Using DirectSubmit to check submitted papers for plagiarism

DirectSubmit is part of the SafeAssign tool in Blackboard.  DirectSubmit allows instructors to submit students' papers to the SafeAssign database if the instructor does not make use of the SafeAssign dropbox, or if the student submitted an assignment via email.

Accessing DirectSubmit, Part 1

Image of the Control Panel with the following annotations: 1.Click on Course Tools.2.Select Safe Assign.

Log into Blackboard and go to the Control Panel.  

  1. Click on Course Tools.
  2. Select SafeAssign.

Accessing DirectSubmit Part 2

Image of the SafeAssign menu with Direct Submit outlined with a red circle.

You will now see a screen labeled SafeAssign.  On this screen, click on DirectSubmit.

Adding files to DirectSubmit Part 1

Image of the Private Direct Submit screen with instructions to click on the Submit a Paper button

You will see a screen that says Private Direct Submit.  To submit a student's paper, click on the Submit A Paper button

Adding files to DirectSubmit Part 2

Adding files to DirectSubmit Part 2

You will now see a screen similar to the one above labeled Paper Submission with the following options:

Submission Options: This section allows you to modify the options for running the plagiarism check:

  1. Submit as Draft: Selecting this option will check the item for plagiarism, but the paper will not be uploaded to the institutional database.
  2. Skip Plagiarism Checking: Selecting this option will not check the item for plagiarism, and will only upload the item to the institutional database.

File Upload: This section provides two methods for uploading a document for plagiarism checking:

  1. Upload File: Select upload file to upload a file saved on your computer.  Click the Browse button to upload the file.  The supported file types are .zip, .doc, .docx, .txt, .rtf, .odt, .pdf, and .html.
  2. Copy/Paste Document: Select this option to copy and paste the document.  Enter the document name and text in the spaces provided.
  3. When finished, click the Submit button to upload the document.

The document will now be added to SafeAssign, and the SafeAssign report can be accessed through DirectSubmit.  

Note: Results will not appear immediately, so you may need to wait some time for a report to be generated.