Mzansi Writers

The Best Writing, Editing and Proofreading Service Provider in South Africa!

Uncategorized 

Electronic Submission, Turnitin and Institutional Repositories: What to Know for Dissertations, Essays and Assignments

Chris

Submitting academic work electronically is now standard practice at most universities. Whether you’re turning in an essay, uploading an assignment, or submitting a dissertation, understanding electronic submission workflows, Turnitin/originality checks, and institutional repository policies will save time, protect your intellectual property, and reduce the risk of procedural errors. This guide covers what to expect and concrete steps to get your submission right.

Why electronic submission matters

  • Faster, traceable hand-ins with time-stamps and receipts.
  • Centralised archival of scholarly work via institutional repositories (IRs).
  • Automated similarity checking (e.g., Turnitin) helps detect overlaps — and sometimes causes confusion if you don’t prepare correctly.
  • Repositories improve discoverability and can enable DOIs or long-term preservation.

Key concepts you should know

Turnitin (and other similarity checkers)

  • Turnitin produces a similarity report, not a plagiarism verdict. It flags matched text against its databases (published sources, student papers, web).
  • Interpretation matters: supervisors and examiners decide whether flagged text is acceptable (proper quotation, common phrasing, methodology sections) or problematic.
  • Institutions differ on thresholds—there’s no universal “acceptable percentage.” Often, contextual review is required.
  • Common causes of high similarity:
    • Long quoted blocks without proper formatting.
    • Poor paraphrasing or copying from past assignments.
    • Self-plagiarism (re-using your own previously submitted material without disclosure).
    • Shared methodology or template text across students.
  • Best practice:
    • Use Turnitin draft checks where allowed to review your similarity report.
    • Exclude bibliography and quoted material where permitted in settings.
    • Add clear references, quotation marks, or block quotes for direct extracts.

Institutional Repositories (IR)

  • IRs store and preserve theses, dissertations and selected student work. They may:
    • Provide open access copies.
    • Offer embargo options to delay public release.
    • Assign persistent identifiers (DOI) for long-term citation.
  • Check your university’s policy on:
    • Mandatory deposit vs. optional submission.
    • Open access vs. restricted/embargoed access.
    • Copyright transfer or retention.
  • If you plan to publish parts of your dissertation as articles, consider embargoes and check publisher policies first.

File formats, naming and metadata — the technical must-haves

  • Preferred file format for final archival: PDF/A (preserves formatting, fonts, and is long-term stable).
  • Keep an editable source copy (Word/LaTeX) for revisions requested by examiners.
  • File naming: use an institutional naming convention or, if none exists, include:
    • StudentID_lastname_title_year.pdf (e.g., 123456_Mbhali_MastersThesis_2026.pdf)
  • Metadata to prepare:
    • Title, author full name, student ID, degree programme, supervisor, year, abstract, keywords, ORCID (if available), embargo period (if requested), licensing (e.g., CC BY).
  • Verify required fonts, embedded images, and that figures/tables are legible in the exported PDF.

Common submission routes — quick comparison

Submission route Pros Cons Typical file types
Learning Management System (LMS) (e.g., Blackboard, Moodle) Integrated with grading; time-stamped receipts File size/format limits; may auto-check with Turnitin PDF, DOCX, PPTX
Turnitin Direct upload Built-in similarity report; common for essays May flag common material; report needs interpretation PDF, DOC, DOCX
Institutional Repository Long-term preservation; DOI options Public by default unless embargoed; administrative steps PDF/A preferred
Email to supervisor/admin Simple; direct delivery No automated record of institutional acceptance; risk of lost emails DOCX, PDF
Hard copy / USB (rare) Required by some faculties for final binding Physical logistics; processing delays Printed PDF, USB files

Pre-submission checklist (practical steps)

Follow these steps before final upload:

Handling Turnitin results: practical guidance

  • Don’t panic at a similarity score alone. Open the report and:
    • Identify the matched sources.
    • Distinguish correct quoting & referencing from poor paraphrase.
    • Remove accidental text duplication (e.g., repeated template text).
    • Flag legitimate reuse of your prior work and provide justification to your supervisor.
  • If unsure about institutional thresholds, ask your supervisor or programme coordinator in advance.

Repository considerations: access, embargoes and rights

  • Decide whether you want open access or an embargo:
    • Open access increases visibility but may complicate later publishing.
    • Embargo allows delayed public release (commonly 6–24 months or longer).
  • Check repository requirements for licensing. Some universities require a non-exclusive license to store your thesis, others request transfer of certain rights.
  • After submission, you may look into DOI registration and binding options: see Binding, Copyright and DOI Registration: Post-Submission Steps for Dissertations, Essays and Assignments.

After submission: defense, revisions and publication

Quick tips to avoid common pitfalls

  • Don’t wait until the last minute — file size limits and server load cause failures.
  • Keep track of all receipts and confirmation emails/screenshots.
  • Be mindful of institutional policies about prior publications and co-authorship.
  • Always keep a backup of your final submission and the Turnitin receipt.

Need help with writing or proofreading?

If you want support preparing submission-ready documents, proofreading, or formatting assistance for dissertations, essays or assignments, contact MzansiWriters:

  • Click the WhatsApp icon on the page to message us directly,
  • Email: info@mzansiwriters.co.za, or
  • Use the Contact Us page accessed via the main menu on the site.

Further reading and resources on MzansiWriters can help you with submission formatting, pre-submission checks, defense preparation and post-submission steps. Good preparation reduces stress and increases the chance of a smooth, successful submission.