Plagiarism & Originality Checking

How It Works

Two Detection Methods

Method 1: Copyscape (Preferred)

• Full-text plagiarism analysis
• Checks entire article against web content
• Most accurate duplicate detection
• Configure in Settings → Integrations → Copyscape

Method 2: Fingerprint Search (Fallback)

• Extracts 5-15 "fingerprint" sentences (unique phrases with numbers, proper nouns, technical terms)
• Searches each against the web for matches
• Uses n-gram matching to detect similarity
• Automatically used if Copyscape is not configured

What Gets Detected

Exact matches (85%+ similarity): Word-for-word copies High similarity (65-84%): Minor paraphrasing Partial matches (45-64%): Shared phrases or concepts

Excluded sources: Pinterest, Quora, Reddit, Medium, news aggregators (common false positives)

Score Interpretation

Originality Score (0-100, higher = better)

| Score | Rating | Meaning | Action |
|-------|--------|---------|--------|
| 90-100 | Excellent | Highly original | Safe to publish |
| 70-89 | Good | Mostly original | Review flagged sentences |
| 50-69 | Concern | Significant overlap | Manual review required |
| 0-49 | Poor | Likely plagiarized | Regenerate content |

Plagiarism Percentage

Shows what % of your content potentially matches existing sources. Calculated from:

• Exact matches: Full sentence word count
• High similarity: 70% of sentence word count
• Partial matches: 40% of sentence word count

Using the Dashboard

Access

Navigate to Content Hub → Originality Dashboard

Dashboard Sections

Summary Stats

• Total articles checked
• Average originality score
• Flagged content count (below threshold)
• Excellent content count (90%+ score)

Score Distribution Chart

• Excellent: 90-100 score
• Good: 70-89 score
• Concern: 50-69 score
• Poor: 0-49 score

Recent Checks: Last 20 checks with scores and timestamps

Flagged Content: Articles below threshold, sorted by worst score first

Unchecked Content: Count of published articles not yet checked

Checking Content

Manual Check (Single Article)

1. Open article in Content Hub
2. Click "Check Originality" button
3. Wait 30-60 seconds
4. Review results in originality panel

Bulk Check (All Unchecked)

1. Go to Originality Dashboard
2. Click "Check All Unchecked Content"
3. System queues up to 50 articles at once
4. Remaining articles queued in subsequent batches

Bulk Check (Selected Articles)

1. Go to Content Hub list view
2. Select checkboxes for articles to check
3. Click "Check Originality" in bulk actions menu
4. System queues selected articles (max 50)

Auto-Check on Publish

Enable in Settings: Automatically checks every new article after generation

When it runs: After content generation completes, before you see the article

Result: Originality panel displays immediately when you view content

Understanding Results

Flagged Sentences

When matches are found, you'll see:

Sentence from your article: The text that matched elsewhere

Match sources: URLs where similar content was found

• Source URL
• Page title
• Snippet showing the match
• Similarity percentage (how close the match is)

Match type badge:

• Red "Exact": 85%+ similarity
• Yellow "High": 65-84% similarity
• Gray "Partial": 45-64% similarity

Multiple Sources for Same Sentence

If the same sentence matches multiple websites, sources are grouped together under one sentence. This shows when:

• Your content was scraped/republished elsewhere
• The sentence is a common industry phrase
• Multiple sites copied the same original source

No Results

Score: 100, Plagiarism: 0% means:

• No matching content found on the web
• Article is unique
• Safe to publish without concerns

Settings

Minimum Score Threshold

Default: 70.0

Articles below this score appear in "Flagged Content" section. Adjust based on your quality standards:

• 80+: Strict originality requirements
• 70: Balanced (recommended)
• 60: More lenient (allows some overlap)

Sentences to Check (Fingerprint Method Only)

Default: 7 sentences

Range: 5-10 sentences

More sentences = higher cost but better coverage. 7 sentences typically covers 40-60% of article.

Auto-Check on Publish

Default: Enabled

When enabled, every generated article automatically runs originality check. Disable to manually control when checks run (saves API costs).

Excluded Domains

Purpose: Ignore matches from specific domains

Common exclusions:

• Your own website (if republishing elsewhere)
• Partner sites (authorized to use your content)
• Aggregator sites you contribute to

Format: Comma-separated list (e.g., example.com, partner.com, mybrand.com)

Automation Schedule

Copyscape Balance Check

Runs: Daily at 3:00 AM UTC

Purpose: Monitors your Copyscape API credit balance

What it does:

• Queries Copyscape API for current credit balance
• Records balance in your account metrics
• Triggers low balance alert if credits fall below threshold

On-Demand Plagiarism Checks

Runs: Immediately when content is generated (if auto-check enabled)

Trigger: Content generation completion

What happens:

1. Article generation completes
2. Plagiarism check task automatically queued
3. Results available within 30-60 seconds
4. Originality score displayed on article view

Batch Plagiarism Scan

Purpose: Check existing content library for originality

How to schedule:

1. Go to Originality Dashboard
2. Click "Check All Unchecked Content"
3. System processes up to 50 articles per batch
4. Subsequent batches queue automatically

Best practice: Run monthly batch scans to detect if your content was copied elsewhere

Low Balance Alerts

Trigger: Copyscape credits fall below configured threshold

Default threshold: 100 credits

Alert delivery: Email notification to account owner

Alert includes:

• Current credit balance
• Estimated checks remaining
• Link to add more credits

To adjust threshold: Settings → Integrations → Copyscape → Low Balance Alert Threshold

Tips for Efficient Usage

1. Use fingerprint method for drafts: Quick checks during editing
2. Switch to Copyscape for final check: Most accurate before publishing
3. Disable auto-check: Manually check only important articles
4. Increase threshold: Check fewer articles by raising minimum score
5. Exclude short content: Skip checking articles under 500 words

Interpreting Common Scenarios

High Score, Few Matches

Score: 85, Matches: 2 partial

Meaning: Mostly original with some common phrases

Action: Review the 2 matches. If they're generic industry terms, safe to publish.

Low Score, Many Matches

Score: 45, Matches: 8 exact, 3 high

Meaning: Significant content overlap

Action: Regenerate article or manually rewrite flagged sections.

Medium Score, One Exact Match

Score: 65, Matches: 1 exact

Meaning: One problematic sentence, rest is original

Action: Rewrite the exact match sentence and republish.

Aggregator False Positives

Match: Pinterest, Reddit, Quora showing your content

Meaning: Your content was shared/scraped to these sites

Action: These are automatically excluded. If still appearing, add domain to exclusion list.

When to Recheck

After manual edits: Always recheck after rewriting flagged sections

Before republishing: If content was flagged, edited, and you want to verify improvement

Periodic audits: Bulk check all published content quarterly to detect if others copied you

After regeneration: If AI regenerates content, score may improve significantly

Troubleshooting

"Content Too Short" Error

Cause: Article under 50 words (fingerprint) or 15 words (Copyscape)

Fix: Only check articles with substantial content (500+ words recommended)

"No API Configured" Error

Cause: Plagiarism checking is not yet configured

Fix: Configure Copyscape in Settings → Integrations → Copyscape. If you don't have a Copyscape account, the fingerprint method will be used automatically once your account is fully set up.

Check Stuck in "Checking" Status

Cause: Temporary processing delay

Fix: Wait 5 minutes. If still stuck, force recheck by clicking "Check Originality" again

All Matches from News Sites

Cause: Article covers breaking news that multiple outlets reported

Meaning: Not plagiarism—shared news sources

Action: Lower concern if matches are all news sites covering the same event

Score Dropped After Editing

Cause: Edits introduced content from another source

Action: Review new sections added during editing. Check if you copied reference material without paraphrasing.

Best Practices

1. Check before publishing: Run originality check on all articles before they go live
2. Review flagged sentences: Don't just look at the score—read what matched
3. Rewrite exact matches: Any 85%+ match should be rewritten
4. Exclude your own sites: Add your domains to exclusion list to avoid self-flagging
5. Document false positives: If certain phrases always flag (industry terms), note them for future reference
6. Regenerate low scores: Articles under 60 score are usually faster to regenerate than manually fix
7. Check old content: Run bulk checks on existing content library to identify risks

Integration with Content Workflow

Article Generation Flow

1. Generate article from brief
2. Auto-check runs (if enabled)
3. Review article + originality results simultaneously
4. Edit if needed, recheck
5. Publish when score acceptable

Content Quality + Originality

Both systems work together:

• Quality grading: Checks writing quality, structure, SEO
• Originality checking: Ensures content is unique

Run both before publishing for complete content validation.

Questions? Email support@illixis.io or ask Maya (bottom-right chat icon).