Unicheck is a plagiarism checker. It verifies the originality of submitted texts or documents and delivers detailed similarity reports to teachers, instructors, students, and other Unicheck users.
We present the new design and functionality that will enhance your experience even further.
General Layout
Interpreting Similarity Results
General Layout
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Document Viewer displays the submitted document. You can easily find the highlighted parts of the text that have been matched to their corresponding sources or identified as citations/references. Text segments are highlighted in different colors depending on the type of match.
Unicheck Report has two main display sections: Document Viewer and Side Panel.
Side Panel displays the Similarity Score, the list of matched sources, and the list of identified citations/references. You can filter sources by category (Internet or Library) and examine any particular source in more detail (e.g., find where exactly in the submitted text it is cited or check the source online).
Other main elements of the Unicheck Report are:
- Minimap (helps to quickly find matches, quotes, and references in a large document)
- File name
- User name (e.g., student's name)
- Date and time the assignment was checked
- Comments and Options buttons at the top of the report
- Word and page count
- Plain Text View, Paper Details, and Zoom In / Zoom Out buttons at the bottom of the report
Interpreting Similarity Results
Complete Unicheck Report is generated within few minutes. The document or text is compared with Internet sources and students’ papers from the same institution.
Unicheck Report uses different colors to display the Similarity Score indicator
(each color is attributed to one particular Similarity Score range):
0% |
1-24% |
25-49% |
50-74% |
75-100% |
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Unicheck Report uses the following colors to highlight matched segments in the text:
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Matches |
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Selected match |
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Quotes |
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Selected quote |
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References |
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Selected reference |
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Character replacement (possible attempt to conceal plagiarism) |
The highlighted parts of the text in the Document Viewer show matches with sources from the Internet or sources from the Unicheck Institutional Library (other stored assignments). Matches identified as citations and references are also highlighted (APA, MLA, Chicago/Turabian, Harvard).
You can click on the highlighted segments to see the corresponding matched sources (alternatively, when you click on sources from the list, the corresponding text segments are highlighted).
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Side Panel
Side Panel provides a detailed breakdown of the search results:
- You can switch between tabs to see the results separately for each category: Matches, Quotes, and Exclusions.
- When you click on the listed sources or citations/references, the corresponding text segments are highlighted.
- Related sources are organized into groups according to the following principle:
- The source with the highest Similarity Score is identified — Source A.
- All “smaller” sources with matches which are fully contained within Source A go to Group A.
- Then the second “largest” source (not from Group A) is identified — Source B.
- All “smaller” sources with matches which are fully contained within Source B go to Group B, and so on until all sources are grouped according to the described principle and there are no spare sources left.
Unicheck never counts the same unoriginal text more than once, no matter how many sources were found to contain such text.
Often, the total Similarity Score is less than the algebraic sum of “Group A + Group B + Source A + Source B, etc.,” as different sources (e.g., websites) may contain some "shared" (overlapping) parts of text.
MATCHES tab
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This view displays the total Similarity Score and the list of matched sources organized into groups.
Total Similarity Score (TSS) is calculated by the following formula:
References word count will equal zero if references exclusion setting is off.
Within the MATCHES tab, you can switch between three views (lists) of matched sources: All Sources, Internet Sources, and Library Sources (i.e., stored assignments submitted by other students and/or assignments that were directly uploaded to the Unicheck account by administrator or instructor).
When you click on a source or a group of sources, the following buttons are displayed:
- Compare: generate a side-by-side view of the submitted document and the source document or website with matches highlighted. Please see Side-by-Side Comparison for more details.
- Download (Library sources only): download the matched document.
Note: If you do not see the Download button, please contact your institution's LMS administrator.
This feature can be enabled by administrator at corp.unicheck.com (see Privacy Settings Admin Guide).
Not available in Google Classroom. - Details (Library sources only): view paper details for the matched source.
- View Source (Internet sources only): view an Internet source.
- Exclude: exclude an individual source or a group of sources from the list (the corresponding sources will appear under the EXCLUSIONS tab, and their Similarity Scores will not add to the total Similarity Score).
QUOTES tab
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This view displays the Similarity Score for quotes (in-text citations) as well as the list of detected quotes and references.
Quotes Similarity Score (QSS) is calculated by the following formula:
References word count will equal zero if references exclusion setting is off.
Quotes List: This view displays the list and the total number of detected quotes.
When you click on quotes from this list, the Omit Quote button allows you to exclude them from the list (the corresponding quotes will appear under Omitted Quotes subheading, and their Similarity Scores will add to the total Similarity Score). You can always include them back in the list of matched quotes by clicking an omitted quote and then clicking Add Quote (Similarity Scores of such quotes will not add to the total Similarity Score).
References List: This view displays the list and the total number of detected references.
EXCLUSIONS tab
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This view displays the Similarity Score for excluded matched sources and the list of such sources organized into groups.
Exclusions Similarity Score (ESS) is calculated by the following formula:
References word count will equal zero if references exclusion setting is off.
Within the EXCLUSIONS tab, you can switch between three views (lists) of excluded matched sources: All Sources, Internet Sources, and Library Sources (i.e., stored assignments submitted by other students and/or assignments that were directly uploaded to the Unicheck account by administrator or instructor).
When you click on a source or a group of sources, the following buttons are displayed:
- View Source: view an Internet or Library source.
- Include: add an individual source or a group of sources to the list of matched sources (the corresponding sources will appear under the MATCHES tab, and their Similarity Scores will add to the total Similarity Score).
- Details (Library sources only): view paper details for the matched source.
Sources excluded based on the exclusion filter settings are tagged as Auto Excluded.
Note: When Unicheck detects malicious or explicit content, you will receive additional warning messages before being redirected to such Internet sources.
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Side-by-Side Comparison
In this mode, the screen is split into two parts: submitted document is displayed on the left and the source document (Internet or Library match) is displayed on the right. Matched text segments are highlighted in both submitted and source documents.
To enter the Side-by-Side Comparison mode for any matched source, click a source on the Side Panel and then click Compare.
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Note: If Compare button is not active, it could be due to privacy restrictions. Please contact your institution’s Unicheck administrator to enable this feature. This button cannot be enabled for Library sources displayed in student versions of the Unicheck Report.
While in Side-by-Side Comparison mode, you can use all the functionality described in the Side Panel section, such as viewing a source, excluding a source, and displaying matched paper details (for Library sources only).
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A matched source (Internet or Library document) is always displayed in plain text, while submitted document can be displayed either in normal view mode or in plain text. Click Plain Text View / Normal View to switch between view modes.
Click Show All Matches to also highlight matches with other sources in the left window. Quotes and references will be highlighted as well.
Cheating Detection
Unicheck uses sophisticated algorithms to detect suspicious formatting in student submissions. There are websites that offer various techniques to help students conceal plagiarism, such as character replacement, insertion of hidden symbols, replacement of text with images, and other advanced techniques.
When Unicheck detects suspicious formatting, ATTENTION tab appears at the top right of the Side Panel.
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Click on ATTENTION tab to see the list of pages with potential cheating. Click on specific page to view it in the left window.
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If submitted document contains potential cheating that might affect Similarity Score, the percentage indicator is displayed in red color regardless of the Similarity Score range.
Note: The indicator will be displayed in red color as long as the list of pages with potential cheating contains at least one page that might affect Similarity Score. You may exclude pages from the list by clicking Omit (see description below).
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When Unicheck is able to calculate the Similarity Score correctly despite possible attempts to amend formatting, pages containing such amendments are marked as “Does not affect Similarity Score.”
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When you click on a page from the list, the following buttons are displayed:
- Inspect (only for pages that might affect Similarity Score)
Click to open a side-by-side view to visually compare author’s original formatting of a page (left) with a non-formatted version of the same page (right).
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Visual difference between the left and the right window may mean that special formatting was applied to conceal plagiarism (for example, some part of the text was inserted as an image over the real text).
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When you hover the cursor over any text line in the right window, it is highlighted with a blue mask in both windows to show corresponding text segments.
- Omit
Click to exclude a page from the list of pages with potential cheating. The page will appear under Omitted Pages subheading. This action is recommended if you do not want a particular page to be considered containing suspicious formatting.
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You can always include it back in the list of pages with potential cheating by clicking an omitted page and then clicking Return for Review.
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Options Menu
From the drop-down Options Menu you can configure exclusion options, download a report or original document, access online user guides, or contact the Unicheck Team.
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In the Options Menu you can change the following default settings:
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Exclusion Options
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Exclude Quotes / Exclude References: If this option is active, Unicheck will search and highlight in-text citations and/or references (APA, MLA, Chicago/Turabian, Harvard).
Excluding quotes means highlighting them in the submitted document. Detected quotes will not be checked for plagiarism.
Excluding references means highlighting them in the submitted document. Detected references will not be checked for plagiarism.
Exclude Sources Less Than: This option allows to automatically exclude matched sources based on the set parameters. For large texts like theses or dissertations, it is recommended to set the “%” value to “0” in order not to omit relevant matches. The minimum value for “Words” is “8” (set a higher value to omit sources with longer matches). Excluded sources will not add to Similarity Score.
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Download
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Download PDF Report: Download the Unicheck Report as a PDF file.
Download Original File: Download the originally submitted document.
Note: Please allow pop-ups for corp.unicheck.com in your browser's settings.
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Paper Details
Get paper info displayed on the Side Panel.
Note: Paper Details option displays information about the document which has been checked and is currently displayed in the Document Viewer. When you click on a matched source from the Library list and then click Details, you will see the paper details for the matched source.
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View
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Hide Minimap: Click to hide Minimap, which helps to quickly find matches, quotes, and references in a large document.
Plain Text View ON/OFF: In this view mode, the text is displayed without pictures and formatting while matches and citations/references remain highlighted.
Hide Panel: Click to hide Side Panel.
Zoom In / Zoom Out: Click to change the scale of your document in the Document Viewer.
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Change Language
Choose your preferred interface language.
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Tutorials
Click to visit the Unicheck Support website.
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Help
Click to contact the Unicheck Team.
Tools
Unicheck offers a number of handy tools to analyze the report and provide feedback to students.
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Comments
The Comments button is located near the Options Menu at the top of the Side Panel. After clicking Comments, you can highlight an area of the document (text and/or pictures) or click in any place in the document to leave a comment.
All your comments will appear on the Side Panel and can be edited or deleted.
Click Close Comments to hide comments.
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Minimap
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This panel helps to quickly find matches, quotes, and references in a large document. Click on a bar to display the corresponding page or point at it to see similarity data for the page. |
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Paper Details
Click Paper Details at the bottom of the Document Viewer to get paper info displayed on the Side Panel.
Note: Paper Details button displays information about the document which has been checked and is currently displayed in the Document Viewer. When you click on a matched source from the Library list and then click Details, you will see the paper details for the matched source.
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Paper Details include the following information:
- Paper title (i.e., file name)
- Similarity Score
- Word count
- Character count
- Page count
- Paper ID
- File size
- File format
- User name
- User email
- User ID
- Assignment ID
- Assignment name
- Course
- Checked date
- Date submitted
Items displayed in the Paper Details section may vary depending on your LMS.
Click Hide Paper Details to close this view.
Note: User name, User email and User ID fields display information associated with the account that was used to upload the document to Unicheck (administrator, instructor or student).
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Plain Text View
This option allows you to see the text without pictures and formatting while matches and citations/references remain highlighted.
Click Normal View to return to the standard view mode.
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Zoom In Document / Zoom Out Document
Click “+” or “–” to change the scale of your document in the Document Viewer.
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