: A password-like string that allows students to join a specific Turnitin class. This key is intended to be shared only with enrolled students.

If you're looking to integrate Turnitin with GitHub, you can use the Turnitin API to automate the process of checking assignments for plagiarism. Here's an example of how to use the Turnitin API with GitHub:

Conclusion Class IDs and enrollment keys are simple, functional tools for managing Turnitin course enrollment, but when treated casually they can undermine academic integrity and student privacy. Publicly posting them—intentionally or accidentally—creates clear risks: unauthorized enrollments, potential cheating, and privacy exposure. Instructors, course staff, and developers should treat these values as sensitive credentials: avoid committing them to public repositories, use placeholders for examples, share through authenticated channels, rotate keys when needed, and use institutional authentication mechanisms where possible. If exposure occurs, act quickly to remove the data, rotate keys, and notify the appropriate parties.

Instructors often change keys once a semester ends.

Cybercriminals know that stressed students are careless. Some GitHub repos with enticing names like "turnitin-bypass" or "class-id-collection" contain executable files, browser extensions, or scripts. Once downloaded, these can:

Here is what you actually find when you visit these repositories: