Labeeb reference · every fact traced to Turnitin’s documentation or the university’s own document · Last checked 28 September 2026
Turnitin Report Interpreter: Read Your Similarity and AI Report (UAE and GCC, 2026)
Enter what your own Turnitin report shows and get a reading plan: what each number means in Turnitin’s own words, which checks to do first, what your university has published, when to talk to your supervisor, and what never to do. The percentage is not a verdict. The interpreter runs in your browser and stores nothing.
Read this first: the number is where you start reading, not a verdict
A similarity report shows where your text matches other text. It does not decide whether you plagiarised, and neither does this page. Your job is to understand each match and make sure every source is attributed properly.
- Turnitin says it does not check for plagiarism. It compares your document with its database and highlights matching text. Correctly quoted and referenced text is highlighted too.
- There is no universal number. Turnitin says each school, instructor or assignment may expect a different amount of matching text, and that plagiarism cannot be decided from the score alone.
- The similarity score and the AI writing indicator are separate. Turnitin states they are completely independent. Students normally cannot see the AI indicator at all.
- This interpreter never gives a target score and never predicts an outcome. Your supervisor and your university decide how your report is read. For the full background, see our guide Turnitin similarity and AI reports in the UAE.
Free interpreter · runs in your browser, nothing is stored or sent
Turnitin report interpreter: build your reading plan
Open your own Similarity Report and copy what it shows. Leave the largest single source blank if you have not found it yet. Every field except that one is required.
The plan explains Turnitin’s documentation and quotes a university rule only where we found one in the university’s own document. It never compares your number with a threshold, never says a score is fine, and never predicts what your university will decide.
What Turnitin’s numbers mean, in Turnitin’s own words
Each card summarises Turnitin’s help documentation. Links to every page are in the sources.
Overall similarity
The percentage of your submission that matches text in Turnitin’s database: current and archived web pages, periodicals, journals and publications, and a repository of past student submissions (Turnitin, student guide). Text you quoted and referenced correctly is still highlighted as a match.
No fixed number
Turnitin says there is no fixed number: every school, instructor or assignment may expect a different amount of matching text. A high score is not always plagiarism, a low score is not always free of it, and 0% can mean the work has no source-based evidence (student guide; Turnitin and plagiarism).
Exclusions and filters
Filters can exclude the bibliography, quoted text and, depending on the report version, cited text, small matches or small sources (exclusion filters). Exclusions a student applies are temporary and do not change the official score the instructor sees (using exclusions).
Your own earlier draft
If earlier drafts were stored in a repository, the final version can match them at up to 100%. Instructors can exclude previous submissions, and Turnitin advises submitting only the final draft to a private repository (similarity score; student guide).
The AI writing indicator
Visible only to instructors and administrators. It needs at least 300 words of long-form prose and no more than 30,000 words. Since July 2024, detections from 1% to 19% show as an asterisk (*%) with no percentage and no highlights. Turnitin says it does not make findings of misconduct and the indicator should not be the sole basis for action (AI FAQ; file requirements; release notes).
Arabic documents
Turnitin launched Arabic AI writing detection on 18 August 2026 (press release). It covers long-form Modern Standard Arabic with a separate model, and detection of AI paraphrasing is currently English only (Arabic FAQ). That describes the software, not what your university allows.
What UAE universities publish about similarity
We looked for a similarity rule in each university’s own documents on 28 September 2026. Two publish a figure, each with conditions. Four publish no number that we could find. Where there is no public figure, ask your supervisor or library for the written rule.
| University | What the document says | Applies to | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Sharjah | A thesis report may contain “a maximum of 15% similarity after the exclusion of all references, endnotes, footnotes, and materials enclosed within double quotations”, and the College “may approve similarities exceeding 15%” after examining the authentic report. The circular also objects to references removed by hand and to the Exclude small sources filter. | Master’s and PhD theses (circular No. 11, 2023–2024, dated 22 May 2024) | UoS circular |
| Khalifa University | “Plagiarism is deemed to have occurred if the plagiarism score is equal to or greater than 15%, after all individual instances of scores of 2% or less are discounted.” | Coursework and final project reports (Graduate Catalog 2026–2027). Not a thesis rule: the research-milestone pages state no thesis figure. | KU catalog |
| UAE University (UAEU) | No public threshold found. Graduate students must check their work with plagiarism software, and a thesis or dissertation must be checked before submission. | Graduate Student Handbook 2023–2024 | UAEU handbook |
| British University in Dubai (BUiD) | No public threshold found. The Director of Studies confirms the similarity is “within the approved limit”; the limit is not stated. | Doctoral assessment regulations; PG Handbook (September 2025) | BUiD regulations |
| American University of Sharjah (AUS) | No public threshold found. | Graduate Catalog 2025–2026 | AUS catalog |
| Zayed University | No public threshold found. | Academic Integrity page; Student Handbook 2022–2023 (undergraduate) | ZU pages |
A published figure tells you what the university wrote, under the conditions it wrote. It is not a target, and it does not tell you how your own report will be read. Other GCC submission rules are in our GCC thesis submission rules database.
What never to do with a Turnitin report
- Do not use paraphrasing, spinning or humaniser tools. Changing someone else’s words while keeping their structure and meaning, without citing them, is still using their work. UAE University’s graduate handbook, for example, includes this in its definition of plagiarism.
- Do not delete your reference list, strip quotation marks or alter the file. The University of Sharjah’s circular, for example, objects to references being removed by hand.
- Do not keep resubmitting to watch the number move. Stored drafts match later versions of the same work. Turnitin advises submitting only your final draft to a private repository.
- Do not chase a percentage. The score is not a decision about your work. Understand each match, fix attribution where it is missing, and take the report to your supervisor.
Not sure what your report is telling you? We go through the matches with you, separate correctly cited text from passages that need attribution, and edit your own writing for clear citation and expression. We never rewrite text to change a detector score.
Frequently asked questions
What Turnitin percentage is acceptable in the UAE?
There is no single figure. Turnitin says every school, instructor or assignment may expect a different amount of matching text, and that plagiarism cannot be decided from the score alone. Of the UAE universities we checked, the University of Sharjah publishes a 15% maximum for Master’s and PhD thesis reports after the exclusions it lists, and says the College may approve more after examining the authentic report. Khalifa University publishes a 15% rule for coursework and final project reports after discounting matches of 2% or less; it is not a thesis rule. We found no public number for UAEU, BUiD, AUS or Zayed University. Ask your supervisor for the rule that applies to your work.
Why can’t I see the AI writing percentage on my report?
Turnitin shows the AI writing indicator only to instructors and administrators, and administrators can switch the feature off. It also needs at least 300 words of long-form prose and no more than 30,000 words in a supported language. Not seeing it tells you nothing about what your instructor sees.
What does an asterisk (*%) on the AI indicator mean?
Since July 2024, Turnitin shows AI detections from 1% to 19% as an asterisk, with no percentage and no highlights, to limit false positives. The AI indicator is independent of the similarity score, and Turnitin says it should not be the sole basis for action.
Does Turnitin detect AI writing in Arabic?
Yes, since 18 August 2026, for long-form Modern Standard Arabic, using a separate model from English. Turnitin says detection of AI paraphrasing is currently available only in English. As with English, the indicator is visible only to instructors and administrators.
My report matches my own earlier draft. What should I do?
Tell your instructor or supervisor. Turnitin notes that drafts stored in a repository can make the final version match at up to 100%, and that instructors can exclude previous submissions. Do not try to remove it yourself, and in future submit only your final draft to a private repository, as Turnitin advises.
Does this interpreter store or send what I enter?
No. It runs in your browser and stores nothing. Our analytics records only that a reading plan was built, not any number or choice you entered.
Full guide: Turnitin similarity and AI reports in the UAE: how to read yours, and what universities actually publish.
How to cite this page (APA 7)
Labeeb Writing & Designs. (2026, September 28). Turnitin Report Interpreter: Read Your Similarity and AI Report (UAE and GCC, 2026). https://labeeb.ae/turnitin-report-interpreter/
Sources
Last checked: 28 September 2026. Turnitin pages are its public Help Center and press site. University documents are the universities’ own public pages and PDFs.
- Turnitin. Understanding the similarity score. https://guides.turnitin.com/hc/en-us/articles/23435833938701-Understanding-the-similarity-score
- Turnitin. Understanding the similarity score for students. https://guides.turnitin.com/hc/en-us/articles/23713493434253-Understanding-the-similarity-score-for-students
- Turnitin. How exclusion filters refine the Similarity Report. https://guides.turnitin.com/hc/en-us/articles/23539146689549-How-exclusion-filters-refine-the-Similarity-Report
- Turnitin. Using exclusions and filters. https://guides.turnitin.com/hc/en-us/articles/23503006879885-Using-exclusions-and-filters
- Turnitin. Turnitin and plagiarism. https://guides.turnitin.com/hc/en-us/articles/34400565079053-Turnitin-and-plagiarism
- Turnitin. Turnitin’s AI writing detection capabilities FAQs. https://guides.turnitin.com/hc/en-us/articles/28477544839821-Turnitin-s-AI-writing-detection-capabilities-FAQs
- Turnitin. File requirements for an AI Writing Report. https://guides.turnitin.com/hc/en-us/articles/28234943089933-File-requirements-for-an-AI-Writing-Report
- Turnitin. AI writing detection model (release notes). https://guides.turnitin.com/hc/en-us/articles/28294949544717-AI-writing-detection-model
- Turnitin. (2026, August 18). Turnitin expands AI writing detection to support Arabic language submissions [Press release]. https://www.turnitin.com/press/turnitin-expands-ai-writing-detection-to-support-arabic-language-submissions
- Turnitin. Arabic AI writing detection capabilities FAQ. https://guides.turnitin.com/hc/ar/articles/28477544839821
- University of Sharjah, College of Graduate Studies. (2024, May 22). Report of Turnitin for graduate students (circular No. 11, 2023–2024). https://www.sharjah.ac.ae/-/media/project/uos/sites/uos/graduate-studies/graduate-studies-documentation/report-of-turnitin-for-graduate-students.pdf
- Khalifa University. Graduate Catalog 2026–2027: Identification and analysis of plagiarism guidelines. https://ku-ae.smartcatalogiq.com/en/2026-2027/graduate-catalog/student-rights-and-responsibilities/plagiarism/identification-and-analysis-of-plagiarism-guidelines
- UAE University, College of Graduate Studies. Graduate student handbook 2023–2024. https://www.uaeu.ac.ae/en/cgs/graduate-student-handbook-2023-2024.pdf
- The British University in Dubai. Assessment regulations of doctoral degrees (5.2.1, Appendix H). https://www.buid.ac.ae/wp-content/uploads/2023/policy/5.2.1%20Assessment%20regulations%20of%20doctoral%20degrees.pdf; PG Handbook (September 2025): https://www.buid.ac.ae/wp-content/uploads/Handbooks/PG-Handbook.pdf
- American University of Sharjah. Graduate catalog 2025–2026. https://www.aus.edu/sites/default/files/gr_ctlg_2526_web_1.pdf
- Zayed University. Academic integrity. https://www.zu.ac.ae/main/en/student_affairs/Academic_Integrity/index; Student handbook 2022–2023: https://www.zu.ac.ae/main/files/images/enroll/Zayed-University-student-handbook-english.pdf
Want a second pair of eyes on your citations? Ask Labeeb AI. We review citation and referencing integrity and explain your own report with you. We never work to a score.