Platform Usage, Document Rules & Policy
Last Updated: October 2026 • Please review these guidelines before submitting documents or purchasing scan slot packages.
Essential Submission Summary
Document Word Count & Analysis Rules
To ensure high-precision similarity detection and accurate AI classification, all uploaded manuscripts must adhere to the following word count parameters:
- AI Writing Detection: Documents must contain a minimum of 300 words and a maximum of 30,000 words. Turnitin's neural network classifiers require at least 300 words of standard prose to establish statistical confidence. Documents below 300 words will receive plagiarism checking, but AI detection may return inconclusive or zero metrics.
- Plagiarism & Similarity Scanning: Comprehensive web and academic database cross-checking is supported for manuscripts containing up to 50,000 words per document.
- One Document Per Scan: Each slot deduction or single payment entitles the user to one (1) document submission.
Supported File Formats & Recommendations
Our ingestion servers accept the following file formats up to 30MB in size:
These formats preserve vector formatting, text layout, and deliver the fastest Turnitin turnaround without encoding glitches.
Legacy binary .doc files may occasionally fail server-side text extraction or cause upstream timeout errors. We strongly advise saving legacy files as .docx or exporting to .pdf prior to upload.
Zero-Repository Guarantee & Academic Confidentiality
The Samaritan Scholars operates strictly in Non-Repository Mode:
- No Institutional Database Storage: Your manuscript is never added to Turnitin's standard global repository or institutional databases. This guarantees that subsequent submissions to your university or tutor will not trigger a 100% false-positive self-plagiarism match.
- Automated 5-Day Purge: Uploaded source files and generated report PDFs are permanently deleted from our local storage disks after 5 days. You can also manually purge your files at any time via your tracker page.
- Permanent Record Security: Transaction references, timestamps, and credit audit ledgers remain permanently preserved in your portal for account reconciliation.
Refund Policy & Slot Re-Credit Guarantee
Because our services involve immediate automated digital processing, cloud infrastructure provisioning, and upstream API calls, the following refund rules apply strictly:
Once an M-Pesa payment is initiated and slots or scans are allocated, payments are strictly non-refundable in cash.
If an upload encounters a server error, system corruption, or upstream outage on our end, your used slot will be fully restored / re-credited to your account balance immediately by our automated system or administrator, allowing you to rescan your paper at zero additional charge.
Agreement & Confirmation
By uploading a manuscript, purchasing prepaid slot packages, or completing an M-Pesa authorization on The Samaritan Scholars platform, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and consented to these Terms of Service, Document Upload Rules, and Non-Repository Governance policies.