Edubirdie is an online website that provides essay writing and academic assistance services to students globally. Founded in 2014, edubirdie quickly grew popular among students looking for help with academic assignments. The website also attracted significant controversy regarding the ethics of their business model. Let’s take a deeper look into edubirdie and examine both sides of this complex issue.
How Edubirdie Works
Edubirdie operates by connecting students who need writing help with freelance writers who can complete the requested tasks. Students sign up on the edubirdie website and create an order listing the details of their assignment such as topic, word count, formatting style, and deadline. They can also upload files with additional instructions or source materials.
Students then choose the type of service they need – whether it’s editing, proofreading, summary, or a full paper written from scratch. Pricing is determined based on academic level (high school, undergraduate, graduate), word count, and time deadline. Students pay in advance using a credit card or PayPal.
Once payment is received, the order is sent to edubirdie’s pool of freelance writers. Writers apply to complete the requested work and the student chooses which writer they want to work with based on their qualifications, experience, and pricing. The writer then researches, plans, and completes the paper by the agreed upon deadline. Students receive a plagiarism report and can request unlimited revisions within 10 days.
Controversy Around Edubirdie and “Academic Ghostwriting”
While convenient for students, edubirdie and similar services have attracted significant controversy regarding the ethics of their business model, which is viewed by critics as “academic ghostwriting.” The core issue is that edubirdie writers complete assignments that are then submitted by students under their own names. Critics argue this constitutes plagiarism, violates academic integrity policies, and deprives students of an actual learning experience.
Educational institutions universally forbid contract cheating and consider papers produced by third parties as violations of academic conduct policies, punishable by sanctions up to expulsion. Edubirdie and its defenders counter that students maintain ownership of completed works and are free to utilize them as reference materials while completing their own submissions.
A Factor in Rising Plagiarism?
Research suggests essay writing services may be contributing to higher plagiarism rates. A 2016 study analyzing 1.2 million student papers found that the percentage containing significant chunks of plagiarized content nearly doubled between 2011 and 2015. Edubirdie and similar companies are making it easier for students to bypass independent work. This is problematic because universities aim to evaluate each student’s individual skills and understanding.
Impact on Learning Outcomes
If students outsource assessment tasks to essay mills, it prevents them from gaining valuable experience in research, critical thinking, analysis and effective communication through their own efforts. Simply purchasing and submitting pre-written papers risks leaving graduates less prepared for future academic or career endeavors requiring independent scholarship and problem-solving abilities. Though convenient in the short term, reliance on essay mills may negatively impact long-term learning outcomes and skill development.
Supporters Counter Critiques
Supporters counter that not all edubirdie orders result in plagiarized papers. They emphasize the company provides options for paid reference materials like summaries, outlines or drafts that students can use for background info while completing their own submissions independently. Additionally, some note essay writing services expose inefficiencies in assessment practices that overly rely on individual assignments as proxies for learning, rather than more holistic evaluation of student progress.
Many students also argue they face unreasonable pressures balancing course loads, jobs and extracurriculars that services like edubirdie provide a time management solution for. Rather than accusing students, supporters say institutions should reconsider assessment policies and support structures that contribute to the demand for essay mills.
Overall, there are fair points on both sides of this issue. While essay writing companies conflict with academic integrity, universities also shoulder some responsibility for environments pressuring students into using those services. A balanced, nuanced discussion is needed to protect scholarly standards while also supporting student well-being. Outright professional plagiarism clearly violates the principles of higher learning.
Edubirdie presents a complex controversy at the intersection of academic standards, student stress, and the new possibilities of the online marketplace. As with many ethical dilemmas, reasonable people of good faith can disagree on this issue. But overall, higher education must strive to develop assessment practices that boost learning while safeguarding academic integrity.