How has the contract cheating industry been changing in light of the gig economy, often characterised by low paid flexible working? This talk explores the world of essay mills, with particular reference to work on the academic writers who are keeping the industry moving, revealing that the pay is low and that students choosing to contract cheat may not be hiring the writers who they think they are.

1. Contract Cheating In The
Gig Economy
Dr Thomas Lancaster
http://thomaslancaster.co.uk
International Center for Academic Integrity Annual Conference
New Orleans, LA, USA
Friday, 8 March 2019

2. Background

3. Contract Cheating
A student pays or engages a
third party to create their
academic work for them
(or attempts to do so)

4. Dr Thomas Lancaster
Senior Teaching Fellow (Student Support) at Imperial College London, UK
Computer Scientist, interested in ethics and professionalism
Researcher of academic integrity subjects since 2000
PhD in plagiarism detection
‘Discovered’ contract cheating
Tweet to me:
@DrLancaster
#contractcheating

5. Commentator on
sensationalism?

6. https://www.wired.co.uk/article/uk-university-essay-cheating-spam
“You know car
dealers, drug dealers?
I’m an essay dealer.” “Some of them can’t find a good
job. They want to sit at home and
just write some essays and this way
can help them afford their
expenses. People like me provide
the employment opportunity for
them.”
Essay dealer claims to have started at university,
now oversees 80 writers, collectively earning
around $300,000 USD per year (or $3750 USD each)

7. https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/students-lured-life-cheating-ghostwriters-13313704

8. We have only just begun to talk
about the ghost writers…
…but to address contract cheating, we need to know:
• who are these firms and individuals?
• why are they willing to help students to cheat?
• how do they advertise to students?
• why do students use these services?
• how can we address the supply side of the market?

9. Some Sources
My Research Papers
Lancaster, T. (2018). Profiling the international academic ghost writers who
are providing low-cost essays and assignments for the contract cheating
industry. Journal of Information, Communication and Ethics in Society,
https://doi.org/10.1108/JICES-04-2018-0040.
Lancaster, T. (2019). The emergence of academic ghost writers from India in
the international contract cheating industry, International Journal of Indian
Culture and Business Management, http://10.1504/IJICBM.2019.10016671 (in
press).
My Blog
http://thomaslancaster.co.uk/blog
For instance - How Kenya Now Leads The World In Enabling Contract
Cheating
My Slide Archive
https://www.slideshare.net/thomaslancaster
And my own experience researching and working in this field since the early
part of the century

10. The Writers

11. student writer

12. student writer
black box
What really goes on here?

13. Groups of
Writers internationally
qualifiedstudent
peers
would-be
academics
the desperate
careerists
friends and
family
business
opportunistsaccidental
previous
graduates
Lancaster, T. (2018). Profiling the international academic ghost writers who are providing low-
cost essays and assignments for the contract cheating industry. Journal of Information,
Communication and Ethics in Society, https://doi.org/10.1108/JICES-04-2018-0040.

14. Groups of
Writers internationally
qualifiedstudent
peers
would-be
academics
the desperate
careerists
friends and
family
business
opportunistsaccidental
previous
graduates
Lancaster, T. (2018). Profiling the international academic ghost writers who are providing low-
cost essays and assignments for the contract cheating industry. Journal of Information,
Communication and Ethics in Society, https://doi.org/10.1108/JICES-04-2018-0040.

15. “I wrote many works
for other students, also
at high school, it’s very
often”
Final SEEPPAI Report
http://www.plagiarism.cz/seeppai Comment From A South East Europe Focus Group
Students Write For
Other Students

16. https://cheatingandassessment.edu.au
Non-commercial
Many people have a vested interest in
ensuring that students do not fail

17. Money Does Not Always Change Hands

18. What About Paid Contract
Cheating?

19. For Some It Is A Growing Business
https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/2187421/meet-homework-guns-hire-helping-international-students-cheat
Link between Hong Kong writers and UK students
Students pay $300 USD for a 2000 word essay
Writer receives $160 USD
Owners receive $140 USD

20. Customer Paid $165 USD
Kenyan Writer Paid $18 USD
https://toronto.citynews.ca/2019/02/19/cheating-at-u-of-t
“The promise was that I work for him,
then he can send me a formal job
offer for me to immigrate to Canada.”

21. Is the money good?
The Gig Economy is at work

22. Most Contract
Cheating Can Be
Available Very
Cheaply
(Or For Free)

23. Low End Workers In
Essay Factories Paid $4
USD For 2000 Words
http://thomaslancaster.co.uk/blog/buy-an-essay-essay-mills-and-
contract-cheating-pricing

24. Pay in
Pakistan
from $84
USD per
month
(less for interns)

25. You Can
Buy A Lot
For $5 USD

26. The “Gig” Economy

27. gig
economy
competitive
flexible
cheap
exploitative
on-demand
entrepreneurial
unprotected
convenient
self-
employed

28. Gig Economy Companies

29. What Service Can You Buy
For $5 USD?

31. Sample ‘Gig’

32. The Providers On Fiverr.com
The typical active provider has generated $2812.50 USD of revenue (93
of these providers identified)
Typical price point $31.73 USD per 1,000 words (but can be cheaper)
Teams operate on Fiverr.com and there are links to essay mills
Non-essay assessments available, including business plans, homework
exercises, presentation slides and personal statements
Typical provider locations Kenya, USA, Pakistan, India

33. Other Services

34. Would you
compete
to work?

35. Alternative Site (Preview)
Freelancer.com – providers bid to complete jobs for customers
20 prolific providers from India identified, had each completed an
average of 176.3 academic writing projects
Majority of customers from USA, UK and Australia (163 out of 301
unique customers from recent projects)
Many have repeat customers (and keep the project information
private)
Average price point $29.44 USD per 1,000 words
Lancaster, T. (2019). The emergence of academic ghost writers from India in the international
contract cheating industry, International Journal of Indian Culture and Business Management,
http://10.1504/IJICBM.2019.10016671 (in press).

36. General Observations
The contract cheating
industry through
outsourcing sites is well-
developed, with local
arrangements in place
The pricing of
assignments is low and
affordable by students
(and their supporters)
Providers claim to be
highly qualified,
including MBAs, PhDs
and international
qualifications
All indications are that
writers can turnaround
assignments quickly,
displaying only
superficial knowledge

37. What Should We Do?

38. Solutions
Work with staff
to remove the
false idea that
contract
cheating is
expensive

39. Operation
Continue the research to investigate how the
essay industry operates, so that we can
disrupt the services

40. Career
Address why the essay
industry is looked on by
many as providing such
a desirable career

41. Are All Subjects
The Same?
Continue contract
cheating research at a
discipline specific level

42. Interventions
Put better support in place
for those groups who are
most at risk of targeted
advertising

43. “Jazz Up” Academic
Integrity
Work with students so they see
academic integrity as a desirable
development that they want to be
involved with – not a mandatory
hurdle that they have to pass

44. Connect With Me
My Email: thomas@thomaslancaster.co.uk
My Website: http://thomaslancaster.co.uk
My Blog: http://thomaslancaster.co.uk/blog
My LinkedIn:
https://uk.linkedin.com/in/thomaslancaster
My Twitter: @DrLancaster
Slide Archive:
http://www.slideshare.net/ThomasLancaster