Turnitin accessibility statement

Turnitin is a centrally supported Computer Aided Assessments tool integrated with the Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs) at the University of Lancaster. 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.

Detailed Turnitin accessibility information

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

zoom in up to 200% without the text spilling off the screen
navigate most of the website using just a keyboard
navigate most of the website using speech recognition software
listen to most of the website using a screen reader

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.

AbilityNet has advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability.

How accessible this service is

We know some parts of this website are not fully accessible:

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

Please contact us if you have an accessibility query including:

If you need information on this website in a different format like accessible PDF, large print, easy read, audio recording or Braille.
If you are experiencing issues with accessing information or using Turnitin.
If you find an accessibility problem not listed on this statement.
If you have positive feedback on the accessibility considerations made.

We’ll consider your request/comment and get back to you as soon as possible.

Reporting accessibility problems with this website

We’re always looking to improve the accessibility of this website. If you find any problems not listed on this page or think we’re not meeting accessibility requirements, contact us to register your difficulty. This helps us improve our systems.

What to do if your problem isn’t dealt with satisfactory

If you have contacted us about an accessibility problem (e.g. because you needed information in a different format, or you think we're not meeting the requirements of the accessibility regulations) but you feel that this has not been dealt with satisfactorily we want to know.

The first stage would be to raise your concern informally. The aim of this stage is to achieve a quick and easy solution for you. It would be appropriate to take the concern through the relevant contact listed above for reporting an accessibility problem.

But if we do not deal with your concern satisfactorily you can take it through to a formal complaint. See our Concerns, complaints and enforcement information.

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, contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS).

Technical information about this websites accessibility

Lancaster University is committed to making its website 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 version 2.2 AA standard

Non-accessible content

The content listed below is non-accessible for the following reasons: Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations

Feedback studio

This will be the most commonly used part of Turnitin for staff and students as it displays the similarity report. The following non-compliances were found during testing:

Images of text

The main feedback studio page uses images of text to display the submitted document; this text cannot be read by screen reading software. This makes it difficult for staff and students to view the similarity report.

This is mitigated by the fact that a text only version of the document is available which is accessible to screen readers but can be difficult to navigate. A more accessible version of Feeback Studio is now available and we will be planning a roll out of this in the near future. (WCAG: 1.4.5)

Keyboard Navigation

Some of the page cannot be accessed by a keyboard. Some of the dialogue modals are not available using keyboard navigation and some content is not read out when using a screen reader, including the document details modal and the download options modal. (WCAG 2.1.1)

Reflow

When the browser is set to 200% zoom, some content in the right hand panel is not visible and cannot be accessed via scrolling.

Downloaded PDF content

Downloaded reports in PDF format are not fully accessible. The PDF is not tagged and is not accessible to screen readers. Adobe Acrobat will automatically fix this when opened and will automatically tag the document making it more accessible.

Turnitin UK website

Staff may occasionally have to use the Turnitin UK website to perform administrative task such as bulk upload of submissions in cases where they have not been automatically submitted via Moodle. The following non-compliances were found during testing:

Table heading scope

Table headers on some pages of the Turnitin UK website are missing the “scope” attribute, which will make is harder for those using assistive technology to know what the header refers to. (WCAG: 1.3.1)

Missing ARIA label IDs

Some elements may have missing ARIA label IDs which may make it difficult for users of assistive technologies to understand what those elements do. (WCAG: 1.3.1)

Duplicate IDs

The links used for choosing your language on the Turnitin UK website have duplicate IDs which can cause problems for assistive technologies when trying to interact with content. Tests show that user can select a language using a keyboard and screen reader. (WCAG: 4.1.1)

Text contrast

Some table headers do not contrast sufficiently with their backgrounds and may therefore be difficult to read for some users. Some buttons do not have sufficient colour contrast with the text contained within them. (WCAG: 1.4.3)

Keyboard Navigation

Some pages do not have a logical ordering when tabbing through the interactive elements which may be confusing, particularly if also using a screen reader. (WCAG 2.1.1)

Missing context for buttons

The edit and delete buttons on some pages do not give context when read by a screen reader and so anyone with visual impairment may not know which item is being deleted or edited. (WCAG 4.1.2)

Autorship

Authorship is used by departmental academic integrity officers to analyse the writing style of multiple submissions by a single student. Only a small subset of staff have access to this feature.

Text contrast

Some elements of the page do not have sufficient colour contrast. This is mainly the page header and links in the footer. (WCAG 1.4.3)

Page Language

The page does not have a default language specified which may affect any screen reader functionality. (WCAG 3.1.1)

Missing ARIA label IDs

Some elements may have missing ARIA label IDs or no discernible text which may make it difficult for users of assistive technologies to understand what those elements do. (WCAG: 4.1.2)

Resize Text and Reflow

When the browser zoom level is increased to 200%, some of the elements in the main section are no longer visible and cannot be accessed by scrolling. (WCAG 1.4.4 & WCAG 1.4.10)

Keyboard Navigation

Some collapsed section do not automatically expand when navigating to them with a keyboard so there is no visual indication of where the cursor is located on the page. Some menus cannot be closed using a keyboard input. (WC2.2.1)

What we’re doing to improve accessibility

We plan to release the new user interface for Feedback Studio within the next 12 months giving staff the option to switch. We will continue to work with the supplier, Turnitin, to address the accessibility issues highlighted and deliver a solution or suitable work around. As a Turnitin is a third party system we have limited ability to make any changes ourselves.

Preparation of this accessibility statement

This statement was prepared on 24 September 2024. It was last reviewed on 29th July 2025.

This website was last tested on 27th July 2025 against the WCAG 2.2 AA standard. The test was carried out by Lancaster University. A sample of pages were selected for testing based on the pages we would expect be most commonly used by staff and students, these were:

The feedback studio page that appears when either staff or students click through from Moodle (staff view and student view).
The new feedback studio user interface (not yet available to staff and students)
Turnitin UK website (staff view only – students will not be directed to these pages):
- Home page
- Class home page
- Assignment inbox
- Quick submit form
Turnitin Authorship

Pages were tested using automatic and assisted testing via Silktide Accessibility Checker, Axe DevTools and the Microsoft Accessibility Insights tool. Screen reader compatibility was tested using NVDA. Windows Voice Recognition software was used to test voice navigation.

Procedure

Test the website/service.
Write in title what application you are testing. *note* other subheading and text may need amending if the application you are testing isn’t a website. For example ‘Technical information about this websites accessibility’, ‘How accessible this website is’ and ‘This accessibility statement applies to ...’.
Using results write parts of the website/service that is inaccessible under the ‘how accessible this website is’.
Add contact information under ‘feedback and contact information’
Under ‘compliance status’ choose which statement best applies to the website/service and delete the other statements.
Under ‘non-compliance with the accessibility regulations’ select all the WCAG regulations that failed in the testing and delete the other regulations where the website/service has passed.
If some failed regulations fall under disproportionate burden under ‘disproportionate burden’ explain which WCAG regulations fall under this category and why. If there are no disproportionate burden, delete the subsection.
If the results show some accessibility issues that fall outside the scope of the accessibility regulation, you can add the issues and an explanation under ‘content that’s not within the scope of the accessibility regulations’. If there are no extra issues, delete the subsection.
Under ‘what we’re doing to improve accessibility’ explain actions that will be taking place in the future to attempt to improve/fix the accessibility issues found in the testing.
Also, within ‘what we’re doing to improve accessibility’ you can add an accessibility road map to show the order you’re planning to tackle the accessibility issues. This is optional but highly advised.
Under ‘preparation of this accessibility statement’ fill out the gaps within the statements provided. Add the date the statement was first published and last reviewed. Also add the date the website/service was last tested on and the name of the person/organisation that carried out the testing. An explanation for how you tested the website/service and decided on the sampling needs to also be added to this section.
Finally link to the full accessibility test report if it is publicly available.

WCAG A or AA level issues

1. Perceivable

Information and user interface components not presented to users in ways they can perceive.

1.1 Text Alternatives - application does not provide text alternatives for any non-text content.

1.1.1 Non-text Content - application does not include text alternatives for all non-text content.

1.2 Time-based Media - application does not provide alternatives for time-based media.

1.2.1 Audio-only and Video-only (Prerecorded) - application does not include alternatives to prerecorded audio or video.

1.2.2 Captions (Prerecorded) - application does not include captions for prerecorded audio or video.

1.2.3 Audio Description or Media Alternative (Prerecorded) - application does not include an audio description or alternative to prerecorded audio or video.

1.2.4 Captions (Live) - application does not include live audio captions.

1.2.5 Audio Description (Prerecorded) - application does not include audio descriptions in prerecorded media.

1.2.6 Sign Language (Prerecorded) - application does not provide sign language interpretation for prerecorded audio content in synchronised media.

1.2.7 Extended Audio Description (Prerecorded) - application does not provided extended audio description for all prerecorded video content in synchronised media.

1.2.8 Media Alternative (Prerecorded) - no alternative is provided for time-based media for all prerecorded synchronised media and for all prerecorded video-only media.

1.2.9 Audio-only (Live) - application does not provide an alternative for time-based media that presents equivalent information for live audio-only content is provided.

1.3 Adaptable - content cannot be presented in different ways without losing information or structure.

1.3.1 Info and Relationships -information structure is not conveyed in accessible markup.

1.3.2 Meaningful Sequence - application does not provide logical information structure or supplemental guide information for accessibility tools.

1.3.3 Sensory Characteristics - application does not provide textual guides in addition to sensory cues.

1.3.4 Orientation - application restricts display orientation.

1.3.5 Identify Input Purpose - application does not identify expected meanings for all form inputs through labels and other programmatic descriptors.

1.3.6 Identify Purpose - in content implemented using markup languages, the purpose of user interface components, icons and regions cannot be programmatically determined.

1.4 Distinguishable - application does not make it easy for users to see and hear content including separating foreground from background.

1.4.1 Use of Color - application does not provide textual guides in addition to colour cues.

1.4.2 Audio Control - application does not include controls to pause or stop audio that plays automatically.

1.4.3 Contrast (Minimum) - baseline application does not provide text with sufficient contrast. Theming tool does not provide sufficient contrast based on user-selected colours.

1.4.4 Resize text - application does not allow increasing size of text through standard mechanisms. Content layouts does not respond to adapt to increased text size.

1.4.5 Images of Text - applications do not use styled text instead of images of text. Logotypes that include text do not have a text-based alternative.

1.4.6 Contrast (Enhanced) - the visual presentation of text and images of text does not have a contrast ratio of at least 7:1.

1.4.7 Low or No Background Audio - for prerecorded audio-only content has loud background noise that cannot be turned off.

1.4.8 - Visual Presentation - for visual presentation of blocks of text, nothing Is available to achieve line spacing, selectable fore/background colours and width.

1.4.9 Images of Text (No Exception) - images of text are not used purely for decoration.

1.4.10 Reflow - baseline product does not include screens that scroll on both axes when viewport is limited.

1.4.11 Non-text Contrast - default theme does not provide a proper contrast ratio. Focus indicator is obscured.

1.4.12 Text Spacing - product does not support overriding text spacing.

1.4.13 Content on Hover or Focus - application does show/hide content on hover or focus events.

2. Operable

User interface components and navigation are not operable.

2.1 Keyboard Accessible - not all functionality is available from a keyboard.

2.1.1 Keyboard - application does not support keyboard operation and depends on specific timings of keystrokes.

2.1.2 No Keyboard Trap = application traps the users keyboard focus and requires the use of a mouse.

2.1.3 Keyboard (No Exception) - all functionality of content is not operable through a keyboard interface only.

2.1.4 Character Key Shortcuts - application includes single character keyboard shortcuts with no way of turning off or remapping.

2.2 Enough Time - application does not provide users enough time to read and use content.

2.2.1 Timing Adjustable - application does not allow extending session timeout. Administrator cannot configure longer session timeout as desired.

2.2.2 Pause, Stop, Hide - application does not include the ability to pause stop or hide any moving blinking or scrolling text.

2.2.3 No Timing - timing is an essential part of the event or activity presented by the content.

2.2.4 Interruptions - interruptions cannot be postponed or suppressed by the user.

2.2.5 Re-authenticating - when an authenticated session expires, the user cannot continue the activity without loss of data after re-authenticating.

2.2.6 Timeouts - users are not warned of the duration of any user inactivity that could cause data loss.

2.3 Seizures and Physical Reactions - content can cause seizures or physical reactions.

2.3.1 Three Flashes or Below Threshold - application includes flashing content.

2.3.2 Three Flashes - application contains content that flashes more than three times in any one second period.

2.3.3 Animation from Interactions - motion animated triggered by interaction cannot be disabled.

2.4 Navigable - application does not provide ways to help users navigate, find content and determine whether they are.

2.4.1 Bypass Blocks - application does not allow bypassing of repeated content.

2.4.2 Page Titled - application does not provide meaningful page titles.

2.4.3 Focus Order - application does not define semantic focus order.

2.4.4 Link Purpose (In Context) - link text or associated context does not describe purpose of link. In cases where link text is visual (e.g. arrows for next/previous) additional text is not provided to support accessibility tools.

2.4.5 Multiple Ways - application does not support menu-based navigation and searching for pages that are not a result of or steps in a process.

2.4.6 - Headings and Labels - application does not provide meaningful headings and labels.

2.4.7 Focus Visible - application does not provide visual indication of focus.

2.4.8 Location - information about the user’s location within a set of web pages Is not available.

2.4.9 Link Purpose (Link Only) - the purpose of each link cannot be identified from the text alone.

2.4.10 Section Headings - section headings are not used to organise the content.

2.5 Input Modalities - hard for users to operate functionality through various inputs beyond keyboard.

2.5.1 Pointer Gestures - application relies on path-based or multipoint gestures.

2.5.2 Pointer Cancellation - application replies on pointer down-events.

2.5.3 Label in Name - application does not include text labels in the accessible names.

2.5.4 Motion Actuation - application does not support motion-based events.

2.5.5 Target Size - the size of the target for pointer inputs is not at least 44 by 44 CSS pixels.

2.5.6 Concurrent Input Mechanisms - the web content restricts use of input modalities available on the platform.

3. Understandable

Information and the operation of user interface is not understandable.

3.1 Readable - text content is not readable or understandable.

3.1.1 Language of Page - the default human language of each page is not programmatically determined.

3.1.2 Language of Parts - baseline application does include content in mixed languages.

3.1.3 Unusual Words - there is no way for identifying specific definitions of words or phrases used in an usual or restricted way including idioms and jargon.

3.1.4 Abbreviations - there is no way for identifying the expanded form or meaning of abbreviation.

3.1.5 Reading Level - text requires reading ability more advances that lower secondary education level and no supplemental content or version is available.

3.1.6 Pronunciation - there is no way for identifying specific pronunciation of words where meaning of the words in context is ambiguous without knowing the pronunciation.

3.2 Predictable - web pages appear and operate in unpredictable ways.

3.2.1 On Focus - application changes page context on focus change.

3.2.2 On Input - application changes page context on input.

3.2.3 Consistent Navigation - repeated navigational mechanisms do not occur in the same relative order.

3.2.4 Consistent Identification - components with the same function are identified inconsistently.

3.2.5 Change on Request - no changes of context are available.

3.3 Input Assistance - no help for users to avoid and correct mistakes.

3.3.1 Error Identification - errors are not identified and are not described to user in text.

3.3.2 Labels or Instructions - application does not provide labels for fields that require user input. Additional instructions are not provided as needed.

3.3.3 Error Suggestion - application error does not provide guidance to correct missing required data and incorrect formats and values.

3.3.4 Error Prevention (Legal, Financial, Data) - application does not support confirmation or reversibility of actions.

3.3.5 Help - context sensitive help is not available.

3.3.6 Error Prevention (All) - for web pages that require the user to submit information, submissions are not reversible, are not checked for input errors and cannot be reviewed, confirmed or corrected.

4. Robust

Content is not robust enough that it can be interpreted by a wide variety of user agents including assistive technologies.

4.1 Compatible - compatibility is not maximised with current and future user agents including assistive technologies.

4.1.1 Parsing - application markup structure does not follow standards for complete tags and nesting.

4.1.2 Name, Role, Value - user interface component name and role are not made available to assistive technologies.

4.1.3 Status Messages - application does not use ARIA roles to identify status messages.