Before submitting a journal article, checking for plagiarism is a step you shouldn’t skip. It’s not just about avoiding accusations of plagiarism, but also about making sure your work is truly original and ready to be evaluated by reviewers. The two tools most commonly used for this purpose are Turnitin and iThenticate. Interestingly, both come from the same company, Clarivate. But don’t get it wrong! Despite sharing the same parent company, their functions and the target users are quite different.
Many academics, from students to lecturers, are still unsure which one to use. In fact, it’s not uncommon for someone to check their work with Turnitin, only to be surprised when a journal editor reports a different similarity score after checking it with iThenticate.
So, which one is actually more accurate for your journal publication needs? Let’s break it down.

Read More: Journal Acknowledgement: How to Get It Right

Key Differences

• Turnitin is designed specifically for the education sector, such as students and lecturers. It’s usually accessed through universities and used to check assignments, theses, or dissertations.
• iThenticate is designed for researchers and professional writers who want to check their articles before submitting to academic journals. Its database is broader, covering millions of journals, conference papers, and international scholarly publications.

Which One’s More Accurate?

For journal articles, iThenticate is generally recommended because:

• It has a larger and more publication-focused database
• It is used directly by journal editors and reviewers
• The results are more detailed and relevant for publication contexts

Turnitin is still useful, but the results may differ from iThenticate due to differences in their databases.

Tips!

Use Turnitin for early drafts and iThenticate before final submission to a journal. A safe similarity threshold is generally below 20–25%. But each journal has its own style and policy; you must check your journal’s guidelines before submitting!

Need help with editing or journal submission? Don’t hesitate to consult with a trusted publication service to ensure your process is smooth, professional, and secure
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