It has recently come to our attention that the Word Count feature in the Canvas SpeedGrader can report inaccurate results for text contained within tables for assignments that use file submission types (i.e., DOCX, PDF).
NOTE: This issue only applies to file submissions in the SpeedGrader. The Word Count feature should display more accurate results for Text Entry submission types.
For a more accurate word count we would suggest downloading student submissions to open in Microsoft Word. For PDF files, instructors can convert PDF files to DOCX using Adobe Acrobat (see Counting Words in a PDF Document).
Instructors that enable the Turnitin Plagiarism Detection Tool for Canvas Assignments can view a word count in the Similarity Report.
