Essay Writer Sites: The Pros and Cons
With college becoming more stressful and demanding than ever, it’s no surprise that students are looking for help wherever they can find it. One option that has grown in popularity over the years are essay writing services, also known as essay writer sites. These companies allow students to pay someone else to write academic papers for them. There are important pros and cons to consider before deciding to use an essay writer site.
How Essay Writer Sites Work
Essay writer sites operate by connecting students who need papers written with freelance writers who are willing to take on writing assignments. The process generally works as follows:
A student visits an essay writing site, describes the paper they need help with by providing details like the topic, word count, citation style required, and deadline.
The site then makes the order available for writers to bid on. Writers review the order details and specify how much they would charge to complete the paper.
The student selects a writer and makes a payment, usually through a secure system like PayPal. Payments are released to writers in increments, such as 50% upfront and 50% upon submission.
The writer then researches, plans, and writes the paper from scratch to the student’s specifications. During this process, the student and writer can communicate through a messaging system on the site.
Once completed, the paper is submitted through the site’s platform. The student reviews it and can request revisions if needed.
Upon approval, the final payment is released to the writer. The student then downloads the paper, often with rights to submit it unchanged as their own work.
Pros of Using Essay Writer Sites
Convenience – One of the biggest draws of essay writing services is convenience. Students can get papers written for them quickly without having to do the work themselves. This allows them to balance school with jobs, families and other responsibilities.
Subject matter experts – Professional writers specialize in certain subjects and have experience producing papers on a wide range of topics. Students benefit from the writers’ existing knowledge and research skills.
Quality control – Reputable essay sites employ extensive vetting processes for writers, who must pass tests to prove their skills. The best sites guarantee papers are original, plagiarism-free, and meet the stated requirements. Poor quality work is flagged and writers can lose their accounts.
Affordability – While it still costs money, essay writing services are often cheaper than the time commitment of doing extensive research and writing yourself. Their per-page rates also compare favorably to those of private tutors or freelance writers found independently.
Anonymity – When a paper is purchased, no one needs to know. The transaction occurs online between the student and writer only. This appeals to those concerned about academic integrity or simply wanting help discretely.
Cons of Using Essay Writer Sites
Unethical and violates policies – Most schools explicitly ban contracted third parties from completing coursework. Students risk consequences like failure, suspension or expulsion if papers are deemed to not be their own work.
Quality is not guaranteed – While reputable sites conduct screening, not all writers they hire will produce exemplary papers every time. Work could fall short of the student’s standards and needs revisions. There are also fake essay mills.
May not learn material – Just submitting a purchased paper does not equate to learning or mastery of the subject matter. This could hinder students if they are tested on the same topics later on without a solid understanding.
Expense adds up – The cost per paper may start reasonably, but with mounting assignments, costs can rapidly exceed what students budgeted or can afford. Financial aid may also not cover such expenses.
Danger of being caught – Technological advances make submitted papers more detectable as potentially purchased if they are checked against databases of online material. Turnitin and other programs can spot unusual writing patterns or passages copied word-for-word.
Public concerns – A growing number of educators and lawmakers see essay writing services as enabling plagiarism and undermining academic integrity. Stricter regulations may be imposed that restrict or outlaw their use by students.
Ethical Considerations
Overall, there are good arguments on both sides of whether contracting essay writing is acceptable. It comes down to weighing personal situations and understanding consequences. Key points for students to consider seriously include:
Their school’s explicit policies on academic honesty, and potential penalties for violations.
How using pre-written papers by others aligns with their own values of scholarship and principles of learning.
Whether the expense could be better spent on a private tutor for guidance versus a completed assignment.
If particular classes and subjects matter less or if understanding is not integral to their intended career path.
Options like requesting paper outlines or preliminary drafts from writers instead of finished products.
While convenience is appealing, higher education aims to cultivate independent thinking, research skills, time management, and mastery of content – not just completion of tasks. For committed students, it is usually better to find approved support structures than circumvent critical learning periods or risk serious disciplinary outcomes down the road due to plagiarism. Nonetheless, life complications do arise and essay writing services remain a tempting shortcut for those in need. An earnest evaluation of pros and cons unique to each student situation is prudent before deciding.
Overall, essay writing services are a complex issue with fair arguments on both sides. The decision ultimately depends on weighing personal needs and circumstances against principles of academic integrity. For the conscientious student, alternatives like tutors, instructors or campus writing centers are usually preferable to contracted third parties completing schoolwork from start to finish. Essay sites certainly fulfill a demand, and regulated versions may have ethical roles to play for specific supplementary uses depending on individual school policies as well. As with any resource, essay writer sites are best considered judiciously with full awareness of benefits, limitations, and any associated responsibilities.
Andrew Stroud