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Buying College Essays Is Now Easier Than Ever. But Buyer Beware

Tovia Smith

Concern is growing about a burgeoning online market for essays that students can buy and turn in as their own work. And schools are trying new tools to catch it. Angela Hsieh/NPR hide caption

Concern is growing about a burgeoning online market for essays that students can buy and turn in as their own work. And schools are trying new tools to catch it.

As the recent college admissions scandal is shedding light on how parents are cheating and bribing their children's way into college, schools are also focusing on how some students may be cheating their way through college. Concern is growing about a burgeoning online market that makes it easier than ever for students to buy essays written by others to turn in as their own work. And schools are trying new tools to catch it.

It's not hard to understand the temptation for students. The pressure is enormous, the stakes are high and, for some, writing at a college level is a huge leap.

"We didn't really have a format to follow, so I was kind of lost on what to do," says one college freshman, who struggled recently with an English assignment. One night, when she was feeling particularly overwhelmed, she tweeted her frustration.

"It was like, 'Someone, please help me write my essay!' " she recalls. She ended her tweet with a crying emoji. Within a few minutes, she had a half-dozen offers of help.

"I can write it for you," they tweeted back. "Send us the prompt!"

The student, who asked that her name not be used for fear of repercussions at school, chose one that asked for $10 per page, and she breathed a sigh of relief.

"For me, it was just that the work was piling up," she explains. "As soon as I finish some big assignment, I get assigned more things, more homework for math, more homework for English. Some papers have to be six or 10 pages long. ... And even though I do my best to manage, the deadlines come closer and closer, and it's just ... the pressure."

In the cat-and-mouse game of academic cheating, students these days know that if they plagiarize, they're likely to get caught by computer programs that automatically compare essays against a massive database of other writings. So now, buying an original essay can seem like a good workaround.

"Technically, I don't think it's cheating," the student says. "Because you're paying someone to write an essay, which they don't plagiarize, and they write everything on their own."

Her logic, of course, ignores the question of whether she's plagiarizing. When pressed, she begins to stammer.

"That's just a difficult question to answer," she says. "I don't know how to feel about that. It's kind of like a gray area. It's maybe on the edge, kind of?"

Besides she adds, she probably won't use all of it.

Other students justify essay buying as the only way to keep up. They figure that everyone is doing it one way or another — whether they're purchasing help online or getting it from family or friends.

"Oh yeah, collaboration at its finest," cracks Boston University freshman Grace Saathoff. While she says she would never do it herself, she's not really fazed by others doing it. She agrees with her friends that it has pretty much become socially acceptable.

"I have a friend who writes essays and sells them," says Danielle Delafuente, another Boston University freshman. "And my other friend buys them. He's just like, 'I can't handle it. I have five papers at once. I need her to do two of them, and I'll do the other three.' It's a time management thing."

The war on contract cheating

"It breaks my heart that this is where we're at," sighs Ashley Finley, senior adviser to the president for the Association of American Colleges and Universities. She says campuses are abuzz about how to curb the rise in what they call contract cheating. Obviously, students buying essays is not new, but Finley says that what used to be mostly limited to small-scale side hustles has mushroomed on the internet to become a global industry of so-called essay mills. Hard numbers are difficult to come by, but research suggests that up to 16 percent of students have paid someone to do their work and that the number is rising.

"Definitely, this is really getting more and more serious," Finley says. "It's part of the brave new world for sure."

The essay mills market aggressively online, with slickly produced videos inviting students to "Get instant help with your assignment" and imploring them: "Don't lag behind," "Join the majority" and "Don't worry, be happy."

"They're very crafty," says Tricia Bertram Gallant, director of the Academic Integrity Office at the University of California in San Diego and a board member of the International Center for Academic Integrity.

The companies are equally brazen offline — leafleting on campuses, posting flyers in toilet stalls and flying banners over Florida beaches during spring break. Companies have also been known to bait students with emails that look like they're from official college help centers. And they pay social media influencers to sing the praises of their services, and they post testimonials from people they say are happy customers.

"I hired a service to write my paper and I got a 90 on it!" gloats one. "Save your time, and have extra time to party!" advises another.

"It's very much a seduction," says Bertram Gallant. "So you can maybe see why students could get drawn into the contract cheating world."

YouTube has been cracking down on essay mills; it says it has pulled thousands of videos that violate its policies against promoting dishonest behavior.

But new videos constantly pop up, and their hard sell flies in the face of their small-print warnings that their essays should be used only as a guide, not a final product.

Several essay mills declined or didn't respond to requests to be interviewed by NPR. But one answered questions by email and offered up one of its writers to explain her role in the company, called EduBirdie.

"Yes, just like the little birdie that's there to help you in your education," explains April Short, a former grade school teacher from Australia who's now based in Philadelphia. She has been writing for a year and a half for the company, which bills itself as a "professional essay writing service for students who can't even."

Some students just want some "foundational research" to get started or a little "polish" to finish up, Short says. But the idea that many others may be taking a paper written completely by her and turning it in as their own doesn't keep her up at night.

"These kids are so time poor," she says, and they're "missing out on opportunities of travel and internships because they're studying and writing papers." Relieving students of some of that burden, she figures, allows them to become more "well-rounded."

"I don't necessarily think that being able to create an essay is going to be a defining factor in a very long career, so it's not something that bothers me," says Short. Indeed, she thinks students who hire writers are demonstrating resourcefulness and creativity. "I actually applaud students that look for options to get the job done and get it done well," she says.

"This just shows you the extent of our ability to rationalize all kinds of bad things we do," sighs Dan Ariely, professor of psychology and behavioral economics at Duke University. The rise in contract cheating is especially worrisome, he says, because when it comes to dishonest behavior, more begets more. As he puts it, it's not just about "a few bad apples."

Felicity Huffman And 12 Other Parents To Plead Guilty In College Cheating Scandal

"Instead, what we have is a lot ... of blemished apples, and we take our cues for our behavior from the social world around us," he says. "We know officially what is right and what's wrong. But really what's driving our behavior is what we see others around us doing" or, Ariely adds, what we perceive them to be doing. So even the proliferation of advertising for essays mills can have a pernicious effect, he says, by fueling the perception that "everyone's doing it."

A few nations have recently proposed or passed laws outlawing essay mills, and more than a dozen U.S. states have laws on the books against them. But prosecuting essay mills, which are often based overseas in Pakistan, Kenya and Ukraine, for example, is complicated. And most educators are loath to criminalize students' behavior.

"Yes, they're serious mistakes. They're egregious mistakes," says Cath Ellis, an associate dean and integrity officer at the University of New South Wales, where students were among the hundreds alleged to have bought essays in a massive scandal in Australia in 2014.

"But we're educational institutions," she adds. "We've got to give students the opportunity to learn from these mistakes. That's our responsibility. And that's better in our hands than in the hands of the police and the courts."

Staying one step ahead

In the war on contract cheating, some schools see new technology as their best weapon and their best shot to stay one step ahead of unscrupulous students. The company that makes the Turnitin plagiarism detection software has just upped its game with a new program called Authorship Investigate.

The software first inspects a document's metadata, like when it was created, by whom it was created and how many times it was reopened and re-edited. Turnitin's vice president for product management, Bill Loller, says sometimes it's as simple as looking at the document's name. Essay mills typically name their documents something like "Order Number 123," and students have been known to actually submit it that way. "You would be amazed at how frequently that happens," says Loller.

Using cutting-edge linguistic forensics, the software also evaluates the level of writing and its style.

"Think of it as a writing fingerprint," Loller says. The software looks at hundreds of telltale characteristics of an essay, like whether the author double spaces after a period or writes with Oxford commas or semicolons. It all gets instantly compared against a student's other work, and, Loller says, suspicions can be confirmed — or alleviated — in minutes.

"At the end of the day, you get to a really good determination on whether the student wrote what they submitted or not," he says, "and you get it really quickly."

Coventry University in the U.K. has been testing out a beta version of the software, and Irene Glendinning, the school's academic manager for student experience, agrees that the software has the potential to give schools a leg up on cheating students. After the software is officially adopted, "we'll see a spike in the number of cases we find, and we'll have a very hard few years," she says. "But then the message will get through to students that we've got the tools now to find these things out." Then, Glendinning hopes, students might consider contract cheating to be as risky as plagiarizing.

In the meantime, schools are trying to spread the word that buying essays is risky in other ways as well.

Professor Ariely says that when he posed as a student and ordered papers from several companies, much of it was "gibberish" and about a third of it was actually plagiarized.

Even worse, when he complained to the company and demanded his money back, they resorted to blackmail. Still believing him to be a student, the company threatened to tell his school he was cheating. Others say companies have also attempted to shake down students for more money, threatening to rat them out if they didn't pay up.

The lesson, Ariely says, is "buyer beware."

But ultimately, experts say, many desperate students may not be deterred by the risks — whether from shady businesses or from new technology.

Bertram Gallant, of UC San Diego, says the right way to dissuade students from buying essays is to remind them why it's wrong.

"If we engage in a technological arms race with the students, we won't win," she says. "What are we going to do when Google glasses start to look like regular glasses and a student wears them into an exam? Are we going to tell them they can't wear their glasses because we're afraid they might be sending the exam out to someone else who is sending them back the answers?"

The solution, Bertram Gallant says, has to be about "creating a culture where integrity and ethics matter" and where education is valued more than grades. Only then will students believe that cheating on essays is only cheating themselves.

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Frequently Asked Questions Regarding Plagiarism

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Copyright ©1995-2018 by The Writing Lab & The OWL at Purdue and Purdue University. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, reproduced, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our terms and conditions of fair use.

This page outlines just some of many frequently asked questions regarding plagiarism. For more information about how to avoid plagiarism, as well as best practices, visit some of our additional plagiarism resources.  

When is it Plagiarism? 

There are instances when something is clearly  intentional  plagiarism : buying, stealing, or borrowing a paper from someone else. This includes:  

• C opying a blog post or stealing an article from online.   
• Hiring someone to write your paper for you.   
• Copying a large section of text from a source without making it clear it comes from somewhere else through quotation marks or proper citation.   
• I ntentionally  failing to  cite someone else’s work,  to claim  that the ideas and words belong to you .  
• It is possible to plagiarize from yourself . In academia, if you repurpose a paper from previous class or write one paper for two classes without the instructor’s permission  this is plagiarism .   

Writers may also  unintentionally  plagiarize. This usually happens for a few common reasons:  

• The writer doesn’t fully understand the citation system they are using and ends up missing key elements of the source attribution.  
• The writer thinks they are paraphrasing (restating a source’s point in their own words) and ends up accidentally directly quoting words or phrases without realizing; in this case there is usually some attribution to the source, but not the right kind (paraphrasing vs quoting).  
• The writer misattributes a quote or idea to the wrong source; this is especially common in larger research projects where the writer is dealing with a lot of source material.

What could happen if I plagiarize?  

Students who unintentionally plagiarize often (but not always) have a meeting with their teacher, who usually goes over the issue with the student and explains how to avoid it in the future. Many teachers understand that citation practices are complex and can be difficult for beginners to learn, and therefore treat one instance of accidental plagiarism as a learning opportunity.    

However, this is not always the case. Program or department policy may force teachers to begin disciplinary proceedings about plagiarism immediately; you should always be aware that this issue is serious and not to be brushed off or ignored. The best defense against disciplinary proceedings is knowledge —  fully understanding citation practices and employing them in your writing so that you don’t plagiarize is always going to be your best option. You can find our extensive citation resources here.

The corporate world and universit ie s in particular have very strict guidelines for those accused of plagiarism. It is important to familiarize yourself with your university policy, because the consequences can be serious, which includes:  

• Automatic failure of the paper  
• Automatic failure of the class  
• A report to the Dean of Students  
• Some universities make it their policy for it to appear on your Official Transcript, which are usually needed when applying for jobs or graduate school   
• Some programs will dismiss you; for example, the English department at your university may tell you to apply to a different area of study  
• The university may dismiss you completely   
• In the corporate world, you may face litigation depending on who the victim is  
• Your job may fire you in order to avoid the company being associated with a plagiarist

Some of these consequences may seem harsh or extreme, but they are meant to stop students from plagiarizing. This is a crime and it is also an ethical dilemma. You are in school to learn and produce original work; you are doing yourself a disservice by paying someone else to write your work or reuse an old paper.   

If you find yourself in a situation when you are out of time to work on a research project, which is usually one of the common reasons why well-meaning students plagiarize,  it is always better to have an open communication with your professor  before you turn to plagiarism. Professors are there and want to help students, but they cannot help you if they do not know you need it.   

When should I cite a source to avoid plagiarizing?  

  Always give credit where credit is due. If the words that you are including in your research belong to someone else, give credit.   

Here is  a brief list of what needs to be credited or documented :  

• Words or ideas presented in a magazine, book, newspaper, song, TV program, movie, website, computer program, letter, advertisement, or any other medium  
• Information you gain through interviewing or conversing with another person, face to face, over the phone, or in writing  
• When you copy the exact words or a unique phrase  
• When you reprint any diagrams, illustrations, charts, pictures, or other visual materials  
• When you reuse or repost any digital media, including images, audio, video, or other media  

There are certain things that  do not need documentation or credit, including :  

• Writing your own lived experiences, your own observations and insights, your own thoughts, and your own conclusions about a subject  
• When you are writing up your own results obtained through lab or field experiments  
• When you use your own artwork, digital photographs, video, audio, etc.  
• When you are using "common knowledge," things like folklore, common sense observations, myths, urban legends, and historical events (but  not  historical documents)  
• When you are using generally accepted facts (e.g., pollution is bad for the environment) including facts that are accepted within particular discourse communities (e.g., in the field of composition studies, "writing is a process" is a generally accepted fact).  

What if I am accused of plagiarism, but I didn’t plagiarize?

It is important to keep notes and previous drafts of your paper, especially if you become a victim of theft yourself. This can happen in many different ways (a roommate copying your files, using a computer from a lab that still has someone else’s log in, etc).

There are some simple and easy tips to keep your intellectual property safe:

• You might have research_paper001.doc, research_paper002.doc, research_paper003.doc as you progress.
• Do the same thing for any online files you are working with. Having multiple draft versions may help prove that the work is yours (assuming you are being ethical in how you cite ideas in your work)
• Do not rely only on your hard drive, it can crash.
• Do not rely only on a USB drive, you can lose it.
• Do not rely only on cloud services, you might not be able to gain access for whatever reason.
• Many students typically use one or more of the methods above to secure their files, including emailing themselves or emailing a friend, with their permission.
• If you have to leave the computer lab for a bathroom break, lock or log out of your station
• This is possible in all sorts of programs, from Adobe Acrobat to Microsoft Word
• Just don’t forget your password
• If you have never tried this method before but would like to, use a different file for a test run to see how it works.
• If this is a habit you currently, you can make sure you have a Master Copy that you will eventually turn in, and open or create new documents and save them in the filing method mentioned above.

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Buying College Essays Is Now Easier Than Ever. But Buyer Beware

Please try again

As the recent college admissions scandal is shedding light on how parents are cheating and bribing their children's way into college, schools are also focusing on how some students may be cheating their way through college. Concern is growing about a burgeoning online market that makes it easier than ever for students to buy essays written by others to turn in as their own work. And schools are trying new tools to catch it.

It's not hard to understand the temptation for students. The pressure is enormous, the stakes are high and, for some, writing at a college level is a huge leap.

"We didn't really have a format to follow, so I was kind of lost on what to do," says one college freshman, who struggled recently with an English assignment. One night, when she was feeling particularly overwhelmed, she tweeted her frustration.

"It was like, 'Someone, please help me write my essay!' " she recalls. She ended her tweet with a crying emoji. Within a few minutes, she had a half-dozen offers of help.

"I can write it for you," they tweeted back. "Send us the prompt!"

The student, who asked that her name not be used for fear of repercussions at school, chose one that asked for $10 per page, and she breathed a sigh of relief.

"For me, it was just that the work was piling up," she explains. "As soon as I finish some big assignment, I get assigned more things, more homework for math, more homework for English. Some papers have to be six or 10 pages long. ... And even though I do my best to manage, the deadlines come closer and closer, and it's just ... the pressure."

In the cat-and-mouse game of academic cheating, students these days know that if they plagiarize, they're likely to get caught by computer programs that automatically compare essays against a massive database of other writings. So now, buying an original essay can seem like a good workaround.

"Technically, I don't think it's cheating," the student says. "Because you're paying someone to write an essay, which they don't plagiarize, and they write everything on their own."

Her logic, of course, ignores the question of whether she's plagiarizing. When pressed, she begins to stammer.

"That's just a difficult question to answer," she says. "I don't know how to feel about that. It's kind of like a gray area. It's maybe on the edge, kind of?"

Besides she adds, she probably won't use all of it.

Other students justify essay buying as the only way to keep up. They figure that everyone is doing it one way or another — whether they're purchasing help online or getting it from family or friends.

"Oh yeah, collaboration at its finest," cracks Boston University freshman Grace Saathoff. While she says she would never do it herself, she's not really fazed by others doing it. She agrees with her friends that it has pretty much become socially acceptable.

"I have a friend who writes essays and sells them," says Danielle Delafuente, another Boston University freshman. "And my other friend buys them. He's just like, 'I can't handle it. I have five papers at once. I need her to do two of them, and I'll do the other three.' It's a time management thing."

The war on contract cheating

"It breaks my heart that this is where we're at," sighs Ashley Finley, senior adviser to the president for the Association of American Colleges and Universities. She says campuses are abuzz about how to curb the rise in what they call contract cheating. Obviously, students buying essays is not new, but Finley says that what used to be mostly limited to small-scale side hustles has mushroomed on the internet to become a global industry of so-called essay mills. Hard numbers are difficult to come by, but research suggests that up to 16 percent of students have paid someone to do their work and that the number is rising.

"Definitely, this is really getting more and more serious," Finley says. "It's part of the brave new world for sure."

The essay mills market aggressively online, with slickly produced videos inviting students to "Get instant help with your assignment" and imploring them: "Don't lag behind," "Join the majority" and "Don't worry, be happy."

"They're very crafty," says Tricia Bertram Gallant, director of the Academic Integrity Office at the University of California in San Diego and a board member of the International Center for Academic Integrity.

The companies are equally brazen offline — leafleting on campuses, posting flyers in toilet stalls and flying banners over Florida beaches during spring break. Companies have also been known to bait students with emails that look like they're from official college help centers. And they pay social media influencers to sing the praises of their services, and they post testimonials from people they say are happy customers.

"I hired a service to write my paper and I got a 90 on it!" gloats one. "Save your time, and have extra time to party!" advises another.

"It's very much a seduction," says Bertram Gallant. "So you can maybe see why students could get drawn into the contract cheating world."

YouTube has been cracking down on essay mills; it says it has pulled thousands of videos that violate its policies against promoting dishonest behavior.

But new videos constantly pop up, and their hard sell flies in the face of their small-print warnings that their essays should be used only as a guide, not a final product.

Several essay mills declined or didn't respond to requests to be interviewed by NPR. But one answered questions by email and offered up one of its writers to explain her role in the company, called EduBirdie.

"Yes, just like the little birdie that's there to help you in your education," explains April Short, a former grade school teacher from Australia who's now based in Philadelphia. She has been writing for a year and a half for the company, which bills itself as a "professional essay writing service for students who can't even."

Some students just want some "foundational research" to get started or a little "polish" to finish up, Short says. But the idea that many others may be taking a paper written completely by her and turning it in as their own doesn't keep her up at night.

"These kids are so time poor," she says, and they're "missing out on opportunities of travel and internships because they're studying and writing papers." Relieving students of some of that burden, she figures, allows them to become more "well-rounded."

"I don't necessarily think that being able to create an essay is going to be a defining factor in a very long career, so it's not something that bothers me," says Short. Indeed, she thinks students who hire writers are demonstrating resourcefulness and creativity. "I actually applaud students that look for options to get the job done and get it done well," she says.

"This just shows you the extent of our ability to rationalize all kinds of bad things we do," sighs Dan Ariely, professor of psychology and behavioral economics at Duke University. The rise in contract cheating is especially worrisome, he says, because when it comes to dishonest behavior, more begets more. As he puts it, it's not just about "a few bad apples."

"Instead, what we have is a lot ... of blemished apples, and we take our cues for our behavior from the social world around us," he says. "We know officially what is right and what's wrong. But really what's driving our behavior is what we see others around us doing" or, Ariely adds, what we perceive them to be doing. So even the proliferation of advertising for essays mills can have a pernicious effect, he says, by fueling the perception that "everyone's doing it."

A few nations have recently proposed or passed laws outlawing essay mills, and more than a dozen U.S. states have laws on the books against them. But prosecuting essay mills, which are often based overseas in Pakistan, Kenya and Ukraine, for example, is complicated. And most educators are loath to criminalize students' behavior.

"Yes, they're serious mistakes. They're egregious mistakes," says Cath Ellis, an associate dean and integrity officer at the University of New South Wales, where students were among the hundreds alleged to have bought essays in a massive scandal in Australia in 2014.

"But we're educational institutions," she adds. "We've got to give students the opportunity to learn from these mistakes. That's our responsibility. And that's better in our hands than in the hands of the police and the courts."

Staying one step ahead

In the war on contract cheating, some schools see new technology as their best weapon and their best shot to stay one step ahead of unscrupulous students. The company that makes the Turnitin plagiarism detection software has just upped its game with a new program called Authorship Investigate.

The software first inspects a document's metadata, like when it was created, by whom it was created and how many times it was reopened and re-edited. Turnitin's vice president for product management, Bill Loller, says sometimes it's as simple as looking at the document's name. Essay mills typically name their documents something like "Order Number 123," and students have been known to actually submit it that way. "You would be amazed at how frequently that happens," says Loller.

Using cutting-edge linguistic forensics, the software also evaluates the level of writing and its style.

"Think of it as a writing fingerprint," Loller says. The software looks at hundreds of telltale characteristics of an essay, like whether the author double spaces after a period or writes with Oxford commas or semicolons. It all gets instantly compared against a student's other work, and, Loller says, suspicions can be confirmed — or alleviated — in minutes.

"At the end of the day, you get to a really good determination on whether the student wrote what they submitted or not," he says, "and you get it really quickly."

Coventry University in the U.K. has been testing out a beta version of the software, and Irene Glendinning, the school's academic manager for student experience, agrees that the software has the potential to give schools a leg up on cheating students. After the software is officially adopted, "we'll see a spike in the number of cases we find, and we'll have a very hard few years," she says. "But then the message will get through to students that we've got the tools now to find these things out." Then, Glendinning hopes, students might consider contract cheating to be as risky as plagiarizing.

In the meantime, schools are trying to spread the word that buying essays is risky in other ways as well.

Professor Ariely says that when he posed as a student and ordered papers from several companies, much of it was "gibberish" and about a third of it was actually plagiarized.

Even worse, when he complained to the company and demanded his money back, they resorted to blackmail. Still believing him to be a student, the company threatened to tell his school he was cheating. Others say companies have also attempted to shake down students for more money, threatening to rat them out if they didn't pay up.

The lesson, Ariely says, is "buyer beware."

But ultimately, experts say, many desperate students may not be deterred by the risks — whether from shady businesses or from new technology.

Bertram Gallant, of UC San Diego, says the right way to dissuade students from buying essays is to remind them why it's wrong.

"If we engage in a technological arms race with the students, we won't win," she says. "What are we going to do when Google glasses start to look like regular glasses and a student wears them into an exam? Are we going to tell them they can't wear their glasses because we're afraid they might be sending the exam out to someone else who is sending them back the answers?"

The solution, Bertram Gallant says, has to be about "creating a culture where integrity and ethics matter" and where education is valued more than grades. Only then will students believe that cheating on essays is only cheating themselves.

​Is it Plagiarism to Pay Someone to Write for Me?

Don't i own that work.

Paying someone to write your paper, whether it’s a fellow student or an essay mill, is a form of plagiarism and is usually considered one of the most serious by teachers and administrators alike.

That’s because a teacher doesn’t just assign a paper to have you produce one, the goal of the assignment is to showcase your understanding of the subject, your ability to communicate that information and how well you analyze and draw conclusions from it.

In short, essays are designed to test your skills as a student and, if you simply pay someone else to write that paper, it is impossible for your teacher to evaluate your understanding or your progress.

Despite this, many still claim that since the use was “allowed” by the original author that it is ethically acceptable. After all, it’s a case of “victimless” plagiarism.

But even if we ignore the issues about what the goals of the assignment are and how cheating on such an assignment hurts you as a student, there are other victims to be considered.

First, by turning in a paper you paid for, you are lying to your teacher. When you place your name on top of your paper or on the cover sheet, you are saying that everything in that paper, unless specifically cited, is your work.

If you pay someone to write the paper, that is clearly untrue.

Second, other students in the class did the work and are earning a grade based on their efforts. They chose not to pay someone to write their paper, either out of ethical concerns or fear of punishment, and are at a disadvantage to someone who simply paid for their paper.

But while buying an essay is definitely a form of cheating, it’s very likely that you won’t end up owning the essay that you “bought”.

The reason for that is because, under copyright law, buying a work doesn’t necessarily transfer copyright into it, much like how buying a DVD doesn’t make you the owner of the film.

Copyright in a work, whether it is a paper, song or film, resides with the author of the work . Unless that work is by an employee of a company or the author has signed a contract ( which must be in writing ), the copyright in the work stays with the author.

Since just buying an essay doesn’t make the author an employee, you don’t own the work unless you have a contract transferring copyright in it. While the person has agreed to let you use, it’s still, legally, their work.

As such, they can turn the paper in themselves, sell it to other students, post it online or do nearly anything they want with it.

Buying a paper does not make it your work, neither for the assignment it’s submitted for nor in the eyes of the law.

When it comes to buying essays, your best bet is to save your money and do the work yourself.

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What Is Considered Plagiarism And How to Avoid It

Students often encounter the term plagiarism as part of their school or university’s academic honesty policy. The word might also be referenced in a course syllabus, or perhaps be covered by an instructor or librarian during a class session.

Plagiarism is usually couched in strong language about the seriousness of the offense. To plagiarize, as defined by the "Merriam-Webster Dictionary,” means “to steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one’s own” and “to commit literary theft” by failing to acknowledge or cite source material.

"Think of Google Books posting entire pages and chapters online, YouTube hosting music and movies, or sites copying and cross-posting content from other sites,” said Brian Ryckman , eLearning Librarian at Southern New Hampshire University.

As a librarian, Ryckman works with students on a daily basis to address concerns about researching, using and citing information. The majority of questions he receives are about how to cite sources correctly, followed by when to cite. Below are answers to such questions as well as other things you should know about the topic, including some ways to avoid plagiarism.

Types of Plagiarism

The Plagiarism Spectrum is a continuum of 10 common types of plagiarism compiled by Turnitin, a company that provides tools to ensure originality for educators. Some of the major types include:

• Copying or submitting someone else's work – From copying-and-pasting to buying term papers online, this is one of the most frequent and most serious types of plagiarism, according to Turnitin's worldwide survey.
• Improper citation – This form of plagiarism can take various forms, such as not using quotation marks correctly, paraphrasing multiple sources by cobbling them together, and citing non-existent sources or inaccurate information from your sources.
• Self-plagiarism – Contrary to what many students believe, it is possible to plagiarize yourself (for example, borrowing "generously from [your own] previous work without citation," or turning in a paper for one class that you wrote for another).

Intent to cheat and extent of plagiarism are important factors when it comes to assessing the severity of a plagiarism case, according to Tracey Bretag in a "PLOS Medicine" article titled “Challenges in Addressing Plagiarism in Education.” Intention is especially important when evaluating cases of accidental plagiarism, which can result from poor note taking, not quoting or citing properly or paraphrasing incorrectly.

"Librarians have countless stories about people copying a quote or statistic, and then needing help to track down the source days later with very little information about where or how the source was found," Ryckman said. "There is so much information available and many paths to find supporting research that it's no wonder students have difficulty tracking down sources."

Before the ubiquity of the internet, students often used the note card system for researching. They would go the library and write longhand on index cards to track topics, sources, key information and ideas (paraphrased from the original), as well as page numbers from library books and other resources. The libraries, meanwhile, functioned as informational gatekeepers, helping to curate credible sources and reputable works for students and researchers to reference.

What Constitutes Plagiarism in the Digital Age?

A 2011 survey conducted by the Pew Research Center and "Chronicle of Higher Education" found that “(most) college presidents (55%) say that plagiarism in students’ papers has increased over the past 10 years. Among those who have seen an increase in plagiarism, 89% say computers and the internet have played a major role.”

Today, many students in the United States applying to university as freshmen have grown up as digital natives, with unprecedented access to information, resources, knowledge, expertise and opinions by way of computers, mobile devices and other technologies. Libraries are now expected to teach people how to determine what information is trustworthy and reliable, according to Pew Research Center’s 2016 survey on libraries. That’s no easy feat in a world where the answers to questions are available as Google search results, Wikipedia entries, Facebook posts, Twitter hashtags, YouTube videos, Reddit forums, news sites (real and fake) and more.

Students are often told that general or common knowledge does not require citation. When it comes to what is common knowledge in respect to plagiarism, this includes facts that are widely known to the public, ones that are not the results of original or unique research. Such facts are available from numerous (credible) sources and are not protected by copyright laws.

Common knowledge examples include the following:

• Two-thirds of Earth’s surface is covered by water.
• Citrus fruits are a good source of vitamin C.
• Mars is the fourth planet from the sun in our solar system.
• Columbus set sail across the Atlantic Ocean in 1492.
• Leonardo da Vinci painted La Giaconda, referred to as the Mona Lisa in English.

Context matters when it comes to common knowledge. "I think we can all agree, for example, that bats are nocturnal mammals. But if we were to say bats are nocturnal mammals whose population has been decimated by White-Nose Syndrome, then we want to cite the source from which we learned that the bat population has been affected," Ryckman said. "Not only does including the source strengthen our argument, it also gives the reader an opportunity to learn more."

Facts serve an essential role in research papers or projects, but real learning is more than simply memorizing or replicating facts. Students should understand the material, demonstrate that understanding, and contribute their original thoughts, comparisons or interpretations.

Knowledge does not exist in a vacuum, which is why learning how to cite your sources and influences is a basic life skill. “Citing helps to strengthen one’s argument by referring to previous research and ideas from experts and industry,” Ryckman said. “Understanding what has been written about in one’s field helps to move conversations forward and not rehash the same ideas over and over.”

In other words, not giving credit where it is due is a way of taking credit, and thus, of plagiarizing. Avoiding plagiarism requires students to engage deeply with ideas, research and readings; synthesize learned material with original thinking and analysis; and properly cite others’ work as they build on and contribute to existing knowledge on topics.

There’s a world (wide web) of information out there. For instructors, teachers, librarians, professors, and other educators, the challenge is teaching people to parse and use that information in ways that are ethical and responsible.

How to Avoid Plagiarism

Technology makes plagiarizing (accidentally or on purpose) a real possibility, but it also makes catching plagiarism easier. A quick Google search by a moderately tech-savvy teacher or professor can reveal plagiarized content. But an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Students, researchers and instructors alike can use online plagiarism checkers and detection software (available for free or a fee) as learning tools to help ensure the originality and integrity of their writing and research.

While such tools are useful, instructors and librarians are students’ greatest allies in the fight against plagiarism. These professionals are embracing technology to help teach fundamental digital and information literacy skills, including finding, assessing and integrating sources (including images) while citing and attributing them appropriately.

At SNHU, there are several avenues for students to get help finding and citing sources, according to Ryckman. "We work closely with the Writing Center, Online Writing Center, and faculty, all of which are resources to help students navigate, interpret, and cite sources. We also welcome every opportunity to show students the information landscape surrounding a discipline,” he said.

Finally, students should take advantage of the numerous educational resources available for free online - including Plagiarism.org , which defines plagiarism and explain ways to avoid it while giving examples. Other websites, such as Dictionary.com , provide citations in several formats, allowing you to easily include them in a document’s bibliography. Ryckman recommends students and faculty review the Association of College and Research Libraries' recently adopted framework for information literacy in higher education for exploring research as inquiry and scholarship as conversation.

While plagiarism is not illegal, the consequences vary by institutional or organizational policy, from a failing grade to a damaged reputation. So when in doubt about whether or not to attribute a quote or source, remember that, more often than not, cite makes right.

Sofia Tokar is a freelance copywriter and editor in higher education. Follow her on Twitter @stokar or connect on LinkedIn .

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Risks Associated with Buying Essays Online: And How to Avoid Them

buying essays online risks

Buying essays online refers to paying for pre-written academic papers and submitting them as one’s original work. However, it is now a growing trend among students seeking to ease their academic workload or improve their grades.

While it may offer short-term benefits, students need to be aware of the significant risks associated with this practice. 

Even so, these risks include plagiarism, poor quality work, and the possibility of being scammed by fraudulent websites. It is vital l to address these risks and find ways to avoid them, as they can have severe consequences, such as academic penalties, legal issues, and damage to one’s reputation.

In this article, I will examine the risks associated with buying essays online and provide tips on avoiding them.

 Risks of Buying Essays Online  

1. Plagiarism and Academic Dishonesty

When students buy essays from online sources, there is a risk that the work may have been copied or stolen from another source.

Such can lead to serious consequences, including failing grades, academic probation, or even expulsion.

Most importantly, students should avoid these risks, such as working with reputable writing services or taking the time to research and write their essays.

2. Poor Quality and Lack of Originality

When buying essays online, students face a risk of receiving poor-quality work that lacks originality. Also, some online services may not have qualified writers, leading to poorly researched, poorly written essays and lacking originality. 

Beyond that, this can result in a lower grade or even rejection of the essay and, ultimately, a waste of time and cash for the student. Perform thorough research and vet any online essay writing service before purchasing to ensure the quality and originality of the work.

3. Legal and Ethical Concerns

Buying essays online can raise legal and ethical concerns, especially if the content is copied from copyrighted sources or the student submits the essay as their own work. Such careless acts could lead to academic penalties, legal action, and damage to the student’s reputation. 

Additionally, some essay writing services may not be transparent about their business practices, further complicating the ethical considerations of buying essays online. Students need to be aware of the legal and ethical implications of using such services before making any purchase decisions.

4. Compromised Privacy and Data Security

When purchasing essays online, there is a risk that the privacy and security of personal information could be compromised.

Notably, some websites may not have secure payment methods or protect user data adequately, leaving individuals vulnerable to cyberattacks, fraud, or identity theft. 

Additionally, if a student is caught purchasing essays, it could negatively impact their academic reputation and future career prospects.

Therefore, it is essential to ensure that any website chosen for purchasing essays has proper security protocols, such as SSL encryption and two-factor authentication, to safeguard sensitive information.

5. Financial Risks

Scammers may demand high payments upfront, promise top-quality papers, and fail to deliver.

Also, some may even steal sensitive financial information from unsuspecting customers, leading to identity theft and other financial crimes. 

Plus, students caught buying essays may face fines or other financial penalties and harm to their academic and professional reputations.

Therefore, exercising caution and carefully researching any online writing service is vital before making a financial commitment.

6. Reputation Damage

Buying essays online can also pose a risk to one’s reputation, especially if the purchased essay is discovered to be plagiarized or of poor quality. More importantly, this can result in negative consequences, such as failing grades or even suspension or expulsion. 

Employers and graduate schools often look into applicants’ academic records, and a history of academic dishonesty can harm one’s chances of being accepted for a job or further education.

Consequences for Personal Growth and Learning

• Inhibits academic and intellectual growth : By purchasing essays, students miss out on the opportunity to nurture critical thinking and writing skills necessary for academic and personal growth. They become dependent on the work of others and fail to develop essential skills.
• Hinders character development : Purchasing essays online promotes cheating and academic dishonesty, which can negatively affect a student’s character. It can erode their moral and ethical values and diminish their integrity and self-respect.

Ways to Mitigate Risks 

Conducting thorough research.

It is important to conduct thorough research to mitigate the risks associated with buying essays online. Such actions include:

• Looking for reliable and reputable essay writing services.
• Reading reviews and feedback from other customers.
• Checking the writers’ credentials.

This can help ensure that the essay purchased is high-quality and original.

Choosing Reputable Sources

You can choose reputable and trusted sources by researching and selecting websites or companies that have a proven track record of providing high-quality and original content.

Choosing reputable sources can help ensure that the essay you purchase is legitimate and meets your academic standards.

Verifying the Credentials of Writers

You can verify writers’ credentials by checking their educational background, experience, and qualifications to ensure they can produce quality work.

Also, choose reputable websites with a rigorous screening process for their writers. The intention is to minimize the risk of receiving poor-quality work or falling victim to scams.

Reviewing Samples and Testimonials

Reviewing samples and testimonials of the writing service or writer can give an idea of the quality and originality of their work. 

Ensuring that the samples and testimonials are legitimate and not fabricated is important. Additionally, it can be helpful to seek recommendations from trusted sources, such as peers or academic advisors.

Using Plagiarism Detection Tools

Using plagiarism detection tools helps check the paper’s originality and authenticity before submission. Some of the popular plagiarism checkers include Turnitin, Grammarly, and Copyscape.

They analyze the content and compare it against a database of other academic papers, online sources, and publications to detect any signs of plagiarism or unoriginal content.

Clarifying Terms and Conditions

Carefully review the terms and conditions of the website or service provider. Such measures help you understand their policies on plagiarism, refunds, and revisions.

Even so, clarify any questions or concerns before placing an order. This can help ensure that you are fully aware of the risks and responsibilities involved in the process.

Protecting Personal Information

Choosing a reliable and trustworthy service provider to protect personal information is important. Carefully read the privacy policy and terms of service to ensure that the provider has appropriate data protection measures. 

Using a pseudonym or a separate email address can further protect personal information. It is also advisable to avoid sharing sensitive information such as credit card details unless necessary and verified to be secure.

Avoiding Pre-Written Essays

It is best to avoid pre-written essays and opt for custom-written ones to avoid the risk of plagiarism and poor quality. Custom-written essays are specifically tailored to your needs and requirements, reducing the risk of getting caught for academic dishonesty. 

Custom-written essays are often of higher quality and contain original content. While pre-written essays may seem like a quick and easy solution, they can be risky and negatively affect your academic career.

Seeking Feedback and Revisions

Seek feedback and revisions to ensure that the work meets the required standards. Better yet, this will help to identify any errors or issues with the paper and ensure that the writer delivers the necessary changes to make it satisfactory.

Reputable writing services will often offer free revisions as part of their service, so it is crucial to choose a reliable source.

Conclusion 

It is crucial to be aware of the risks associated with buying essays online and to take steps to mitigate them.

Making informed decisions by conducting thorough research, verifying credentials and using plagiarism detection tools can help prevent academic dishonesty and plagiarism.

Uphold academic integrity by avoiding pre-written essays and seeking feedback and revisions. By taking these measures, students can ensure they receive quality work and avoid the potential consequences of plagiarism and compromised privacy.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can i get caught buying essays online.

Yes, it is possible to get caught buying essays online. Many academic institutions use plagiarism detection software to identify academic dishonesty leading to serious consequences.

Is it legal to buy essays online?

It is not illegal to buy essays online; however, it is generally discouraged by educational institutions as it is considered a form of academic dishonesty.

How can I protect my personal information when buying essays online?

Using a reputable and secure website, you can protect your personal information when buying essays online. Also, avoid sharing sensitive information, using a VPN, and checking the website’s privacy policy and terms of service before purchasing.

Can I request revisions for purchased essays?

Most reputable essay writing services offer free revisions to ensure customer satisfaction. Also, reviewing the company’s revision policy before placing an order is important to understand the time frame and any limitations or conditions for requesting revisions.

Are there any alternatives to buying essays online?

Yes, there are several alternatives to buying essays online, including seeking help from tutors, professors, or peers; utilizing writing centers or workshops; and improving one’s writing skills through practice and self-study.

Prioritize academic integrity and avoid plagiarism, which can have severe consequences.

Josh Jasen or JJ as we fondly call him, is a senior academic editor at Grade Bees in charge of the writing department. When not managing complex essays and academic writing tasks, Josh is busy advising students on how to pass assignments. In his spare time, he loves playing football or walking with his dog around the park.

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Buying Essays Online but Caught: 7 Tips to avoid Detection

Buying essays online is a common phenomenon among students seeking academic help. Submitting purchased essays as one’s own work is a serious academic offense that can result in severe consequences.

Now that you can buy essays online, teachers, academic institutions, and policymakers are worried about academic integrity and ethics. In this post, it is important to understand the implications of buying essays online and its associated risks.

Can you be Caught Buying Essays Online?

If you buy an essay online, it can be difficult to tell whether or not they copied it from somewhere else. However, there are many ways to check if someone has plagiarized your work. 

Yes, you can get caught buying essays online. Many institutions use plagiarism detection software to examine originality. If a student submits a purchased essay without proper citation, it will likely get flagged as plagiarism.

Some essay writing companies may also sell the same essay to different students, increasing detection chances.

Also, if caught, they could face serious consequences, such as failing the class, being suspended or kicked out of school, or even being taken to court.

It is always better to seek help from reputable sources like academic writing centers or tutors rather than getting into the moral concerns of buying essays or risking the consequences of plagiarism.

 How Teachers Catch Students Buying Essays Online

Teachers and professors usually catch students who buy essays online. There are multiple ways in which they can detect such practices such as:

1. Plagiarism Detection Software

Universities and colleges widely use Turnitin or SafeAssign, to check for originality. The software scans it for similarities when a student submits an essay with other texts online, including other student papers, published works, and websites.

If a student buys an essay online, it is highly likely to be flagged as plagiarism because it may be identical or similar to a previously submitted work.

Plagiarism detection software would have an algorithm to detect plagiarism even if the student altered a few words or phrases.

2. Differences in Writing Style

Teachers have skills that can detect differences in writing style between a student’s previous work and an essay that one bought online. Experienced teachers are familiar with their students’ writing styles and abilities.

In case of slight changes, they will notice if a student’s writing suddenly improves or changes significantly.

The writing style will likely differ from the usual style if a student buys an essay. For example, the student may suddenly begin using more advanced vocabulary or sentence structures than previously demonstrated.

Alternatively, the writing may be very polished and professional, indicating that someone with more experience or expertise has written it.

3. Inconsistencies in knowledge

Another formula teachers can use to detect students who have bought essays online is looking for inconsistencies in their knowledge.

It may raise suspicions if a student submits an essay covering a topic they have not previously studied or shows an in-depth knowledge of a subject beyond their current level.

In such cases, teachers may ask the students questions about the topic to assess their knowledge further. It may indicate that the essay was bought online if the student cannot answer the questions or lacks understanding.

4. Same Essay Submitted by Multiple Students

Some essay writing companies have been known to sell the same essay to multiple students, increasing detection chances. If two or more students submit identical or similar essays, it will raise suspicions and prompt the teacher to investigate further.

If you are using a writing service, ensure that you know its reputation well to prevent falling into such a trap. Be sure to buy original essays online that are not sold to anyone else.

5. Unusual Sources

If a student submits an essay that includes references or sources that are unusual or irrelevant to the topic, it may indicate that the essay was bought online.

For example, suppose a student submits an essay on the history of the United States and includes references to a Russian history book or a blog about football. In that case, likely, the student did not write the essay.

6. Unfamiliar vocabulary or syntax

If a student submits an essay that includes vocabulary or syntax that is unfamiliar to them, it may indicate that the essay was bought online.

Teachers are often familiar with their students’ writing styles and abilities and can easily detect if the student did not write the essay.

7. Lack of Personal Experience or Examples

A student submitting an essay without personal experience or examples may indicate that it was bought online. A student who has written an essay based on personal experience or research will likely include specific examples or details to support their arguments.

However, if the student has bought an essay online, it may not include personal experiences or examples, making it less convincing and less likely to receive a good grade.

In conclusion, teachers and professors have several ways of detecting students who buy essays online. Plagiarism detection software is the most common method.

Still, experienced teachers can also spot differences in writing style, inconsistencies in knowledge, unusual sources, unfamiliar vocabulary or syntax, and lack of personal experience or examples.

Safety Steps to Avoid Being Caught Buying Essays Online

Although buying essays online may be illegal in some countries, students find themselves looking for reliable writers to write for them. Here is how you find one:

1. Choose a reputable service provider

The first step is to choose a reputable service provider. Look for a company with a reputation for providing quality academic papers that have been in business for a while.

The secret is in reading reviews and testimonials from other clients who have used the service in the past. Checking the company’s policies and guarantees is vital to protect you if something goes wrong.

2. Use a VPN

One of the ways that universities and schools catch students who purchase essays online is by tracking their IP addresses. Therefore, using a virtual private network (VPN) effectively hides your IP address and makes it difficult for anyone to track your online activities.

A VPN encrypts your internet connection, making it hard for anyone to see your online activities.

Use a Secure Payment Method

Another safety step when buying essays online is using a secure payment method. Avoid using credit cards or other payment methods. This is because they can be that can be traced back to you.

Instead, consider using a digital currency such as Bitcoin prepaid card, which can be used anonymously.

Use a Fake Name and Email Address

When registering with an online essay writing service, use a fake name and email address. Such will make it hard for anyone to trace your online activities back to you.

However, remember the login credentials you use for the website since you will need them to access your paper once completed.

Do not Submit the Paper as your own work

Facing serious consequences is one of the biggest risks of buying essays online is the possibility of getting caught. You can overcome this trap by avoiding submitting the paper you receive from the essay writing service as your own work.

Use it as a guide or a reference for writing your paper. Alternatively, you can rewrite it in your own words. Doing so will make it hard for your tutor to tell you that it was from a different source.

Check the Paper for Plagiarism

Check it for plagiarism before submitting the paper you receive from the essay writing service. You can use many online tools, such as Turnitin and Grammarly.

Be sure to rewrite those parts of the paper in your own words if you find any plagiarism.

Keep the Paper Confidential

Keep the paper you get from the essay writing service confidential. Do not share it with anyone else because it increases the risk of getting caught.

If you need to discuss the paper with someone, do so in person or over the phone instead of by email or text message.

Cases in the News of Students Caught Buying Essays

A news article published by Business Insider on 19th May 2019 suggests many students depend on essay mills to complete their assignments. The news article indicated that contract cheating is becoming a common phenomenon whereby for every six students, one could have ever participated in contract cheating.

Furthermore, the article shows that it is becoming hard for universities to detect this cheating because most of the essay mills are using anti-plagiarism software to may their products plagiarism free. Also, essay writing services offer affordable services, attracting many students to cheat. Notably, the US and New Zealand have enacted legislation to prevent contract cheating.

On another note, there are newspaper reports which revealed that some students rely on essay writing services and get failing grades due to shoddy deals. Some essay mils give poor quality work, full of basic writing and composition errors.

The Guardian newspaper indicated that an independent body in the UK investigated these essay-writing services, revealing that some were producing substandard work. Generally, varying essay services would generally charge a paper based on length and agency.

The assessment by external examiners also revealed that most of the papers from these essay-writing mills work poorly.3.

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15% of students admit to buying essays. What can universities do about it?

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New research on plagiarism at university has revealed students are surprisingly unconcerned about a practice known as “contract cheating”.

The term “contract cheating” was coined in 2006 , and describes students paying for completed assessments. At that time, concerns over the outsourcing of assessments were in their infancy, but today, contract cheating is big business.

In 2017 alone, the UK’s Daily Telegraph reported more than 20,000 students had bought professionally written essays from the country’s two largest essay-writing services.

According to a 2018 study , as many as 31 million university students worldwide are paying third parties to complete their assessments. This staggering figure was drawn by reviewing 65 studies on contract cheating. Since 2014, as many as 15.7% of surveyed students admitted to outsourcing their assignments and essays.

The growth in contract cheating speaks volumes about the modern view of education as a commodity.

Read more: Buying essays: how to make sure assessment is authentic

Who’s cheating?

A recent survey , led by the University of South Australia, found international students demonstrated proportionately higher cheating behaviours. So did students who spoke a language other than English at home.

In 2013, a large online survey on academic honesty at six Australian universities found international students were significantly less aware of academic integrity processes, and much less confident about how to avoid academic integrity breaches.

A 2015 study of US student demand for commercially produced assignments found students with English as their first language who liked taking risks were about as likely to buy an assessment as students who were reluctant risk-takers, but who spoke English as a second language.

It’s no surprise that students whom we aggressively court for their higher fees and who are working in a less familiar language environment are turning to these services at higher rates.

A recent study on contract cheating in Australia concluded that the over-representation of non-native English speaking students in cheating surveys is linked to the failure of universities to provide support for language and learning development. Students are tasked with completing assessments for which they lack the basic English language skills.

What’s being done about it?

Widely used plagiarism-detection companies, such as Turnitin , can detect similarities to material that already exists. But essay-writing companies loudly promote the fact their product is original.

In February this year, Turnitin announced plans to crack down on contract cheating. Its proposed solution , authorship investigation, hopes to automate a process familiar to any human marker: detecting major shifts in individual students’ writing style that may point to help from a third party.

But despite these technological advancements, students who are turning to such services have reasons far more complicated than laziness or disregard for personal responsibility.

Read more: Universities run as businesses can't pursue genuine learning

Is it worth it?

Despite the moral panic over grades for cash, there’s some evidence to suggest students turning to essay mill services are not getting what they pay for. A 2014 mystery shopping exercise in the UK revealed the astonishingly low standard of commissioned work produced by essay mills. Of all the essays purchased, none received the requested grade, and many fell dramatically short of expected academic standards.

Rather than buying top grades, desperate students are being exploited by companies that take advantage of the very shortcomings (lower literacy and an ignorance of plagiarism protocols) students are hoping to mitigate.

One less obvious aspect of contract cheating that can’t be fixed by intelligent software is the predatory nature of essay mill companies. According to a 2017 study on cheating websites, commercial providers rely on persuasive marketing techniques. They often repackage an unethical choice in the guise of professional help for students who are weighed down by a demanding workload.

How can we discourage it?

In recent years, several scholars have explored the legality of contract cheating, along with the possibilities of defining a new offence under criminal law of providing or advertising contract cheating.

In 2011, for example, a law was introduced in New Zealand that makes it a criminal offence to provide or advertise cheating services. Yet the criminalisation of such services leads inevitably to the prosecution of cheating students, something the legal system has so far been reluctant to do.

But even discounting the possibility of legal action, plagiarism has hefty consequences for university students under misconduct policies, including revoking course credits, expulsion, and a permanent record of cheating.

Redesigning assessments is the primary way to tackle the growing problem of contract cheating. Recent suggestions focus on the development of authentic assessments: tasks that more closely mirror the real-world demands students will face after they graduate from university.

Rather than simply completing an essay, for example, a history student might be tasked with interviewing a local non-profit organisation, and producing a podcast episode.

Teachers who use authentic assessments hope to reduce cheating by tying learning to student’s hopes for their futures, but one obvious benefit is the difficulty of cheating in such individualised tasks. One key problem for overhauling assessment design is the troubling proliferation of casual labour in universities. The development of assessments is rarely, if ever, accounted for in casual teaching rates.

Turnitin works to reduce students’ work into patterns and algorithms, weeding out supposed cheats and frauds. But a more considered response must take into account the complex reasons students turn to these services in the first place.

Understanding why students are willing to pay for assessments might also illuminate a problem at the heart of tertiary education – one that is related to our present repackaging of knowledge as a resource to be bought, rather than an ennobling pursuit that is worthy of all the energy, time, and attention teachers and students can devote to it.

Read more: Assessment design won’t stop cheating, but our relationships with students might

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• What Constitutes Plagiarism?

In academic writing, it is considered plagiarism to draw any idea or any language from someone else without adequately crediting that source in your paper. It doesn't matter whether the source is a published author, another student, a website without clear authorship, a website that sells academic papers, or any other person: Taking credit for anyone else's work is stealing, and it is unacceptable in all academic situations, whether you do it intentionally or by accident.

The ease with which you can find information of all kinds online means that you need to be extra vigilant about keeping track of where you are getting information and ideas and about giving proper credit to the authors of the sources you use. If you cut and paste from an electronic document into your notes and forget to clearly label the document in your notes, or if you draw information from a series of websites without taking careful notes, you may end up taking credit for ideas that aren't yours, whether you mean to or not.

It's important to remember that every website is a document with an author, and therefore every website must be cited properly in your paper. For example, while it may seem obvious to you that an idea drawn from Professor Steven Pinker's book The Language Instinct should only appear in your paper if you include a clear citation, it might be less clear that information you glean about language acquisition from the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy website warrants a similar citation. Even though the authorship of this encyclopedia entry is less obvious than it might be if it were a print article (you need to scroll down the page to see the author's name, and if you don't do so you might mistakenly think an author isn't listed), you are still responsible for citing this material correctly. Similarly, if you consult a website that has no clear authorship, you are still responsible for citing the website as a source for your paper. The kind of source you use, or the absence of an author linked to that source, does not change the fact that you always need to cite your sources (see Evaluating Web Sources ).

Verbatim Plagiarism

If you copy language word for word from another source and use that language in your paper, you are plagiarizing verbatim . Even if you write down your own ideas in your own words and place them around text that you've drawn directly from a source, you must give credit to the author of the source material, either by placing the source material in quotation marks and providing a clear citation, or by paraphrasing the source material and providing a clear citation.

The passage below comes from Ellora Derenoncourt’s article, “Can You Move to Opportunity? Evidence from the Great Migration.”

Here is the article citation in APA style:

Derenoncourt, E. (2022). Can you move to opportunity? Evidence from the Great Migration. The American Economic Review , 112(2), 369–408. https://doi.org/10.1257/aer.20200002

Source material

Why did urban Black populations in the North increase so dramatically between 1940 and 1970? After a period of reduced mobility during the Great Depression, Black out-migration from the South resumed at an accelerated pace after 1940. Wartime jobs in the defense industry and in naval shipyards led to substantial Black migration to California and other Pacific states for the first time since the Migration began. Migration continued apace to midwestern cities in the 1950s and1960s, as the booming automobile industry attracted millions more Black southerners to the North, particularly to cities like Detroit or Cleveland. Of the six million Black migrants who left the South during the Great Migration, four million of them migrated between 1940 and 1970 alone.

Plagiarized version

While this student has written her own sentence introducing the topic, she has copied the italicized sentences directly from the source material. She has left out two sentences from Derenoncourt’s paragraph, but has reproduced the rest verbatim:

But things changed mid-century. After a period of reduced mobility during the Great Depression, Black out-migration from the South resumed at an accelerated pace after 1940. Wartime jobs in the defense industry and in naval shipyards led to substantial Black migration to California and other Pacific states for the first time since the Migration began. Migration continued apace to midwestern cities in the 1950s and1960s, as the booming automobile industry attracted millions more Black southerners to the North, particularly to cities like Detroit or Cleveland.

Acceptable version #1: Paraphrase with citation

In this version the student has paraphrased Derenoncourt’s passage, making it clear that these ideas come from a source by introducing the section with a clear signal phrase ("as Derenoncourt explains…") and citing the publication date, as APA style requires.

But things changed mid-century. In fact, as Derenoncourt (2022) explains, the wartime increase in jobs in both defense and naval shipyards marked the first time during the Great Migration that Black southerners went to California and other west coast states. After the war, the increase in jobs in the car industry led to Black southerners choosing cities in the midwest, including Detroit and Cleveland.

Acceptable version #2 : Direct quotation with citation or direct quotation and paraphrase with citation

If you quote directly from an author and cite the quoted material, you are giving credit to the author. But you should keep in mind that quoting long passages of text is only the best option if the particular language used by the author is important to your paper. Social scientists and STEM scholars rarely quote in their writing, paraphrasing their sources instead. If you are writing in the humanities, you should make sure that you only quote directly when you think it is important for your readers to see the original language.

In the example below, the student quotes part of the passage and paraphrases the rest.

But things changed mid-century. In fact, as Derenoncourt (2022) explains, “after a period of reduced mobility during the Great Depression, Black out-migration from the South resumed at an accelerated pace after 1940” (p. 379). Derenoncourt notes that after the war, the increase in jobs in the car industry led to Black southerners choosing cities in the midwest, including Detroit and Cleveland.

Mosaic Plagiarism

If you copy bits and pieces from a source (or several sources), changing a few words here and there without either adequately paraphrasing or quoting directly, the result is mosaic plagiarism . Even if you don't intend to copy the source, you may end up with this type of plagiarism as a result of careless note-taking and confusion over where your source's ideas end and your own ideas begin. You may think that you've paraphrased sufficiently or quoted relevant passages, but if you haven't taken careful notes along the way, or if you've cut and pasted from your sources, you can lose track of the boundaries between your own ideas and those of your sources. It's not enough to have good intentions and to cite some of the material you use. You are responsible for making clear distinctions between your ideas and the ideas of the scholars who have informed your work. If you keep track of the ideas that come from your sources and have a clear understanding of how your own ideas differ from those ideas, and you follow the correct citation style, you will avoid mosaic plagiarism.

Indeed, of the more than 3500 hours of instruction during medical school, an average of less than 60 hours are devoted to all of bioethics, health law and health economics combined . Most of the instruction is during the preclinical courses, leaving very little instructional time when students are experiencing bioethical or legal challenges during their hands-on, clinical training. More than 60 percent of the instructors in bioethics, health law, and health economics have not published since 1990 on the topic they are teaching.

--Persad, G.C., Elder, L., Sedig,L., Flores, L., & Emanuel, E. (2008). The current state of medical school education in bioethics, health law, and health economics. Journal of Law, Medicine, and Ethics 36 , 89-94.

Students can absorb the educational messages in medical dramas when they view them for entertainment. In fact, even though they were not created specifically for education, these programs can be seen as an entertainment-education tool [43, 44]. In entertainment-education shows, viewers are exposed to educational content in entertainment contexts, using visual language that is easy to understand and triggers emotional engagement [45]. The enhanced emotional engagement and cognitive development [5] and moral imagination make students more sensitive to training [22].

--Cambra-Badii, I., Moyano, E., Ortega, I., Josep-E Baños, & Sentí, M. (2021). TV medical dramas: Health sciences students’ viewing habits and potential for teaching issues related to bioethics and professionalism. BMC Medical Education, 21 , 1-11. doi: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-021-02947-7

Paragraph #1.

All of the ideas in this paragraph after the first sentence are drawn directly from Persad. But because the student has placed the citation mid-paragraph, the final two sentences wrongly appear to be the student’s own idea:

In order to advocate for the use of medical television shows in the medical education system, it is also important to look at the current bioethical curriculum. In the more than 3500 hours of training that students undergo in medical school, only about 60 hours are focused on bioethics, health law, and health economics (Persad et al, 2008). It is also problematic that students receive this training before they actually have spent time treating patients in the clinical setting. Most of these hours are taught by instructors without current publications in the field.

Paragraph #2.

All of the italicized ideas in this paragraph are either paraphrased or taken verbatim from Cambra-Badii, et al., but the student does not cite the source at all. As a result, readers will assume that the student has come up with these ideas himself:

Students can absorb the educational messages in medical dramas when they view them for entertainment. It doesn’t matter if the shows were designed for medical students; they can still be a tool for education. In these hybrid entertainment-education shows, viewers are exposed to educational content that triggers an emotional reaction. By allowing for this emotional, cognitive, and moral engagement, the shows make students more sensitive to training . There may be further applications to this type of education: the role of entertainment as a way of encouraging students to consider ethical situations could be extended to other professions, including law or even education.

The student has come up with the final idea in the paragraph (that this type of ethical training could apply to other professions), but because nothing in the paragraph is cited, it reads as if it is part of a whole paragraph of his own ideas, rather than the point that he is building to after using the ideas from the article without crediting the authors.

Acceptable version

In the first paragraph, the student uses signal phrases in nearly every sentence to reference the authors (“According to Persad et al.,” “As the researchers argue,” “They also note”), which makes it clear throughout the paragraph that all of the paragraph’s information has been drawn from Persad et al. The student also uses a clear APA in-text citation to point the reader to the original article. In the second paragraph, the student paraphrases and cites the source’s ideas and creates a clear boundary behind those ideas and his own, which appear in the final paragraph.

In order to advocate for the use of medical television shows in the medical education system, it is also important to look at the current bioethical curriculum. According to Persad et al. (2008), only about one percent of teaching time throughout the four years of medical school is spent on ethics. As the researchers argue, this presents a problem because the students are being taught about ethical issues before they have a chance to experience those issues themselves. They also note that more than sixty percent of instructors teaching bioethics to medical students have no recent publications in the subject.

The research suggests that medical dramas may be a promising source for discussions of medical ethics. Cambra-Badii et al. (2021) explain that even when watched for entertainment, medical shows can help viewers engage emotionally with the characters and may prime them to be more receptive to training in medical ethics. There may be further applications to this type of education: the role of entertainment as a way of encouraging students to consider ethical situations could be extended to other professions, including law or even education.

Inadequate Paraphrase

When you paraphrase, your task is to distill the source's ideas in your own words. It's not enough to change a few words here and there and leave the rest; instead, you must completely restate the ideas in the passage in your own words. If your own language is too close to the original, then you are plagiarizing, even if you do provide a citation.

In order to make sure that you are using your own words, it's a good idea to put away the source material while you write your paraphrase of it. This way, you will force yourself to distill the point you think the author is making and articulate it in a new way. Once you have done this, you should look back at the original and make sure that you have represented the source’s ideas accurately and that you have not used the same words or sentence structure. If you do want to use some of the author's words for emphasis or clarity, you must put those words in quotation marks and provide a citation.

The passage below comes from Michael Sandel’s article, “The Case Against Perfection.” Here’s the article citation in MLA style:

Sandel, Michael. “The Case Against Perfection.” The Atlantic , April 2004, https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2004/04/the-case-against-pe... .

Though there is much to be said for this argument, I do not think the main problem with enhancement and genetic engineering is that they undermine effort and erode human agency. The deeper danger is that they represent a kind of hyperagency—a Promethean aspiration to remake nature, including human nature, to serve our purposes and satisfy our desires. The problem is not the drift to mechanism but the drive to mastery. And what the drive to mastery misses and may even destroy is an appreciation of the gifted character of human powers and achievements.

The version below is an inadequate paraphrase because the student has only cut or replaced a few words: “I do not think the main problem” became “the main problem is not”; “deeper danger” became “bigger problem”; “aspiration” became “desire”; “the gifted character of human powers and achievements” became “the gifts that make our achievements possible.”

The main problem with enhancement and genetic engineering is not that they undermine effort and erode human agency. The bigger problem is that they represent a kind of hyperagency—a Promethean desire to remake nature, including human nature, to serve our purposes and satisfy our desires. The problem is not the drift to mechanism but the drive to mastery. And what the drive to mastery misses and may even destroy is an appreciation of the gifts that make our achievements possible (Sandel).

Acceptable version #1: Adequate paraphrase with citation

In this version, the student communicates Sandel’s ideas but does not borrow language from Sandel. Because the student uses Sandel’s name in the first sentence and has consulted an online version of the article without page numbers, there is no need for a parenthetical citation.

Michael Sandel disagrees with the argument that genetic engineering is a problem because it replaces the need for humans to work hard and make their own choices. Instead, he argues that we should be more concerned that the decision to use genetic enhancement is motivated by a desire to take control of nature and bend it to our will instead of appreciating its gifts.

Acceptable version #2: Direct quotation with citation

In this version, the student uses Sandel’s words in quotation marks and provides a clear MLA in-text citation. In cases where you are going to talk about the exact language that an author uses, it is acceptable to quote longer passages of text. If you are not going to discuss the exact language, you should paraphrase rather than quoting extensively.

The author argues that “the main problem with enhancement and genetic engineering is not that they undermine effort and erode human agency,” but, rather that “they represent a kind of hyperagency—a Promethean desire to remake nature, including human nature, to serve our purposes and satisfy our desires. The problem is not the drift to mechanism but the drive to mastery. And what the drive to mastery misses and may even destroy is an appreciation of the gifts that make our achievements possible” (Sandel).

Uncited Paraphrase

When you use your own language to describe someone else's idea, that idea still belongs to the author of the original material. Therefore, it's not enough to paraphrase the source material responsibly; you also need to cite the source, even if you have changed the wording significantly. As with quoting, when you paraphrase you are offering your reader a glimpse of someone else's work on your chosen topic, and you should also provide enough information for your reader to trace that work back to its original form. The rule of thumb here is simple: Whenever you use ideas that you did not think up yourself, you need to give credit to the source in which you found them, whether you quote directly from that material or provide a responsible paraphrase.

The passage below comes from C. Thi Nguyen’s article, “Echo Chambers and Epistemic Bubbles.”

Here’s the citation for the article, in APA style:

Nguyen, C. (2020). Echo chambers and epistemic bubbles. Episteme, 17 (2), 141-161. doi:10.1017/epi.2018.32

Epistemic bubbles can easily form accidentally. But the most plausible explanation for the particular features of echo chambers is something more malicious. Echo chambers are excellent tools to maintain, reinforce, and expand power through epistemic control. Thus, it is likely (though not necessary) that echo chambers are set up intentionally, or at least maintained, for this functionality (Nguyen, 2020).

The student who wrote the paraphrase below has drawn these ideas directly from Nguyen’s article but has not credited the author. Although she paraphrased adequately, she is still responsible for citing Nguyen as the source of this information.

Echo chambers and epistemic bubbles have different origins. While epistemic bubbles can be created organically, it’s more likely that echo chambers will be formed by those who wish to keep or even grow their control over the information that people hear and understand.

In this version, the student eliminates any possible ambiguity about the source of the ideas in the paragraph. By using a signal phrase to name the author whenever the source of the ideas could be unclear, the student clearly attributes these ideas to Nguyen.

According to Nguyen (2020), echo chambers and epistemic bubbles have different origins. Nguyen argues that while epistemic bubbles can be created organically, it’s more likely that echo chambers will be formed by those who wish to keep or even grow their control over the information that people hear and understand.

Uncited Quotation

When you put source material in quotation marks in your essay, you are telling your reader that you have drawn that material from somewhere else. But it's not enough to indicate that the material in quotation marks is not the product of your own thinking or experimentation: You must also credit the author of that material and provide a trail for your reader to follow back to the original document. This way, your reader will know who did the original work and will also be able to go back and consult that work if they are interested in learning more about the topic. Citations should always go directly after quotations.

The passage below comes from Deirdre Mask’s nonfiction book, The Address Book: What Street Addresses Reveal About Identity, Race, Wealth, and Power.

Here is the MLA citation for the book:

Mask, Deirdre. The Address Book: What Street Addresses Reveal About Identity, Race, Wealth, and Power. St. Martin’s Griffin, 2021.

In New York, even addresses are for sale. The city allows a developer, for the bargain price of $11,000 (as of 2019), to apply to change the street address to something more attractive.

It’s not enough for the student to indicate that these words come from a source; the source must be cited:

After all, “in New York, even addresses are for sale. The city allows a developer, for the bargain price of $11,000 (as of 2019), to apply to change the street address to something more attractive.”

Here, the student has cited the source of the quotation using an MLA in-text citation:

After all, “in New York, even addresses are for sale. The city allows a developer, for the bargain price of $11,000 (as of 2019), to apply to change the street address to something more attractive” (Mask 229).

Using Material from Another Student's Work

In some courses you will be allowed or encouraged to form study groups, to work together in class generating ideas, or to collaborate on your thinking in other ways. Even in those cases, it's imperative that you understand whether all of your writing must be done independently, or whether group authorship is permitted. Most often, even in courses that allow some collaborative discussion, the writing or calculations that you do must be your own. This doesn't mean that you shouldn't collect feedback on your writing from a classmate or a writing tutor; rather, it means that the argument you make (and the ideas you rely on to make it) should either be your own or you should give credit to the source of those ideas.

So what does this mean for the ideas that emerge from class discussion or peer review exercises? Unlike the ideas that your professor offers in lecture (you should always cite these), ideas that come up in the course of class discussion or peer review are collaborative, and often not just the product of one individual's thinking. If, however, you see a clear moment in discussion when a particular student comes up with an idea, you should cite that student. In any case, when your work is informed by class discussions, it's courteous and collegial to include a discursive footnote in your paper that lets your readers know about that discussion. So, for example, if you were writing a paper about the narrator in Tim O'Brien's The Things They Carried and you came up with your idea during a discussion in class, you might place a footnote in your paper that states the following: "I am indebted to the members of my Expos 20 section for sparking my thoughts about the role of the narrator as Greek Chorus in Tim O'Brien's The Things They Carried ."

It is important to note that collaboration policies can vary by course, even within the same department, and you are responsible for familiarizing yourself with each course's expectation about collaboration. Collaboration policies are often stated in the syllabus, but if you are not sure whether it is appropriate to collaborate on work for any course, you should always consult your instructor.

• The Exception: Common Knowledge
• Other Scenarios to Avoid
• Why Does it Matter if You Plagiarize?
• How to Avoid Plagiarism
• Harvard University Plagiarism Policy

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Is buying an essay online safe.

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As finals approach, it can feel tricky to squeeze more into your schedule. Essay assignments are a critical part of most students’ grades. So, despite the business, ensuring you are ready to hand in top-notch essays is key.

By now, everyone knows how online essay writing services help people . But, many students question whether they should buy essays online, and whether or not it is safe. For instance, what if you receive a paper that does not follow your instructions? How can you know that your identity stays confidential Or, what about plagiarism concerns?

First, buying essays online is safe, if you know what to look for.

If you are wondering whether it is safe to buy essays online, how to ensure your information is kept confidential, and how to avoid plagiarism, this post will cover what you need to know to stay safe.

Avoiding Plagiarism When You Buy Essays

Plagiarism is one of the main concerns students have when it comes to writing essays and considering whether to buy essay papers online. Plagiarism is a costly academic offense, which is why top essay writing services, such as Ultius, take it so seriously.

Starting a new essay free from plagiarism? Learn how to choose the best topic for your research paper.

Top quality essay writing services will provide 100% original, plagiarism-free essays. For instance, if you buy essay papers from a site like Ultius, your draft is run through plagiarism-checking software before it is delivered.

If you buy essays from a high-quality online essay service and are still concerned about plagiarism, you can always check your draft by running it through a program called “Copyscape.” Copyscape is an online plagiarism-detection software that checks your draft’s similarity with all other content available online.

Avoiding plagiarism by working with professionals

Ultimately, if you decide to purchase an essay online, you are much safer working with professional essay writers than getting an essay from a free service. This is because some free essay services actually reuse and recycle content. Contrary, high-quality essay sites only hire professional, highly-skilled writers to write each draft from scratch. Also, these top sites do not even allow their writers to plagiarize. If a writer is caught plagiarizing, they are immediately dismissed.

Keeping your Identity Private When You Buy Essays

Confidentiality is a big concern for many students who choose to buy essays online to save time and ensure they hand in a polished final draft.

For instance, knowing exactly where to buy term papers can seem tricky when you want to be sure everything is kept private. For students simply using a writing service to assist them in the learning, writing and editing process, exposing confidential information can be extremely damaging to one’s academic career. This is why top essay writing sites are careful to take every measure possible to protect clients’ personal information.

This is also why writing service sites such as Ultius use third-party vendors to process your payment information when you place an order. This means that your personal identifying information is not disclosed to your writing team or linked to the subject matter of your order. It also helps to ensure your payment details and financial information are securely and privately protected.

What If the Wrong Paper is Delivered?

Trusting a writing service when you buy academic essays can, no doubt, cause a little apprehension. Especially if it is your first time using an essay service. You might be a little nervous and want to make sure:

• Your writer follows instructions to a T
• Your writer is familiar with your topic and experienced in writing about the subject
• Knows where to find credible, recent sources
• That you will be able to request a revision if you are not happy with your draft
• Will be provided with a refund (or revision) if the wrong paper is delivered

These are all valid concerns, and a top tier writing service will connect you with a professional writer who is a match for your order. This means your writer will be able to:

• Follow all instructions
• Be experienced in your topic
• Find and correctly site recent, scholarly sources
• Directly message you through a message or chat platform to let you know if they have questions

Also, top writing sites will allow you to request a free revision (usually within a specified time frame) if you are not happy with your draft. And if the wrong paper is delivered, a top tier service will make the error right by providing a refund and/or the correct draft.

Still, finding the best essay writing service to fit your needs can take some careful thought, especially if you are needing help with a large project. If you have questions, consider calling the site’s customer service department to sort out any questions with a representative who can help.

Finding a Safe Writing Site You Trust

In review, here are 3 helpful tips to use as a guide when searching for the best place to buy essay papers online.

1) Make sure the service checks for plagiarism

If you are not sure if the writing service you are considering checks drafts for plagiarism, call the site’s customer service department and ask about their process.

2) Keep your identity confidential

A professional writing services should always keep your information 100% confidential. The only time you may be asked to disclose identifying information is to verify your identity for payment purposes, (which is to protect your identity and financial information from theft). But again, top sites like Ultius will use third party payment vendors to complete this step so that your identity still stays hidden from your writing team. We recommend to look for red flags in essay writing review .

3) Choose a top-tier writing service for safety and quality

Working with a top-tier writing service helps to ensure that:

• Your instructions are followed, on-point
• You receive the correct draft, written by a highly skilled writer
• Revisions are an option should any issues come up
• Your identity is protected
• Your draft is 100% original, and plagiarism-free

Ultius is a top-rated and reviewed professional essay writing service, and a great option for undergraduate and graduate students who buy essays online--and want to make sure they stay safe in the process.

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Millions of students are buying 'plagiarism-free' essays for as little as $13 — and it's nearly impossible for teachers to prove

• An estimated one in six students is buying school assignments from "essay mills" that claim to offer original, "plagiarism-free" essays, term papers, dissertations, and more for payments of as little as $13 per page.
• "We write your papers, you get top grades!" Extra Essay advertises on its website.

Lawmakers in the US and globally have recently started cracking down on contract-cheating services as their usage has proliferated.

• "There's a whole economy around this. Hundreds of millions of dollars are being spent on contract cheating," Bill Loller, the vice president of product management for the cheating-detection service Turnitin, said.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Millions of students are paying companies to complete their school work in a widespread epidemic known as contract cheating that has a potentially far greater reach than the recent US college-admissions scandal .

The companies that provide work for purchase are widely referred to as "essay mills." They claim to offer original, "plagiarism-free" essays, term papers, dissertations, speeches, and other assignments for payments of as little as $13 per page.

"We write your papers, you get top grades!" one of the companies, Extra Essay, advertises on its website.

Pay for Essay's website says: " No one will find out about you using our service. The whole world will think you write all assignments by yourself!"

The rise of contract cheating is a growing global phenomenon, with research suggesting that as many as one in six students — or an estimated 31 million — has engaged in the practice.

And it's more difficult to detect than plagiarism, which has become relatively easy to identify through the use of software programs such as Turnitin.

"There's a whole economy around this," said Bill Loller, the vice president of product management for Turnitin, which provides cheating-detection services to more than 18,000 institutions globally. "Hundreds of millions of dollars are being spent on contract cheating."

Ads for the services are showing up where students spend a lot of time: on YouTube , WhatsApp , LinkedIn, and other social-media and messaging apps. 

Some services offer to match customers' writing style, in an implicit — and sometimes explicit — promise to avoid detection.

"We offer the option to live chat with the chosen author who will make sure to take care of all your individual needs," Essay Service says on its website. "Now you can work directly with the paper writer to make sure that every given requirement is fulfilled while also mimicking your personal writing style!"

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Costs range from under $20 for a single-page assignment to hundreds of dollars for longer assignments due on short deadlines. 

BuyEssays.net, for example, charges $13 per page for an assignment with a two-week deadline, or $39 per page for an assignment due in four hours.  

New Zealand and several US states have implemented laws banning them. Similar legislation is being considered in Australia and Ireland.

University leaders in the UK last year urged the education secretary to make essay mills illegal, and the UK Advertising Standards Authority ruled in January that Oxbridge Essays, which says it has sold more than 70,000 essays, posted misleading claims on its website that its services are risk-free for students.

Detection is difficult, but proving cheating is harder

It's harder for teachers to detect contract cheating than other forms of cheating, such as plagiarism.

So Turnitin has updated its software to help identify signs that students purchased their assignments. 

The software detects inconsistencies in students' writing, such as the sudden appearance of Oxford commas or double spaces after periods in cases where students had previously used single spaces.

The software also analyzes the education level of the writing — from high-school level to the postgraduate one — and reads documents' metadata, which can reveal clues about unusual editing activity.

Loller said this is an effective strategy for identifying problematic essays. But there's a much bigger problem than detection, which is proving that a student actually cheated.

"There's all these little clues that point to contract cheating," Loller said. "But actually taking that to a conclusion and saying in some kind of quasi-judicial process that 'Hey, you cheated. And we know it.' That's very hard to do."

So, in some ways, contract cheating carries little risk. And if left unchecked, it could put the millions of students who complete their own schoolwork at a disadvantage.

Watch: Almost 80% of the textbook industry is dominated by 5 publishing companies that make books so expensive most students skip buying them

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Students Buying Essays?

So I was looking for some projects to fill my time between semesters, and I came across a post from a girl who wanted all of her notes and things from a semester of a Women’s Studies course read and organized into an essay. I was such a blockhead I submitted a proposal to do it. As she contacted me, and gave me a firm deadline of Friday at midnight, I got suspicious and asked what the project was for. Basically, she said, she wanted someone to write a summary of everything covered in the course to make sure she understood it and could decide if she wants to minor in Women’s Studies. Alarm bells finally went off and I asked her if it is an essay that will ever be turned in. She said no, but honestly she was going to pay me $300 for an essay that was just for her own personal use to “see” if she wants to take more WS classes? l had to reject it, even though the money would have been great. As a former professor and current TA for a professor who catches plagiarism on the daily, I couldn’t ethically do it. Are you other professors out there catching students who are buying papers from either essay services or commissioning them like this girl did on Upwork? I guess this means you actually have to catch them doing it. I am just finding more and more that students don’t care, and students with money are buying their way through. If anyone has an experience to share I would like to hear it.

What Percentage of Plagiarism is Generally Treated as Acceptable?

Key takeaways:.

• In academic writing, a similarity report showing less than 15-20% overlap is typically acceptable, as it accounts for common phrases and properly cited sources.
• Maintaining a low percentage of intellectual theft is crucial to ensure the originality and integrity of your work, emphasising the need for thorough citation and paraphrasing.
• Plagiarism violates ethics. Even minimal levels of unattributed borrowing can raise ethical concerns, highlighting the importance of adhering to strict citation practices.
• T he acceptable level of content duplication varies by context. For example, blogs might tolerate 10-15% similarity, while academic and professional fields demand stricter adherence to originality.

Plagiarism, the act of using someone else’s work or ideas without proper attribution, is a significant concern in academia, publishing, and various professional fields.

It shows contempt for the original creator’s intellectual property and damages the plagiarist’s credibility. It gets harder to tell the difference between original content and plagiarised work when digital information becomes more widely available.

This article looks into the various thresholds that apply to different industries, examines what percentage of plagiarism is generally treated as acceptable, and offers recommendations for upholding moral standards in content creation.

Defining Plagiarism

Plagiarism can take several forms, including direct copying, paraphrasing without attribution, and self-plagiarism . It encompasses:

• Direct Plagiarism : Verbatim copying of text without quotation marks or citation.
• Paraphrasing : Rewriting someone else’s ideas without proper attribution.
• Self-Plagiarism : Reusing one’s own previously published work without acknowledgment.
• Mosaic Plagiarism : Piecing together phrases and ideas from different sources without proper citations.
• Accidental Plagiarism : Unintended failure to cite original sources correctly.

What Percent of My Paper is Plagiarised?

Use an online plagiarism detector like Bytescare , Turnitin , or Grammarly to find out what proportion of your work is plagiarised.

These tools compare your paper against a vast database of online content and academic works and generate a similarity index, representing the percentage of the text that matches other sources. However, since common phrases and correctly attributed quotations might inflate the similarity score, this index does not necessarily clearly correlate with plagiarism in assignments.

Is 40 Percent Plagiarism Okay?

No, plagiarism of more than 40% is unacceptable. Such form of misconduct is a serious ethical violation. Even a small percentage of plagiarised content can lead to severe consequences, such as legal issues, loss of credibility, and academic or professional penalties.

Employers and educational institutions frequently make use of text matching detection techniques to verify the originality of submitted work.

High detection rates of text appropriation may lead to disciplinary penalties, such as dismissal or expulsion. It is essential to produce original content and properly cite all sources to maintain integrity and respect intellectual property.

Striving for zero content copying ensures that your work is truly your own and upholds the standards of honesty and respect in academic and professional settings. By properly citing sources and creating unique content, you contribute to a culture of fairness and respect for the work of others.

The acceptable percentage of plagiarism score varies depending on the context and the institution’s policies.

Here’s a breakdown of what is generally considered acceptable across different domains:

Academic Institutions

In academic settings, the tolerance for real plagiarism is extremely low, typically aiming for zero tolerance.

Real-time plagiarism detection techniques are used by universities and institutions to verify originality. There can be serious repercussions from even a tiny amount of duplicate content, such as failing the project, the course, or in extreme circumstances, being expelled.

Red flags should generally be raised by any similarity index greater than 10%–15%, though the acceptable threshold may change based on the assignment’s requirements and the institution’s regulations.

Publishing Industry

The standards for creativity are just as high in the publishing sector. Editors and publishers utilise plagiarism detection tools to make sure the work they publish is original and devoid of any clones.

Unintentional similarities or frequently used words may be tolerated to a limited extent, but any appreciable proportion of identical information is inappropriate and may result in fines, legal action, harm to one’s reputation, and financial penalties.

A similarity value of more than 5–10% is usually seen as worrisome and calls for a further examination.

Professional and Corporate Settings

In professional and corporate environments, the tolerance for copying can vary depending on the context and the industry.

For written reports, research, and creative content, originality is crucial, and text matching is often not tolerated.

In some cases, borrowing ideas or content might be acceptable with proper attribution and citations. However, blatant copying without acknowledgment can lead to disciplinary actions, job termination, and legal issues. Generally, companies aim for a low similarity index, often below 10-15%, to ensure the integrity and originality of their work.

In all settings, it’s essential to understand and adhere to specific guidelines and use proper citations to avoid the consequences of plagiarism.

Why Percentages Don’t Tell the Whole Story?

While plagiarism checkers are great resources for spotting possible problems, the percentage they produce shouldn’t be the exclusive measure of plagiarism . Here’s why:

• Context Matters: A 10% match in a factual report on historical events might be perfectly acceptable, referencing established knowledge. However, the same percentage in an essay with your own analysis would raise red flags.
• Nature of Similarity: Not every resemblance amounts to copying. Quoting directly with proper citation, using common phrases, or replicating established methodologies don’t necessarily constitute plagiarism
• Focus on Ideas: Plagiarism isn’t just about copying words. Presenting someone else’s ideas or research findings as your own, even if rephrased, is still considered intellectual theft.
• Quality of Sources: The originality of the sources used also matters. When a paper uses commonly accepted facts or standard definitions, it may exhibit a high percentage of similarity. These are facts that are frequently repeated across various sources and do not always imply dishonest behaviour.
• Subject Matter: Certain subjects, particularly those involving technical or scientific information, may inherently have less room for original expression. This can result in higher similarity percentages due to the necessity of using specific terminology and established facts.
• Partial Matches: Software might highlight partial matches that are not substantial enough to constitute copying. For example, a sentence structure or a few words might be similar to another source, but the overall content is still original.

To address these issues, educators should use plagiarism percentages as a starting point rather than a definitive measure.

A thorough review of the flagged content, considering the context, types of plagiarism , and the student’s intent, is essential for a fair and accurate assessment of academic integrity.

Providing students with education on proper research and citation practices can also help reduce unintentional copying.

Factors Influencing Acceptable Plagiarism Percentages

Several factors influence what is considered an acceptable level of content copying:

Context and Purpose

Academic Context : Educational institutions typically have strict plagiarism policies due to the emphasis on original thought and research integrity. Acceptable percentages are often very low, around 5-15%, to allow for common phrases or properly cited references.

Publishing Industry : Originality is paramount to avoid copyright infringement and maintain credibility. Acceptable percentages are generally under 10%, with strict scrutiny on any detected similarities.

Professional Settings : Acceptable level of plagiarism can vary widely depending on the nature of the work. For instance, technical reports may allow for more repeated technical jargon, while creative work requires near-total originality.

Nature of the Content

Technical vs. Creative Work : Technical documents might have higher acceptable percentages due to the use of standard terminologies and definitions, whereas creative or literary works demand higher originality.

Research Papers : Original research findings must be unique, but literature reviews may have a higher acceptable percentage due to the need to reference existing work.

Institutional Policies

Educational Policies : Different institutions set their own thresholds based on their academic integrity standards. Prestigious universities might have stricter policies compared to smaller colleges.

Corporate Policies : Companies may have internal guidelines on acceptable similarity levels, often influenced by industry standards and the potential impact on their reputation.

Type of Assignment or Publication

Formative vs. Summative Assignments : In academia, formative assignments (meant for learning and feedback) might tolerate slightly higher percentages compared to summative assessments (which contribute to final grades).

Draft vs. Final Submission : Initial drafts may have a more lenient threshold to encourage thorough review and improvement before final submission.

Online Plagiarism Detection Tools

Software Sensitivity : Different content matching detectors have varying sensitivities and algorithms, which can influence the acceptable percentage. Institutions or companies may calibrate their software to align with their specific standards.

Contextual Analysis : Some advanced tools provide contextual analysis, which can distinguish between proper citations and actual plagiarism, affecting the acceptable thresholds.

Field of Study or Industry

STEM vs. Humanities : STEM fields might encounter higher acceptable percentages due to the technical nature of the content, while humanities and social sciences require more original analysis and interpretation.

Legal and Financial Sectors : Industries where compliance and proprietary information are critical may have zero tolerance for any form of copying.

Reducing Plagiarism: Best Practices

To minimise the risk of plagiarism and maintain ethical standards, consider the following best practices:

Proper Citation and Referencing

Always cite external sources accurately, using the appropriate style guide (APA, MLA, Chicago, etc.). Ensure that all borrowed ideas, quotes, and data are properly attributed.

Paraphrasing Techniques

Develop strong paraphrasing skills to restate ideas in your own words while still giving credit to the original author. Avoid simply rearranging words or using synonyms.

Use Plagiarism Detection Tools

Regularly use plagiarism software to check your work for similarities. These tools can help identify unintentional plagiarism and ensure proper citation.

Maintain Research Integrity

Keep thorough notes during research, distinguishing between your ideas and those sourced from others. This practice helps in proper attribution of source material during writing.

Educate Yourself on Ethical Writing

Understanding the ethical implications of any form of plagiarism and the importance of originality can help in adhering to standards. Many institutions offer resources and workshops on academic integrity.

What’s Next?

In academic writing, a similarity report often shows a small percentage allowance for direct quotes and properly cited sources, typically under 15-20%. However, even minimal levels of uncredited copying can raise ethical concerns.

While some overlap is expected, especially in technical terms and common phrases, maintaining originality is crucial. Ethical writing practices demand rigorous citation and paraphrasing to avoid intellectual theft.

To ensure your work adheres to these standards, consider using a Bytescare plagiarism checker. Book a demo today to safeguard your academic integrity and avoid potential pitfalls related to content duplication.

Is 30 plagiarism too much?

Yes, a 30% similarity report is generally considered too high in most academic and professional contexts. It suggests a significant amount of unoriginal content, raising concerns about intellectual theft and ethical writing practices.

Is 0% plagiarism good?

A 0% similarity report indicates that all content is original and no text matches existing sources. While it is ideal, achieving 0% is rare, especially when using common phrases and technical terms. It is important to ensure that any reused material is properly cited.

How much plagiarism is allowed in blog?

In blogging, the acceptable similarity percentage varies, but it should ideally be under 10-15%. Original content is crucial for maintaining credibility and avoiding intellectual property issues. Proper citation and paraphrasing are essential.

A university student has a 61 similarity report Does this mean that she plagiarised or did she not?

A 61% similarity report is alarmingly high and strongly suggests that a substantial portion of the work is unoriginal. This likely indicates academic dishonesty or inadequate paraphrasing and citation, which needs to be addressed.

Is plagiarism accepted in programming?

No, plagiarism is not accepted in programming. Copying code without proper attribution is considered intellectual theft. While using libraries and frameworks is common, original work and proper citation are essential for ethical coding practices.

Is copying and pasting from a source you cited considered to be plagiarism?

Copying and pasting from a cited source without using quotation marks is still considered plagiarism. Proper attribution requires both citation and the use of quotation marks for direct quotes to distinguish original content from sourced material.

Further Reading

• How to Know Plagiarism Percentage? 
• What is Patchwork Plagiarism and How to Avoid it?
• How to Make Plagiarism Undetectable?
• What is Anti-Plagiarism?
• Plagiarism in Australian Universities
• Is Using AI Plagiarism? Does AI Plagiarise?
• What is a Good Plagiarism Score?
• How to Change Code to Avoid Plagiarism?
• How to Avoid Plagiarism Detection in Turnitin?

About the Author

Manish jindal.

Manish Jindal is a Co-Founder and COO of Bytescare, with expertise in investment banking and a CFA Charterholder. He actively advises startups, offering guidance in fundraising, team setup, and growth strategies.

Check latest articles from this author:

Word for word plagiarism: definition, example & prevention, why is plagiarism a violation of ethics, why is it important to avoid plagiarism in publishing.

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The Cultural Impact of “I’d Like to Buy the World a Coke”

This essay is about the cultural impact of the 1971 Coca-Cola advertisement, “I’d Like to Buy the World a Coke.” It explores how the ad transcended its commercial purpose, becoming a symbol of global harmony and unity during a time of social upheaval. The ad’s success lies in its innovative approach to marketing, prioritizing emotional resonance over direct salesmanship, and using music to foster a sense of community. The phrase from the ad became part of the cultural lexicon, illustrating the potential for commercial messages to influence societal values. The essay highlights how this advertisement revolutionized marketing and contributed to social dialogue, leaving a lasting mark on society.

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The iconic jingle “I’d Like to Buy the World a Coke” transcends its origins as a mere advertising slogan to become a cultural touchstone. This 1971 advertisement, produced by The Coca-Cola Company, resonates far beyond its commercial purpose. It serves as a reflection of the social dynamics, aspirations, and global consciousness of its time. The advertisement’s message of harmony and unity encapsulates a pivotal moment in history, capturing the zeitgeist of the early 1970s.

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