The WU Executive Academy uses the plagiarism detection software from turnitin, which is the standard tool for the evaluation of all written work submitted by students at the WU Vienna. This software uses a proprietary algorithm to identify potentially unoriginal content by comparing submitted work to several databases. Recently, a feature to detect AI-generated content such as ChatGPT was introduced.

Upon submission of a student’s master’s thesis, you as the supervisor will receive the final thesis along with the results of the plagiarism report. This report provides information on two key percentages: Overall Similarity and AI Writing Detection.

Overall Similarity and AI Writing Detection

The Overall Similarity Score and the AI Writing Detection percentage are different metrics that don’t influence each other. The Overall Similarity score reflects the proportion of matching text found in the submitted document when compared to a variety of sources, including billions of web pages, archived Internet content, previously submitted work, and various publications. It determines what would be called plagiarism. The AI Writing Detection, on the other hand, indicates the overall percentage of text within a submission that is predicted by the AI Writing Detection Model to be generated by AI writing tools.

Interpreting Similarity Scores

The similarity score provided in this report is a measure of the degree to which the text matches the software’s databases. In many cases, high scores indicate plagiarism. However, as an expert, you are in the best position to determine whether the plagiarism is intentional, unintentional, due to poor citation, or accidental. Therefore, please use your expert judgement to determine whether this is a case of minor or major plagiarism. If you need further clarification on specific cases, the Academic Director of the program is available to assist you.

More information on Interpreting the Similarity Report is available on the Turnitin website.

AI Writing Detection

The AI writing indicator shows the total percentage of the document that may have been generated by AI writing tools such as ChatGPT. The report highlights the text segments that the model predicts were written by AI. The model does not make a determination of misconduct, but rather provides data for faculty to make an informed decision based on their academic expertise. Therefore, you should not use the percentage on the AI Writing Detector as the sole basis for action or final grading. Rather, it is a starting point for a conversation with the student.

Please note, currently AI detection will only work for content submitted in English.

More information on the AI Writing Detection Capabilities is available on the Turnitin website.

How can the severity of plagiarism be determined?

The procedures for dealing with plagiarism depend on the severity of the misconduct. The severity of plagiarism is determined by the supervisor based on the following aspects:

• The quantity of the plagiarized material in absolute terms and in relation to the volume of the whole thesis
• Plagiarism of entire arguments and ideas or only individual formulations
• Planned and systematic plagiarism (premeditation) or just careless citation practices
• Concealed plagiarism/translation
• Repeated instances of academic misconduct in the same thesis

Which procedures and legal consequences apply?

In the case of minor plagiarism based on the criteria above, the student will be given an opportunity to correct the issue within a reasonable period of time. If the student fails to make the requested corrections, the thesis will receive a failing grade and the student will be required to choose a new topic.

In cases of major plagiarism, please contact both the Academic Director and the Program Management for further consultation. According to WU’s policy on plagiarism, the student may be required to attend a hearing at the Office of Academic Regulations where the case will be discussed. If a student is found guilty of serious plagiarism or academic fraud, the Rector’s Council may suspend the student’s enrollment at WU for a period of up to two semesters.