Last updated on 12 February 2025
Plagscan is an online solution for detect plagiarism and check the originality of the texts you will submit to it. Suffice to say that it is a tool that some of your students will not like. Don't like it at all.
Especially since Plagscan is extremely effective. It is arguably one of the most effective in this area.
The use is relatively simple and practical. Simply upload the files you want to control in Word or PDF format or simply copy and paste text. You can upload multiple documents at once and even a Zip file with a whole series of documents.
Then all you have to do is press the scan button. Plagscan will launch its search engine and algorithms and analyze the submitted document(s). This takes more or less time depending on the weight of the files and the length of the documents. This can take up to several hours for a large manuscript, for example.
The wait is worth it. The report produced by Plagscan is particularly comprehensive and detailed. It can be consulted online or downloaded in different formats. The latter displays a lot of useful information to allow you to judge the originality of the document and, if necessary, the level of plagiarism. Green, Yellow, Red … three colors to alert you according to the case. The most impressive is Plagsacan’s ability to detect and highlight all doubtful passages in the text, indicating for each of them the source. Also practical, the tool offers a navigation system that makes it possible to go from one passage at issue to another with a simple click without having to browse the document to find them.
Another interesting option, Plagscan makes it possible to compare a questionable passage with the supposed source on the same screen. This will make it easier for you to judge the sincerity of using the source.
Plagscan relies mainly on the web to carry out its analyses, it also maintains an important internal database with the texts submitted to it (if you agree to participate). No software to download, Plagscan can be used online from a simple browser.
I was telling you when starting some students will not like Plagscan which can be used in many situations. It can thus be used to check a scientific publication for example, an editorial project, a dissertation or even a small smart option to know if your students have not copied between them … Indeed when you submit several documents to Plagscan, the latter will also check if they are not plagiarising with each other!
>>> Complete list and update of tools to detect plagiarism
Plagscan offers a somewhat complex tariff schedule. You can buy credits for occasional use or opt for an annual subscription. The service offers bundled subscriptions for an entire establishment: high school, university or training centre, the price of which will vary according to the number of students. It will cost you for example 199 EUR per year for an institution with 500 students.
Link: Plagscan
English
Plagscan is cheap because its database does not contain/is not connected to major publishers’ online journal platforms. It is a blind spot that I feel is very likely to prevent Plagscan from being used for Master’s and PhD work.