If a paper that receives a high similarity rating, is it necessarily plagiarized?
No. There are a number of perfectly legitimate reasons for a paper receiving a high similarity rating. For example, a properly cited paper with numerous references may show a high similarity. Likewise, a paper previously submitted to Turnitin by the student for self-checking prior to final submission (if an instructor allows that capability) will show a high similarity. A high similarity rating simply indicates to an instructor that this paper should be reviewed for possible plagiarism. The determination whether or not a paper is plagiarized is still left of to the judgment of the instructor.
