Turnitin, LLC

Turnitin, LLC is an American technology company founded in 1996 by John Barrie and Christian Storm, two doctoral candidates at UC Berkeley who developed anti-plagiarism software to address the high levels of plagiarism observed in undergraduate papers. The software uses advanced pattern recognition algorithms to detect similarities in submitted documents against a vast database and online sources, helping academic institutions maintain integrity in student work.

Headquartered in Oakland, California, Turnitin has grown significantly since its foundation, expanding its services beyond plagiarism detection to include tools that help students improve their writing by highlighting well-written sections and areas needing better support or citation. The company integrates artificial intelligence and a robust database of scored student essays to provide detailed feedback.

Turnitin operates globally and, as of 2025, licenses its services to over 16,000 universities and high schools, serving more than 71 million students worldwide. It is supported in the UK by JISC and partners with several resellers in Europe. The company has expanded through strategic acquisitions, including VeriCite in 2018, Unicheck in 2020, and Ouriginal in 2021, solidifying its position in the plagiarism detection and academic integrity market.

In March 2019, Turnitin, LLC was acquired by Advance Publications for approximately $1.75 billion, further enabling its growth and innovation. Recent developments include the launch of AI writing detection capabilities and expansion into assessment platforms through the acquisition of ExamSoft, reflecting its commitment to serving the education community through continuous technological innovation.

Turnitin’s mission centers on the belief that education can transform lives, and the company strives to support educators and students in fostering academic integrity and improving writing skills through its technology solutions.