MinerAlert
MinerAlert
Last updated May, 2026
Blackboard’s SafeAssign is a tool used to prevent plagiarism and to create opportunities to help students identify where to properly attribute sources. It is effective as both a deterrent and an educational tool by comparing submitted assignments against a set of sources to identify areas of overlap between the submitted assignment and existing works.
SafeAssign is based on a unique text-matching algorithm capable of detecting exact and inexact matching between a paper and source material. Submissions are compared against the Internet, the ProQuest ABI/Inform database, the Institutional document archives, and the Global Reference Database.
• Integrated with Blackboard Ultra.
• Fully automated tool helps prevent academic dishonesty and plagiarism.
• Promotes originality.
• Can only check against digitized materials.
• English is supported, but it can be used with other languages.
Is there a file size limit for SafeAssign uploads?
Yes, SafeAssign will generate reports for files up to 25MB. Anything that goes over that size may need to be submitted in parts in order to get an originality report.
Can I create group assignments using SafeAssign?
Yes, the report will be linked to each individual student when viewing it in the Grade Center.
Can I dismiss flagged content in a SafeAssign report?
Yes. In the originality report, locate the flagged text by its color and number, find the matching source in the source list, and select Dismiss (the circle with a line through it). The dismissed content will no longer be considered in the report.
Can students submit an assignment more than once?
Yes, SafeAssign recognizes multiple submissions for the same assignment and does not compare a student’s submissions against each other.
Can I enable SafeAssign after students have already submitted work?
Yes, however, any submissions that were done before it was enabled will not have a report generated for them. If this happens, we recommend using DirectSubmit for the students who submitted before SafeAssign was enabled.
Do submissions have to be added to the Institutional and Global Databases?
No. You can prevent this by selecting Exclude submissions from the Institutional and Global Reference Databases in the assignment’s SafeAssign settings. You will still receive an originality report, but submissions will not be stored in the databases.
If you have any questions or need further assistance, contact us at ¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ Technology Support.
¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ Library Room 300
ts.utep.edu
915-747-4357