Start with your course rules
US colleges and universities set their own rules for academic integrity, citation, resubmission, and generative-AI assistance. Read the syllabus, rubric, and instructions from your professor before making decisions based on any report. If the assignment requires APA, MLA, Chicago, IEEE, or another style, use the version required by your course—not a generic online template.
Check these common paper issues
- In-text citations: every borrowed idea, data point, paraphrase, and quotation needs the required citation.
- Works Cited or References: check that entries match the citations in the paper and include complete publication details.
- Direct quotes: verify quotation marks, block-quote formatting, and page numbers where required.
- Patchwriting: revise passages that mirror a source’s order or distinctive language too closely.
- Evidence: make sure sources support the claim you make; correct formatting alone is not enough.
Use a similarity report as a learning tool
Open the individual source matches rather than reacting to the total percentage. Reference lists, assignment wording, and legitimate quotations can appear in a report. In contrast, even a brief uncited match may deserve attention. A professor or writing center can help when the context is unclear.
Final upload check
Save the final file with the requested name, accept tracked changes, remove comments, and reopen the file before submitting. Keep the submitted copy and confirmation receipt. If your school offers a draft submission point, follow its instructions carefully; it may use different settings from the final assignment.
Review your final college paper
Check a draft and give yourself time to review the real source matches.
Check my documentContinue with ethical ways to revise similar passages.