Cross Country

Take a breath — 12% similarity is usually not a disaster. A similarity score doesn’t automatically mean plagiarism; it often includes properly cited quotes, common phrases, or reference lists. Most universities set concern thresholds much higher (often 20–25%+), and even then, context matters more than the raw number. What instructors look at is where the matches occur and whether sources are cited correctly. Zero percent isn’t realistic in academic writing. This guide on ai percentage explains what similarity scores actually mean and what’s typically acceptable.