ai can. The good news is that you can perform a plagiarism and an AI writing scan on your work at a more affordable price by using Originality.ai than simply scanning for plagiarism using a standalone platform like PlagScan. Try Originality.ai now for yourself and get a full spectrum report on your content submission!