[Goober5000]

Interesting article about a guy who writes term papers for a living.  I had no idea it was this widespread.

The request came in by e-mail around 2 in the afternoon. It was from a previous customer, and she had urgent business. I quote her message here verbatim (if I had to put up with it, so should you): "You did me business ethics propsal for me I need propsal got approved pls can you will write me paper?"

I've gotten pretty good at interpreting this kind of correspondence. The client had attached a document from her professor with details about the paper. She needed the first section in a week. Seventy-five pages.

I told her no problem.

It truly was no problem. In the past year, I've written roughly 5,000 pages of scholarly literature, most on very tight deadlines. But you won't find my name on a single paper.

I've written toward a master's degree in cognitive psychology, a Ph.D. in sociology, and a handful of postgraduate credits in international diplomacy. I've worked on bachelor's degrees in hospitality, business administration, and accounting. I've written for courses in history, cinema, labor relations, pharmacology, theology, sports management, maritime security, airline services, sustainability, municipal budgeting, marketing, philosophy, ethics, Eastern religion, postmodern architecture, anthropology, literature, and public administration. I've attended three dozen online universities. I've completed 12 graduate theses of 50 pages or more. All for someone else. ...

Full article: http://chronicle.com/article/The-Shadow-Scholar/125329/

[Scotty]

I'll reserve judgement for now, but this rubs me the wrong way just from that introduction you posted.  Who on Earth deserves to be credited with writing these research papers and theses and such without doing the work?

[General Battuta]

Why reserve judgment? It's cheating.

Just don't necessarily judge the guy in this column. He's providing a service. It's the demand that's troubling.

[Kolgena]

This is actually surprisingly bad in China, and is the main reason other countries review Chinese PhD's with skepticism, or occasionally, dismiss them as worthless.

The problem is that with widespread cheating, the people who wrote legit papers and got legit degrees get boned over as well. That's what really irks me. It builds disincentive into the system NOT to cheat.

[FUBAR-BDHR]

Saw this a while back on CNN.  Apparently there is a whole industry for this.  It's very widespread.  Most of it is done in other countries over the net.  What it boils down to is people in those countries are used to this kind of thing while writing papers is something you never really do until college here so people freak, put them off to the last minute, and pay someone else.  Quite a bit come of these papers come out of India, Japan, and China.  Kara's probably teaching some future term paper writers right now.  

[Bobboau]

I now have an urge to make up a web site advertising these services that will forward all correspondences to the ethics department of the school in question, then liter material advertising these services on the campus.

[Androgeos Exeunt]

Kara's probably teaching some future term paper writers right now.  

That's ... troubling to know.

[Bobboau]

"One hour later, I received another message:

"did u get the sorce I send

please where you are now?

Desprit to pass spring projict"

Not only was this student going to be a constant thorn in my side, but she also communicated in haiku"

oh lord

[karajorma]

Kara's probably teaching some future term paper writers right now.

Maybe if I was in a better university.


But yeah, if you think cheating is bad there, I've seen worse here.

[Bob-san]

I'll reserve judgement for now, but this rubs me the wrong way just from that introduction you posted.  Who on Earth deserves to be credited with writing these research papers and theses and such without doing the work?

That guy would make a fortune if he wrote a book (or a few books) on how to write college+ level papers.

[Polpolion]

I'll reserve judgement for now, but this rubs me the wrong way just from that introduction you posted.  Who on Earth deserves to be credited with writing these research papers and theses and such without doing the work?

That guy would make a fortune if he wrote a book (or a few books) on how to write college+ level papers.

Makes me wonder how much that would cut into his profits from the actual college papers. Probably wouldn't be much, unless he's writing about time management and stuff, but still I wonder.

[StarSlayer]

Hold on now, was English supposed to be the quoted client's first language?  

I find that just as troubling as the fact that people would be cheating, I mean how do you get into college despite being a mostly illiterate halfwit?  It would be bad enough if they where competent but lacked the moral fiber to not cheat, it's another thing entirely if their somehow progressing through school and earn degrees despite being an imbecile.  **** what happens when they get into the real world?  

[karajorma]

They go into politics.

[iamzack]

They get elected president twice.

[Kolgena]

They get redoublelected president.

fix'd

[karajorma]

They get elected president twice.

Well Quayle only got one term as Vice President. So some of them are still underachievers.

[IceFire]

Each essay in university I worked my ass off for. Especially because essay writing doesn't come easily to me... it's sometimes a few sentences per hour plus a ton more research in between and some distracted attentions. Difficult ... but I did it on my own. This level of cheating is just unbelievable... but at the same time I believe it. I've dealt with academic dishonesty investigations with some online stuff... There are logs for those

[MR_T3D]

Man, studying engineering is so much harder, because instead of these 'term papers' I have to learn **** and do exams.

[Klaustrophobia]

Saw this a while back on CNN.  Apparently there is a whole industry for this.  It's very widespread.  Most of it is done in other countries over the net.  What it boils down to is people in those countries are used to this kind of thing while writing papers is something you never really do until college here so people freak, put them off to the last minute, and pay someone else.  Quite a bit come of these papers come out of India, Japan, and China.  Kara's probably teaching some future term paper writers right now.  

even if you've never done it before, writing a paper isn't hard to learn.  if you can't do it, you've got no business even having graduated high school.  it's even worse for graduate students not to be able to.  there's just no excuse for this, either the students or the writer.  i blame them both equally.  maybe even the writer moreso.  he's the academic equivalent of a hitman.

But yeah, if you think cheating is bad there, I've seen worse here.

have i told stories about my online humanities class yet?

Man, studying engineering is so much harder, because instead of these 'term papers' I have to learn **** and do exams

(i don't really think ALL non-technical study is useless, but some of the **** i've seen in the humanities here truly frightens me)

[karajorma]

have i told stories about my online humanities class yet?

Try your best. I suspect I can beat it.