Students get academics to write essays for €50 an hour

A proliferation of online services for third-level students offering “pay as you go” essays has prompted universities to review their policies against plagiarism, write Joe Humphreys and Michael O’Byrne for The Irish Times.

Dublin City University is one of a number of institutions that are altering their methods of assessment, in tandem with the roll-out of “cut-and-paste” detection software, to combat the threat of academic fraud. The Irish Times has identified a number of Irish students using websites such as Odesk.com and Elance.com where they have posted ads seeking freelance academics to write essays for them at a rate of up to €50 (US$54) an hour.

An Irish website writemyassignments.com says it has enjoyed “a growing demand from Irish students which is increasing year on year”. Like the other sites, however, it says it does not support plagiarism but rather offers academic assistance, including sample essays that should be referenced as such by students.
Full report on The Irish Times site