How to Create a Website for Plagiarism-Checking of Assignments using Node.js

In this comprehensive guide, we will walk you through the process of building a robust plagiarism-checking website using Node.js. You'll learn how to create an efficient platform where users can effortlessly submit their assignments and conduct plagiarism checks. By following this step-by-step guide, you'll not only build a basic version but also gain valuable insights into the foundational concepts of developing such a system, setting you on the path to creating advanced, feature-rich plagiarism detection solutions tailored to your specific needs.

Developing a Node.js Assignment Plagiarism-Checker

Discover how to create a website where users can seamlessly submit assignments and check for plagiarism, empowering you with the knowledge to complete your web development assignment. This comprehensive step-by-step guide covers project setup, dependencies installation, and creating the core of your plagiarism-checking platform using Node.js. By following these instructions, you'll not only accomplish your web development tasks but also enhance your understanding of web application development.

Prerequisites

Before diving into the development process, ensure you have Node.js and npm (Node Package Manager) installed on your system. You can download them from the official Node.js website and verify the installation by running node -v and npm -v in your terminal.

Step 1: Project Setup

Set up the project directory:Create a new folder to contain your project files. This directory will serve as the workspace for your plagiarism-checking website.

```bash mkdir plagiarism-checker cd plagiarism-checker ```

Initialize the project with npm: Run npm init -y to create a package.json file. This file will store project metadata and dependencies information.

```bash npm init -y ```

Step 2: Installing Dependencies

To ensure your project runs smoothly, you need to install essential packages. Execute npm install express multer string-similarity to install Express.js for the web server, multer for handling file uploads, and string-similarity for basic plagiarism checks.

```bash npm install express multer string-similarity ```

Step 3: Setting Up the Express.js Application

In this step, we'll create the core of our plagiarism-checking website using Express.js. The provided code in app.js sets up a server, handles file uploads, and performs plagiarism checks using a similarity algorithm. Ensure you understand the code structure and how it functions to customize it as needed.

```javascript // app.js const express = require('express'); const multer = require('multer'); const stringSimilarity = require('string-similarity'); const app = express(); const port = 3000; // Middleware for handling file uploads const upload = multer({ dest: 'uploads/' }); // Serve HTML for the file submission form app.get('/', (req, res) => { res.sendFile(__dirname + '/index.html'); }); // Handle file uploads and check for plagiarism app.post('/upload', upload.single('file'), (req, res) => { // Read the uploaded file content const uploadedText = req.file.buffer.toString(); // Simulated database of previously submitted assignments const assignments = ['assignment1', 'assignment2', 'assignment3']; // Calculate similarity between the uploaded text and stored assignments const similarities = assignments.map((assignment) => ({ assignment, similarity: stringSimilarity.compareTwoStrings(uploadedText, assignment), })); // Sort assignments by similarity similarities.sort((a, b) => b.similarity - a.similarity); // Render the result page res.send(`Plagiarism Check Results: ${JSON.stringify(similarities, null, 2)}`); }); app.listen(port, () => { console.log(`Server is running on http://localhost:${port}`); }); ```

Step 4: Creating the HTML Form

This step involves building the user interface for submitting assignments. The index.html file contains a basic HTML form where users can select and upload their assignment files in .txt format. You can further enhance this form with additional features and styling to improve the user experience.

```html < !-- index.html --> < !DOCTYPE html> < html lang="en"> < head> < meta charset="UTF-8"> < meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0"> < title>Assignment Plagiarism Checker < /head> < body> < h1>Assignment Plagiarism Checker < form action="/upload" method="POST" enctype="multipart/form-data"> < input type="file" name="file" accept=".txt"> < input type="submit" value="Check for Plagiarism"> < /form> < /body> < /html> ```

Step 5: Running the Application

To see your plagiarism-checking website in action, run the Node.js application using node app.js. This will start a server, and your website will be accessible locally at http://localhost:3000. You can test the file submission and plagiarism-checking functionality. Remember that this is a foundational step, and you can expand and customize your website to meet your specific requirements in the future.

Your application will be accessible at http://localhost:3000 in your web browser.

```bash node app.js ```

Conclusion

You've accomplished the creation of a fundamental system that enables users to submit assignments and conduct plagiarism checks using Node.js. However, this marks just the initial phase of your project. In a real-world context, it's crucial to prioritize further enhancements such as bolstering system security, integrating databases for efficient data management, implementing robust user authentication, and exploring advanced plagiarism detection algorithms to transform your platform into a comprehensive and dependable plagiarism-checking solution.