Getting essays written for you is essentially having someone else complete your academic assignments. While this may seem like an easy way out, there are several important considerations to keep in mind regarding the ethics and legality of using essay writing services.
Ethical Concerns
The biggest ethical concern with having another person write your essays is that it constitutes plagiarism and academic dishonesty. When you pay someone else to complete an assignment that is supposed to represent your own original work and thinking, you are essentially stealing that work and passing it off as your own. This undermines the integrity and purpose of higher education.
Most academic institutions have clear policies prohibiting plagiarism and considering it a form of academic dishonesty. Getting caught submitting work that is not fully your own can result in punishments ranging from failing the assignment, to failing the course, to even getting expelled from your program in serious cases. Having someone else do substantial portions of your work violates the trust between students and their institutions.
Some argue that paid essay writing services only provide guidance and research help rather than fully completed essays. While this reduces the ethical concerns to an extent, most schools still prohibit receiving significant amounts of direct assistance from third parties on work meant to be individual. There are also concerns about companies that allow broad resubmission rights, as this indirectly supports passing off others’ work as one’s own.
Quality and Accuracy Concerns
Beyond ethics, there are quality concerns with essays written by third parties. While some commercial services employ writers with advanced degrees, the quality is still unlikely to match work genuinely researched and composed by the student. Ghostwritten essays often contain inaccuracies, poor argumentation, weak analytical skills, unoriginal thinking, or inconsistencies that reveal the work was not genuinely the student’s own.
Teachers and professors are experienced in spotting writing styles and capabilities inconsistent with a particular student. A ghostwritten paper risks getting caught due to differences from the student’s usual work, weak comprehension of the assigned topic, or containing content a student would be unlikely to find on their own. This can damage credibility with instructors.
Reliability and Customer Service Issues
There are also reliability issues involved with commercial essay writing services. While some established companies aim to provide quality, original content on deadline, others may miss deadlines, recycle content, or produce subpar work. Customer service and refund policies also vary – dissatisfied customers sometimes report difficulties receiving refunds or resolving issues.
Students should be aware the market is unregulated. Companies can change practices or disappear overnight, leaving customers in the lurch. Papers may be churned out too quickly by underqualified writers under pressure to meet demand. Grammatical errors, formatting inconsistencies, weak structure, lack of analysis or synthesis of sources are common problems reported by those who have used essay writing services.
Legality and University Rules
The legal status of paid essay writing also varies in different jurisdictions. In some places, it may be considered a form of fraud or academic dishonesty carrying legal penalties. Legal issues are less clear-cut than ethics. The intent of most relevant laws is likely to address deception rather than paid assistance itself.
Regardless of legality, every academic institution prohibits plagiarism and submitting work that is not fully a student’s own. Turning in ghostwritten papers violates university honor codes and policies on academic integrity. Students who get caught risk failing grades, suspension, or even expulsion. This can seriously damage academic and future career prospects. Even if legal, essay writing services clearly violate policies at virtually all schools.
Alternatives to Consider
Rather than risking these serious ethical, quality and policy issues, students struggling with writing assignments have better options. Speaking to professors and teaching assistants for guidance, availing of campus writing centers, or carefully managed peer workshops are better for improving skills and getting feedback within policy. If necessary due to personal issues, medical reasons or disabilities, students can also explore special extensions or alternatives through their school’s academic support services.
While the temptation to outsource work is understandable, the potential costs far outweigh benefits. Higher education aims to develop each student’s independent thinking, research and communication abilities. Relying on others to do your work undermines this crucial learning process. With proper time management, support from instructors, and focus on individual advancement, most students can succeed by their own efforts within policy.
While essay writing services may seem to offer a quick fix, they involve serious ethical, quality, reliability and policy concerns not worth the risks. Students are best served developing their abilities through legitimate support and by submitting fully their own, original work as assigned. Taking shortcuts often does more harm than good in an academic setting.