The Stanford University Libraries, in partnership with the Office of the Provost and the Vice Provost and Dean of Research, recently introduced iThenticate, a web-based service that compares manuscripts, grant proposals, and other scholarly writing against an extensive database of published content in order to highlight originality concerns and inclusion of AI-generated text.

Support for Stanford’s iThenticate service is coordinated by the Office of Scholarly Communications, a unit of the Libraries offering guidance on the complexities of academic publishing. “As the Office of Scholarly Communications endeavors to facilitate the sharing of Stanford scholarship and maximize the impact of the university’s research, iThenticate is a natural addition to its suite of services,” said Rochelle Lundy, the office’s director. “Using iThenticate to screen manuscripts in advance of distribution can reduce uncertainty in the publication process and enable Stanford authors to share their work with confidence.”

Stanford researchers can use iThenticate to proactively review their content for potentially inappropriate duplication and citation practices. As iThenticate is the same tool utilized by most scholarly publishers and funding agencies to screen submissions, employing it prior to external distribution allows Stanford researchers to identify common issues, such as inadvertent omission of a reference, that can delay publication or raise questions of plagiarism when text is shared.

iThenticate also detects word patterns characteristic of AI-generated text and flags content that may have been created by a chatbot or large language model. As recently reported by the AI at Stanford Advisory Committee, AI is rapidly changing the scholarly communication landscape and publishers and funding agencies are shifting their submission policies to limit or require affirmative disclosure of AI usage in academic writing. The Advisory Committee recently announced the new iThenticate service to the Faculty Senate, explaining that it allows Stanford authors to understand how their submissions may intersect with evolving AI restrictions.

“iThenticate is a valuable research integrity tool for Stanford faculty evaluating their publishing options,” said University Librarian Michael A. Keller. “The Libraries’ Office of Scholarly Communications provides support for researchers throughout the publication process, enabling Stanford authors to make informed decisions about how best to share their work.”

Stanford researchers can access iThenticate using their SUNet ID. For more information about iThenticate, visit the Stanford University Libraries’ iThenticate website. Questions or requests for iThenticate assistance or training sessions may be sent by email to ithenticate@lists.stanford.edu.