There are a number of customisation options for your browser and device that could help you use Turnitin and other websites more effectively.
AbilityNet provide advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability.
Explore some of our recommendations for tools that can make your online experience better.
Feedback and contact information
Please contact us if you have an accessibility query including:
- 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.
When you contact us there is a process in place that will acknowledge your contact, tell you who is dealing with it and give you a timescale by which you can expect a reply.
Alternative formats
We have designed our content to be as accessible as possible by providing maximum personalisation. If you still experience barriers, you can request alternative formats.
For more information please contact us.
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.
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 website’s accessibility
The University of Kent is committed to making its website and associated subdomains accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.
Compliance Status
Turnitin is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1 AA standard, due to the non-compliances and exemptions listed below.
Non-accessible content
We formally test the accessibility of key user journeys that represent the breadth of content across our website on a regular basis against WCAG 2.1 AA standards.
Some parts of the website may not work for everyone. Below are known issues that we either need to fix, cannot fix, or do not need to fix right now.
If you find something that does not work that we missed, remember to contact us.
The content listed below is non-accessible for the following reasons.
Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations
This section covers issues that we need to fix and are working to do so.
Turnitin is a third-party platform which means that some aspects of its accessibility are outside of our immediate control. The Accessibility Standards Compliance information provided by Turnitin identifies reported issues with Turnitin accessibility.
We list below further areas within Turnitin that we know are not fully accessible. We plan to fix or provide alternatives for all issues that we are made aware of alongside our periodic internal testing and auditing processes:
Issues with focus indicator
Some elements may not always display effective focus indication. This makes it difficult for navigation with keyboard (WCAG: 2.4.7).
The website’s language is not specified
The website does not have a language specified. The HTML tag’s is missing the ‘lang’ attribute. This can cause issues for the accuracy of screen reader applications (WCAG: 3.1.1).
Focus does not move to or stay within modals
When modal windows are opened, focus does not always shift to the modal. Some modals do not trap keyboard focus thus when tabbing via keyboard, the focus jumps to the page outside the modal with screen reader (WCAG: 1.3.2 and 2.4.3).
Links and buttons missing a role attribute
Some links and buttons do not have an appropriate role attribute to define their purpose (WCAG: 4.1.2).
Actions cannot be completed by keyboard input alone
Some of the elements cannot be accessed by a keyboard. There are several actions that cannot be completed without using a mouse. In some instances, an alternative view or workflow option is available such as a text only view in the Feedback Studio.
If you require support accessing functionality that does not work with a keyboard, please contact us (WCAG: 2.1.1).
Form labels
A few of the form elements are missing labels which explain the type of content to type and fields which are required are missing an appropriate ARIA label (WCAG: 3.3.2).
Page structure missing landmarks
Some of the pages have elements which are not contained in appropriate landmarks such as ARIA labels and HTML 5 tags (WCAG: 1.3.1).
Mislabelled elements or missing labels
Some of the user interface elements, such as buttons and headings, do not have appropriate labels that define their roles. This includes labels which do not match the purpose and elements which do not have a label. (WCAG: 4.1.2).
Zooming and Scaling is disabled
Some of the elements are locked to a fixed display and have had the ability to zoom and scale disabled in the HTML code (WCAG: 1.4.4).
Headers
Some of the page content is styled to look like a header, however it is not identified as a header with an appropriate HTML 5 tag (WCAG: 1.3.1).
Frames missing titles
Some IFrames used do not have an appropriate title attribute to identify the element (WCAG: 4.1.2).
Contrast Issues
Some of the menus and elements have low contrast between the text or icons and its background. This can cause the text to be difficult to read, especially for those with low vision, poor eyesight, or colour blindness.
Turnitin is developed by a third party thus the issues with the colour contrast are part of the Turnitin platform that we cannot control (WCAG: 1.4.3).
Non-reflowing content
Some of the content does not reflow when magnified.
This impacts on users who need to use magnification as the content does not display in a single column but spills off the screen and requires horizontal scrolling. This includes text content. (WCAG: 1.4.10)
Issues with displaying textual content
Some of the text is particularly small which makes it difficult to read. It also does not fit into the containing text boxes which means that it cannot be fully read.
This issue is impacted by other issues including the text is image only, has poor contrast and cannot be resized or accessed by screen reader software (WCAG: 1.4.5).
Buttons which are image only icons
Some of the buttons are rendered only as images and icons and do not not feature text. These do not have accompanying accessible name attributes. This makes it difficult to identify the purpose of the button (WCAG: 1.1.1, 4.1.2).
Keyboard tabbing order
The keyboard tabbing order does not match the visual layout of the page. This means that navigating through the page can have issues such as elements appearing out of sequence or appearing to be skipped (WCAG: 2.4.3).
Use of colour to distinguish content
In the plagiarism identifying tool, colour is used to define the relationship between elements. The tool renders sections of text in the document that are plagiarism in different text colours. It also lists the names of sources where the material has been plagiarised from.
The relationship between the relevant section of text and the item in the list of sources is denoted by these being displayed in the same colour (WCAG: 1.4.1).
Disproportionate burden
This section covers issues that we cannot fix right now. We’ve assessed the cost of fixing these issues but believe that doing so would be a disproportionate burden within the meaning of the law.
Not applicable.
Content that’s not within the scope of the accessibility regulations
This section covers issues that we do not need to fix right now. The law calls these exemptions.
Not applicable.
Third-party content
Turnitin contains third-party content. We do not have control over and are not responsible for the accessibility of some of this content, but we make best endeavours to work with the third party to improve its accessibility.
The Turnitin accessibility page outlines the accessibility features of their products.
To help accessibility compliance across the sector, the University of Kent supports searchBOX, a centralised, independent directory of third-party accessibility information.
searchBOX catalogues the contact information and accessibility statements of third-party suppliers, enables the sharing of community-generated accessibility statements, and allows users to map their supplier ecosystem.
Users can access third-party accessibility statements using the free searchBOX Finder service.
The University of Kent encourages all our partners and suppliers to support this effort by ensuring that their accessibility information is included in the searchBOX directory.
Preparation of this accessibility statement
This statement was prepared on 28 April 2020. It was last reviewed on 12 April 2022.
This website was last tested on 26 April 2020. The test was carried out by University of Kent.