Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is GradeGuru?

GradeGuru is a free knowledge sharing network where you can share and find class-specific study materials, learn collaboratively and build your academic reputation to earn rewards, internships and career opportunities.

Think of GradeGuru as an online study group where you can find and share study materials with your classmates and students from current and previous semesters and even from different schools.

Learn more about us.

2. How is McGraw-Hill linked to GradeGuru?

GradeGuru is a McGraw-Hill Education startup. It is owned and operated by McGraw-Hill Higher Education.

3. Is this too good to be true? Should I be collaborating with my peers?

GradeGuru is the #1 study network recommended by professors. We work hard to maintain that status. We expect our members to use GradeGuru only as it was intended - to help you help yourself and each other with school. We do not allow our members to share any materials they did not entirely create themselves, or to engage in any unethical conduct.

Plagiarism is absolutely forbidden.

1. Why should I join?

Why shouldn't you join?! Registering with GradeGuru is free and gives you access to all of the functionality that the site has to offer. Once a member, you can join your classes, access relevant notes, rate notes and leave feedback, and most importantly, share your own notes to get the recognition you deserve for your hard work.

Plus, when you share your notes, you start earning points which are redeemable for some really cool rewards.

2. Is it free to join?

Yep. GradeGuru is entirely free. In fact, not only is it free to join and find notes for your classes, we even reward you for sharing your own notes.

1. So I joined, what's next?

Welcome. The first thing to do is add your classes so you can see which of your classmates are already members - just login and click Add Class on your classes tab. Each of your classes will be a link to your class community where you can see all your classmate's notes and profiles. Next, you can invite any missing classmates to build out your class network - the more classmates that join, the more notes for everyone. The more classmates using your notes, the more points, rewards and status for you when you share your notes....

Now start sharing your notes for each class. Watch your ratings and points roll in and your status go up.

2. It's not working, someone help!

Contact us and we'll sort it out for you. We try to get back to all members within 24 hours. (If you haven't heard from us within 48 hours, that's not normal, something has fallen through the cracks, so please email us again.)

1. How can I find notes for my classes?

The easiest way to find notes for your classes is to join and add your classes to your dashboard - that way we'll bring the notes right to you - just click on the class name. From this class page you can also link to notes from other classes in other semesters or classes that used the same textbook at different schools.

If you want to try out GradeGuru first, before joining, you can do that too... Start by searching your school from the homepage. Use the subject list on the left of your school page to locate your classes. If you can't find what you're looking for, try the keyword search at the top right of the page to find notes from any university on the topic you are looking for. You can check-out up to ten notes before you need to join.

Some tips for search: Be specific. The more information you put into the search input boxes, the more relevant your results will be. You can also filter by school and course.

If you find notes you like, save them to your folder. And don't forget to rate them as a thank you to the student who shared them.

2. What restrictions are there on how I use notes?

Don't rip off other students' work! Trying to copy someone else's work and pass it off as your own will only get you in trouble. Our partnership with TurnItIn ensures that all site content is registered in the TurnItIn database - any plagiarized work will get flagged.

3. How can I save notes I like for later?

• You can bookmark notes by clicking on the save icon while viewing the note.
• Or you can download it. If you like it, don't forget to rate it as a thank you to the student who shared it.

1. What can I share?

Share the kinds of notes you think other students in the class will find helpful. All of the following are candidates for sharing: study guides, lecture notes, mind maps, chapter summaries and other materials created by you that can help your peers succeed.

You can share both typed and handwritten materials. Just be sure they are your own.

2. What can't I share?

Files containing copyrighted materials are not permitted on GradeGuru. That means no tests, exam papers, hand-outs from the professor, or content/images taken from the Internet or from books. Any content containing these items will be flagged and removed from the site immediately. GradeGuru does not support unethical sharing of any kind.

If you haven't created it yourself, you shouldn't be sharing it.

3. What is GradeGuru doing to ensure members share notes ethically?

We do not allow our members to share any materials they did not entirely create themselves, or to engage in any unethical conduct. Plagiarism is absolutely forbidden. GradeGuru is about getting more out of your study time, not less. Our community members respect each other's work. We uphold these rules in several ways:

• GradeGuru has a dedicated team of site moderators who do their best to ensure that only student-created content is shared. Files containing materials created by professors, publishers or internet sources are flagged and immediately removed from the site. Refer to our Take Down Policy if you have questions.
• We have partnered with TurnItIn, the leading anti-plagiarism tool, which is used by professors at universities around the country to ensure academic integrity.
• We also work with our Academic Advisory Committee, of esteemed group of academic educators and media specialists, to ensure that our site meets our educational objectives.
• All of the content shared on GradeGuru is Google Indexed and will be identified if it is searched for within a browser's search engine.
• Our Community Standards make the rules very clear.
• We have developed a citation manager tool, accessible as a bookmarklet and directly from our notes, to ensure students understand how to cite and reference their online resources correctly.
• Significant research, both from leading academics and with our own members, demonstrates the significant impact working with your peers can have on your studies and your grades.
• If you created it, if it is your words/ thoughts/ perspectives on a class, you have a right to share it. GradeGuru is about getting more out of your study time, not less. Our community members respect each other's work.

4. How can I communicate with other students on the site?

The best way to let people know how you feel about their notes is to give the notes a rating and leave them a feedback comment.

1. How do rewards work?

Points are your ticket to rewards on GradeGuru and there are two ways to get them:

1. Sharing notes
2. Inviting new members.

Once you have points you can trade them for rewards through our rewards partners. Just login and click on your points total to see what sort of cool stuff you can redeem!

Find out more about rewards

Rewards from notes: Once your notes are published, you will start earning points. How many points you earn is based on how many students view your notes and how good your ratings are. The better your notes' average ratings, the more points you will get.

Rewards from inviting members: First make sure your school email address (.edu) is in your profile and that you have verified your email address (login and look for a yellow box at the top of the page - if you don't have a yellow box, you are already verified, otherwise follow the instructions). Then use the invites tab to invite friends and classmates. When those people become members and join with their school email addresses, both you and the new members earn bonus points. If the new member also shares their notes, you get even more bonus points.

2. How much will I get for my notes?

The amount of points you receive is based on how many members view your notes and your ratings. As a ballpark figure, you could receive $10-50 for one course worth of notes... but, really, it depends on how often users view and rate your notes, so make sure you share your best materials and let your classmates know about them.

3. How can I maximize my points?

Points from sharing notes: GradeGuru rewards members based on both the quality and quantity of the notes they share, and based on how often other members use them. So:

Share all your notes - all classes, all semesters

Make sure your notes are top notch so you get good ratings

Make sure you put in the right information about the notes - the file name, the class, the tags... so people will find them when they search and open them when they see them on the class page.

Share your notes with your friends directly: Since you get points every time your files are viewed by site members, you can encourage your friends and classmates to check out and rate your notes by clicking the "Share" icon displayed next to the file. Just remember, your friends need to have a GradeGuru account with a school email address when they use the notes for you to get those points.

Points from inviting others: invite your classmates in all your classes, invite your friends, invite your sorority sisters/ fraternity brothers, the people in your sports teams -- if they are college students, invite them. Track your invites and see who has joined on your invites tab.

4. How do I claim rewards?

Click on the points total on your dashboard to get to the 'My Rewards' page. You can trade in your points for lots of cool rewards like gift cards, cash transfers through PayPal or donations to plant trees.

If you are redeeming a reward through PayPal, please be sure that you have an account set up at PayPal ahead of time.

If you have any questions, or suggestions for rewards you would like to see, please let us know. We'd love to hear your ideas.

5. How long does it take to receive a reward once I redeem it?

When you redeem a reward, we'll send it to you ASAP. You'll have your reward within 30 days at most, but typically much sooner than that. (If it has been longer than 30 days, please contact us and verify your shipping address - it may have gotten lost in the mail.)

6. What does GradeGuru do with my notes once I upload them?

We check them for viruses, scan them for inappropriate content, and process them to be displayed on the GradeGuru web site.

1. What is 'Guru Status'?

'Guru Status' is a mark of respect in the GradeGuru community. It reflects your academic reputation. It indicates how much you contributed to the community to help others, how great your notes are and basically that you are a thought leader in your courses. It's our way of recognizing you and giving you a way to let the world know what you have achieved.

Our Gurus also receive special privileges through our Guru Career Program, gaining access to jobs and internships. Don't forget to include your Guru Status when you apply for jobs through careerbuilder.com or careerrookie.com. Find out more.

These are the different statuses available on the site:

• Über Guru

  The ultimate accolade on GradeGuru. The top ranked student from across the country.

• Gold Guru

  Students in the top 10% who share outstanding notes (averaging 4 stars or higher) and give generously to the community.

• Silver Guru

  Students in the top 15% who have excellent notes and peer-ratings.

• Bronze Guru

  The top 20% of our members who share consistently helpful notes.

• Author

  Students who have started sharing and are on their way to guru-status.

• Member

  Site members who are yet to share notes.

2. How do I reach guru status?

Gurus Status is a mark of respect from the community for what you have shared and how good your notes are. It reflects academic thought leadership, so it doesn't come easy, but it is not impossible.

Here's how you do it:

• Bronze Guru: share 5+ files, have 3+ average star ratings, and be in the top 20% of the site for usage of your notes.
• Silver Guru: share 10+ files, have 3+ average star ratings, and be in the top 15% of the site for usage of your notes.
• Gold Guru: share 10+ files, have 4+ average star ratings, and be in the top 10% of the site for usage of your notes.
• Über Guru: battle it out for number 1 on ratings, # notes shared and how much people use your notes.

3. Why did I lose my Guru Status?

Guru status is competitive. To avoid a status downgrade keep sharing quality materials to make sure you stay in the top percentile.

1. How can I recommend GradeGuru to my friends?

Go to your invites tab and start inviting people. You can invite them to GradeGuru.com, or to a specific class on GradeGuru. If you want to share a specific note with someone, use the "Share" drop-down feature on the page where you are viewing the note. You can share notes via email, Facebook, Twitter or just send someone the link yourself.

By the way, whenever you invite someone and they join, if you both use your school email addresses (.edu), you both earn 50 bonus points. If the person you invited shares their notes, you'll both get an additional 50 points.

And don't forget that if you share your notes with your friends, you earn more points!

1. I'm an instructor. How can I use GradeGuru in my classroom?

Instructors are so enthusiastic about GradeGuru and we thank you all for your support. GradeGuru is a resource you can share with your students to collaborate and encourage them to give each other feedback, all within an academic class community. There are so many ways to bring the benefits of GradeGuru to your class - for ideas that are already working on other campuses, please download our information sheet or contact us. For more information about our research into the impact GradeGuru is having on student study habits, please also contact us.

2. How can I advertise on GradeGuru?

Please email us to request our media pack.

3. I am a recruiter, how can I be a part of the Guru Careers program?

Please email us and we will get the process started.

4. I am a member of the press, who should I contact?

Please email us