Reading student essays is usually a pleasure for writing teachers, especially when students research fresh topics, argue effectively, or share original points of view; occasionally, however, it is not so easy. Back in 2013 I blogged twice on ghost writing at universities, having been interviewed about it by a Daily Star reporter then. Now in 2018, despite greater awareness and heightened vigilance by teachers and other stakeholders, the spectre of ghost writing continues to rear its ugly head. The ghost writers have picked up on the fact that many teachers require “process” submissions rather than merely a satisfactory “product”, so they have adapted their work accordingly.
To what extent these unscrupulous individuals (and companies) are now outmanoeuvring experienced writing teachers remains a mystery. It appears that some invisible writers do nothing else for a living, so they do their work very “professionally”, if you will excuse the expression. The Daily Star last year reported again on the issue under the title “The Lucrative Business of Selling Essays”:
The ghost writer was quick to add that the projects would be done in a way that would not raise any questions from professors. “We give you things step by step and we upload [the work] to ‘Turnitin’ [an online tool used by universities and students globally to check for plagiarism]. We’ve been doing this for 10 years, it is guaranteed and confidential.” (reported by Ghinwa Obeid)
Universities such as AUB penalize plagiarized and inauthentic student writing very heavily, with assessments ranging from a zero on the essay to a zero on the course, including the possibility of a dean’s warning, suspension or expulsion. The pressure on students to achieve high grades is high, but the risk is higher. If you are a student under pressure, my advice is to do your own work properly and not take the risk. It isn’t worth it.
And teachers beware: the ghost writers seem to have become slyer than ever!
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