Create a Turnitin report

Creating Turnitin reports for similarity checking of written response questions in Brightspace quizzes can help promote academic integrity and help to ensure the authenticity of students’ work. In this article you will learn how to export written response, short answer, and multi answer quiz questions and import them into Turnitin for similarity checking.

To do this we need to:

  • Export the written response questions.
  • Use the Test to Turnitin tool to convert the written response question into a format that can be uploaded into Turnitin.
  • Import the responses into Turnitin.

These instructions are for PC Users. There is currently no Mac version of this Excel add-in. Mac users will need to use the Virtual Desktop Interface (VDI). Information about VDI for those who need it are at DIT Help VDI (Horizon VMware).

Create a Turnitin report for quiz questions

Access your subject in Brightspace. Go to the manage quizzes screen via
Assessments > Quizzes and Exams or Subject Admin > Quizzes

Locate the quiz you wish to export. Click on the drop-down menu and select Grade.

Select Grade from the drop-down menu.

In the Grade Quiz screen, select Export to Excel.

Select Export to Excel

You will receive a confirmation notice that the data is being exported and will be notified when your file is ready.

Confirmation screen.

When the file is ready you will receive a notification in Brightspace. You can access your notifications by clicking on the bell icon in the Brightspace menu. Click on the icon, then click on the notification about the export.

Accessing your notifications

You will be taken to a screen where you can download the export file.

Quiz report export summary

Download the file and save it in your desired folder.

This installs the test to Turnitin tab in Excel, which will allow for the simple conversion of a Brightspace quiz export to a file that can be uploaded within Turnitin for originality checking.

This will only need to be done the first time you use the tool.

  1. Download and extract the installation files.
    Download the installer. You will need to login using your CSU username and password.

    Login using your CSU username and password

    Locate the downloaded zip file on your computer. Right click on the zip file and select Extract All.

    Select Extract All from the menu

    Make sure the Show extracted files when complete option is checked and then click on Extract All. You may also change the folder the files will be extracted to, if you wish, using the browse option.

    Extract files screen
  2. Install the ‘Test to Turnitin’ Tab in Excel on a Charles Sturt computer

    If installing on a personal computer, the following steps can still be followed, but you may not see all the security pop-up boxes.

    If Excel is open, close it before starting the installation process.

    Right Click on the TestToTurnitinAddinInstaller.exe and select Run as administrator.

    Select Run as administrator from the menu

    At this point, a pop-up box from Windows Defender may appear. If it does, click on More info

    Select More info

    And then click Run Anyway

    Select Run anyway

    A pop-up box will appear. Click Yes.

    Select yes on the user account control pop-up

    Click Ok.

    Select OK on the Admin By Request pop-up

    Select Yes on the installer pop-up.

    Select yes on the installer pop-up

    Click Yes to accept the terms, and the installer will run.

    Select yes

    You will then see the installer confirmation screen.

    The installer confirmation screen

    Open Excel. You should see the Test to Turnitin option in the menu bar.

    The excel screen with the Test to Turnitin add-on

Locate and open the Excel file downloaded from the quiz.

Open the excel file


Click Test to Turnitin, which will open the menu options

Click on the Test to Turnitin menu item

Click the Test to Turnitin run icon

Click the Test to Turnitin run icon

A pop-up confirmation box will appear. If you have students with multiple attempts, you can choose whether to export all attempts or only the latest attempt.

Test to Turnitin export confirmation


You will get a message when the export is completed

Test to Turnitin completed

Navigate to the folder where the Excel file was downloaded. You should see an output folder and an output zip file in that folder. The output folder is simply for you to review text files, should you need to do so. The zip file can be used for uploading into Turnitin.

Files created by Turnitin add-on

Importing the responses into TurnitinYou will be using Turnitin’s Quick Submit feature to import the responses and do the similarity checking. If you have not used this feature before and it is not present in the menu you may need to activate it.

  1. Activating Quick Submit 

    Login to www.turnitin.com and login to your account. If you see Quick Submit on the menu proceed to the next step. Otherwise click on your name on the top menu bar to access your profile.

    Turnitin menu

    In the user information/account settings, set the default submission type to zip file upload and select yes under activate quick submit.

    Activate quick submit in User Information

    Scroll to the bottom and click Submit.

    Click submit to save your changes
  2. Using Quick Submit

    Access the Turnitin home page and click on the Quick Submit tab.

    Turnitin menu

    Select your school from the drop-down list and click Submit.

    Select your school and click submit


    On the next screen, you will be able to customise your search options by selecting the databases to include when comparing papers. We recommend that all options be selected.

    Select all databases and click submit
    Choose Zip File Upload.

    Select zip file upload

    Select Browse, navigate to where your newly created zip file is stored, and click Open.

    Browse to file and open

    Click on Upload.

    Select file and upload

    A summary page will appear where you can check the details. You can select or deselect files for upload using the check boxes next to the student names. You will need to enter at least initials into the last and first name fields of the form for each student before you click on Submit.

    Submit paper summary page

    Click Submit again.

    Accepted files page

    Review the results being shown. It may take some time for the similarity reports to run. You can refresh the page to see if they have updated or return to it by clicking on the Quick Submit tab.

    3. Results page