Students using online ‘essay mills’ to buy written work, study reveals

Students are turning to online “essay mills” to purchase written work which they then pass off as their own, a new study has found.

Researchers at the Scottish Centre for Crime and Justice Research, a collaboration among universities to produce research that informs policy, found hundreds of examples of online adverts targeting students in what is known as “contract cheating”. This is where suppliers offer to write assignments for around £5 per 250 words.

Co-authors of the study – Criminal Grades? Contract cheating and student exploitation in Higher Education – said this practice posed a risk to academic standards, integrity and exploitation and threatened universities and students alike. By researching 200 online adverts and profiles on Gumtree and Fiverr and 100 essay mill websites, they found the sales were “predatory in nature” and targeted vulnerable students.

Co-author Richard Kjellgren, of Stirling University, confirmed this activity has been seen in Scotland. He said previous studies have shown fraudulent providers blackmailing students by threatening to inform university staff of them purchasing content unless they receive more money.

The report said stress and pressure were common reasons behind why students were being driven to outsource assignments.

“Less formal supervision arrangements, partly due to Covid, and increasing levels of anxiety and uncertainty may also have contributed,” Mr Kjellgren added.

The research was unable to quantify the extent of contract cheating and how widespread experiences of blackmail and extortion were in Scotland.

The illicit nature of engaging with essay mills also made measuring the scale of the issue difficult, the report said.

It is understood the Scottish Government is now considering legislation that will ensure contract cheating services will not be driven out of England into neighbouring jurisdictions such as Scotland.

Increasing anxiety and uncertainty may also have contributed