The error message "Your submission must contain 20 words or more" indicates that the file you are attempting to submit does not meet the minimum requirement of 20 words of extractable text.
This commonly occurs when the submitted document does not contain enough extractable text. For example, the file may consist primarily of images rather than selectable text, or it may contain fewer than 20 words. Turnitin requires extractable text to process a submission successfully so that a Similarity Report can be generated.
Unsupported file types
Turnitin does not accept the following types of files for assignments set to "allow only file types that Turnitin can check for similarity":
- PDF image files
- Forms or portfolios
- Files that do not contain extractable text (for example, scanned documents)
- Documents containing multiple files
To help ensure successful processing, create PDF files using Adobe Acrobat or Microsoft Word. PDF files generated by other applications may not always be processed successfully.
How to resolve
Before submitting your document again:
- Check that your document contains extractable text: Try highlighting the text in your document and copying and pasting it into another application. If you cannot select or copy the text, the document may contain images instead of extractable text.
- Confirm that your file meets Turnitin's submission requirements: Ensure that your document is saved in a supported file type and contains at least 20 words of extractable text.
For more information about supported file types and submission requirements, see File requirements for accepting submissions in Turnitin.