Accessibility Statement

This is the Turnitin service accessibility statement in line with Public Sector Body (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.

This statement applies to https://www.turnitinuk.com

 

Accessibility statement for Turnitin use at the University

Turnitin is a centrally supported Computer Aided Assessments tool integrated with the Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs) at the University of Edinburgh. It is based on the commercial software application product Turnitin, provided by Turnitin LLC. This statement covers both the student facing and the assessor facing interfaces. As Turnitin is a third-party piece of software we have limited control over the changes we can make to it.

Turnitin provide detailed information about the Turnitin software application and its accessibility along with a Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) on their website.

This application is run by Learning Teaching and Web Services, Information Services, at the University of Edinburgh. 

We want as many people as possible to be able to use this service. For example, you should be able to:

  • Use browser settings to adjust font size, most colours, and contrast levels.
  • Use the application without encountering the need to drag items with no alternative.

The service is primarily used to upload student assessment files for staff to review similarity with other digital content and marking this means documents and other content can be uploaded which aren’t accessible. It is therefore important for us to ensure that helpful guidance and training is available to users who create content to minimise the risk of this. A wide range of such resources is available through the University’s website.

Disability Information – Creating Accessible Materials

Learning Technology and Accessibility

 

Customising the application

AbilityNet has advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability. This is an external site with suggestions to make your computer more accessible:

AbilityNet - My computer my way.

With a few simple steps you can customise your browser settings to make it easier to read and navigate.

Information on how to customise browser settings for accessibility.

If you are a member of the University staff or a student you can use the free Sensus Access accessible document conversion service.

SenusAccess Information.

 

How accessible this application is

We know that some parts of the application are currently not fully accessible, such as:

  • Colour contrasts may not always meet recommended Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.2 AA standard.
  • Audio added to Turnitin may not have an accompanying text alternative, such as human corrected captions or a transcript.
  • Not all non-text content have alternative text.
  • Pop ups and new windows may open without warning.
  • Not all pages reflow to 400% when magnified.
  • Not all content can be magnified.
  • Not all content can be navigated without using a mouse and it can be difficult to tell where you have navigated to sometimes due to insufficient selection displays.
  • Keyboard tabbing does not always follow a meaningful sequence.
  • Some links are displayed as naked URLs and do not have meaningful hypertext.
  • Links are not underlined by default.
  • Not all tooltips are accessible using keyboard navigation are assistive software.
  • There are examples of text as an image.
  • There are examples of information conveyed by colour only.
  • There is no skip to main content options in all parts of the system.
  • In some places heading levels are missed.
  • The site is not fully compatible with assistive software such as screen reading and voice recognition software.
  • There is audio content that does not have a text alternative and is not transcribed or captioned.
  • There is overlapping content when the site is viewed in landscape on Android and portrait on iOS.
  • Some pages do not have title elements or language attributes.

The service is used to share assessment files, similarity reports and feedback between staff and students which means that staff and students can inadvertently make changes to the system which make it less accessible. They may also upload documents and other content which isn’t accessible.

 

Feedback and contact information

If you need information or content on this service in a different format, like accessible PDF, large print, easy read, audio recording or braille, please contact the IS Helpline:

We will acknowledge your request immediately, and respond within 5 working days.

Within the University, we can:

  • Offer users 1-2-1 sessions to help orientate and navigate the service’s interface, in particular with regard to assistive technology.
  • Offer content in alternative formats.
  • If you are a member of University staff or a student, you can use the free SensusAccess accessible document conversion service.
  • Provide advice and guidance on using accessibility features in Turnitin and in your operating system.

 

Reporting accessibility problems with this service

We’re always looking to improve the accessibility of this service. If you find any problems that aren’t listed on this page or think we’re not meeting accessibility requirements, contact:

We will acknowledge your request immediately, and respond within 5 working days.

 

Enforcement procedure

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is responsible for enforcing the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018 (the ‘accessibility regulations’). If you’re not happy with how we respond to your complaint please contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS) directly.

Contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS).

The government has produced information on how to report accessibility issues:

Reporting an accessibility problem on a public sector website.

 

Contacting us by phone using British Sign Language Service

Contact Scotland BSL runs a service for British Sign Language users and all of Scotland’s public bodies using video relay. This enables sign language users to contact public bodies and vice versa. The service operates from 8.00am to 12.00am, seven days a week.

Contact Scotland BSL service details.

 

Technical information about this application’s accessibility

The University of Edinburgh is committed to making its websites and web applications accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.

 

Compliance Status

This website is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 AA standard, due to the non-compliances listed below.

The full guidelines are available at:

Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 AA standard

 

Non accessible content

The content listed below is non-accessible for the following reasons.

Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations

The following items do not comply with the WCAG 2.2 AA Success Criteria:

  • Not all non-text content has a text alternative.

    1.1.1 Non-text Content

  • An alternative for time-based media or audio description of any recorded video content may not be provided

    1.2.3 Audio Description or Media Alternative (Prerecorded)

  • Some list elements are not contained by <ul> or <ol> or <ul>,  <ol> do not contain only <li>, <script> or <template> elements or and some ARIA roles do not contain particular children or are contained by particular parents

    1.3.1 Info and Relationships

  • When the sequence in which content is presented affects its meaning, a correct reading sequence is not always programmatically determined.

    1.3.2 Meaningful Sequence

  • There is overlapping content in landscape mode on mobile android devices and in portrait mode on iOS mobile devices

    1.3.4 Orientation

  • The purpose of each input field collecting information about the user is not always programmatically determined.

    1.3.5 Identify Input Purpose

  • Colour is used on some occasions to convey information, for example some links.

    1.4.1 Use of Color

  • Colour contrasts do not always meet WCAG 2.1 AA standards.

    1.4.3 Contrast (Minimum)

  • Some pages/images cannot be magnified up to 200% without loss of content.

    1.4.4 Resize text

  • Sometimes there is use of images of text rather than text.

    1.4.5 Images of Text

  • When content is magnified you may still have to scroll horizontally as well as vertically.

    1.4.10 Reflow

  • Not all tooltips are accessible when using keyboard navigation or assistive software

    1.4.13 Content on Hover or Focus

  • Not all functionality of the content is operable through a keyboard interface without requiring specific timings for individual keystrokes.

    2.1.1 Keyboard

  • There is movement that cannot be paused or stopped by the end user

    2.2.2 Pause Stop Hide

  • In some parts of the application there is no ‘skip to main content’ option

    2.4.1. Bypass Blocks

  • <html> element does not have lang attribute

    2.4.2 Page Titled

  • Where pages can be navigated sequentially and the navigation sequences affect meaning or operation, focusable components do not always receive focus in an order that preserves meaning and operability.

    2.4.3 Focus Order

  • Not all links have meaningful hypertext and some are naked URLs

    2.4.4 Link Purpose (In Context)

  • Heading levels are not always used and some heading levels are missing

    2.4.6 Headings and Labels

  • The keyboard focus indicator is not always clearly visible.

    2.4.7 Focus Visible

  • The language of the page is not always specified.

    3.1.1 Language of the Page

  • There are occasions where pop-ups and new windows open without warning.

    3.2.2 On Input

  • Not all elements are suitably labelled for computability with assistive software, for example some form elements do not have labels, there are nested interactive controls, there are buttons without discernible text , there are frames without accessible names, and there are ARIA input fields that do not have an accessible name.

    4.1.2 Name, Role, Value

We aim to improve our website's accessibility on a regular and continuous basis. See the section below ('What we're doing to improve accessibility') on how we are improving our site accessibility.

We are working with the vendor towards solving these problems and expect significant improvements by June 2026 when we aim to have fully rolled out the improved Feedback Studio interface (Marking and Feedback component). There are no parts of application other than content added under our control.

Disproportionate burden

We are not currently claiming that any accessibility problems within our control would be a disproportionate burden to fix.

Content that’s not within the scope of the accessibility regulations

At this time, we believe no content is outwith the scope of the accessibility regulations.

 

What we’re doing to improve accessibility

We will continue to work with the supplier, Turnitin, to address the accessibility issues highlighted and deliver a solution or suitable work around. As Turnitin is a third-party system provided by Turnitin LLC, we have no ability to make changes ourselves, however we regularly report accessibility issues to the vendor. Turnitin are releasing a completely new version of the Feedback Studio software in July 2025 and the University will be introducing this to users over the coming year, including a pilot programme and new user training. We anticipate significant improvement in accessibility through this development and will continue to link directly with the vendor over outstanding issues. Unless specified otherwise, a complete solution or significant improvement will be in place by June 2026 for items within our control related to content creation in Turnitin.

We provide guidance and training for staff on the accessible use of our Learning Technologies.

Learning Technology and Accessibility

We will continue to monitor system accessibility and will carry out further accessibility testing as these issues are resolved. 

While we are in the process of resolving these accessibility issues, we will ensure reasonable adjustments are in place to make sure no user is disadvantaged. As changes are made, we will continue to review accessibility and retest the accessibility of this website.

 

Preparation of this accessibility statement

This statement was prepared on 23rd July 2022. It was last reviewed 23rd May 2025.

The website was last tested in May 2025. The testing was carried out by the Digital Learning Applications and Media team and Disability Information Team in Information Services at the University of Edinburgh using both automated and manual methods. The site was tested on a PC, primarily using Microsoft Edge alongside Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome.

Recent world-wide usage levels survey for different screen readers and browsers shows that Chrome, Mozilla Firefox and Microsoft Edge are increasing in popularity and Google Chrome is now the favoured browser for screen readers:

WebAIM: Screen Reader User Survey

The aforementioned three browsers have been used in certain questions for reasons of breadth and variety.

We ran automated testing using WAVE WebAIM and Axe DevTools, then manual testing that included:

  • Spell check functionality;
  • Scaling using different resolutions and reflow;
  • Options to customise the interface (magnification, font, background colour, etc);
  • Keyboard navigation and keyboard traps;
  • Data validation;
  • Warning of links opening in new tab or window;
  • Information conveyed in the colour or sound only;
  • Flashing, moving or scrolling text;
  • Operability if JavaScript is disabled;
  • Use with screen reading software (for example JAWS);
  • Assistive software (TextHelp Read and Write, Windows Magnifier, ZoomText, Dragon Naturally Speaking, TalkBack and VoiceOver);
  • Tooltips and text alternatives for any non-text content;
  • Time limits;
  • Compatibility with mobile accessibility functionality (Android and iOS).
  • Any drag functionality and alternatives;
  • Consistent help function;
  • Submission and re-entry of data;
  • Any cognitive tests.

 

Change Log

2025 February 6

Updated highlight colors improve accessibility in the new report experience

Turnitin updated highlight colors to improve accessibility in the new report experience. Highlighted text in the new Similarity Report has new colors for match groups, and sources. The updates to the highlight colors optimize contrast levels for improved accessibility, with a focus on enhanced text readability.

2024 December 18

Keyboard navigation

Turnitin have made an accessibility improvement for uploading submissions to the Feedback Studio assignment inbox. This improvement should make it easier to navigate the page using a keyboard.

2024 August 8

Automatic upgrade to new, enhanced Similarity Report

Turnitin have added a new Similarity Report view is designed to provide an enhanced experience and improved accessibility, making it easier to interpret results.

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