The Originality Index indicates the level of originality concerns found within a document. It helps highlight how much of the content may require closer review, either by showing a percentage or by assigning a risk label such as Low, Medium, or High. This makes it easier for educators to quickly understand the originality status of a submission.
1. Originality Index Calculation
The Originality Index is calculated based on the number of sentences highlighted in the Summary View of the Originality Report.
To illustrate, consider a document composed of 10 sentences, each weighted equally at 10%.
If a sentence is flagged or highlighted for any issue detected in the originality check, it will contribute 10% to the document’s Originality Index.
If a sentence is flagged for multiple issues, it will still count only once, accounting for 10% of the overall index regardless of the number of findings.
It is important to note that certain elements, such as images used in place of text and metadata analysis results, are excluded from the Originality Index calculation.
In summary, the Originality Index is calculated based on the number of sentences flagged for issues and the proportional weight each flagged sentence contributes to the overall assessment of the document.
2. Display Settings Impact
By default, Inspera Originality uses predefined percentage thresholds to determine which classification (High, Medium, or Low risk) applies to a document’s score.
- 0-20% - Document classified as Low Risk
- 20-80% - Document classified as Medium Risk
- 80-100% - Document classified as High Risk
However, administrators can override these defaults and set their own preferred thresholds in the institutional settings.
In terms of how Originality Scores appear within Originality Reports, the platform offers the following display options, which also affect how the Originality Index is shown.
For example, based on the default threshold, if a document’s score falls between 0–20%, it is considered low risk.
The approach outlined below also applies for documents noted as High or Medium Risk.
When displayed as a percentage, the report shows the exact value (e.g., 6.16%) with a green background and an accompanying information text explaining the score.
When displayed as a risk label, it shows "Low Risk" with the same green background along with the same information text to provide context.
When displayed as a none, the originality index is effectively disabled. The purpose of this option is to allow for an unbiased evaluation experience by not providing any indications beforehand.