Does the SFU Turnitin license also cover use by SFU staff and SFU prospective students?

No, only persons registered in an SFU course can use the Turnitin site license.

Can I submit a paper to Turnitin myself?

No, our license with Turnitin only covers instructional use, not instructors submitting papers. You can also not submit student papers yourself to Turnitin as this contravenes the Turnitin privacy policy.

Is there an email acknowledgment after submitting a paper so that a student can use the email as proof of submission?

Yes, once a paper is submitted, a paper ID number is generated on screen. The student can write down this number or print the screen. An email is also sent to the student (see the Turnitin training video: Submitting a paper).

Can the cover page be excluded from originality checking? Or can a certain page be excluded?

No, the entire paper is scanned. However there are options in the report to exclude specific matches or quoted material.

Is there a Web form to ensure the same format is used for all submitted papers? If not, how can I make sure that the submitted papers have the desired format?

There is no Web form, however Turnitin accepts multiple formats including MS Word, WordPerfect, RTF, PDF (text), PostScript, HTML and plain text (.txt). It also allows for a copy and paste window for any other format.

Can you use Turnitin for thesis or academic dissertations?

Unfortunately that use is not covered by our turnitin license. Here are 2 resources for you to pay to check your papers: enago or ithenticate