Ultius is a ghostwriting company that provides writing services on a wide range of topics. Founded in 2010 and headquartered in Tacoma, Washington, Ultius works with thousands of freelance writers from across the globe to complete custom writing projects for clients. While some criticize Ultius and similar companies for facilitating academic dishonesty, Ultius maintains that they aim to help clients with writing tasks and stay within legal and ethical guidelines. This article will provide an in-depth overview of Ultius, how they operate their writing services, quality control measures, client reviews, and perspectives on ghostwriting ethics.
Business Model and Services
Ultius operates an online platform where clients can request writing help on various projects including essays, research papers, blog posts, marketing copy, resumes/CVs, and more. Clients begin by describing their assignment on the Ultius site, including parameters like academic level or word count. Freelance writers then bid on completed the work, providing samples and qualifications. Ultius vets writers and works to match clients with writers who have suitable expertise and background for the requested topic.
Once a writer is selected, they work directly with the client to understand the assignment and deliver a draft within the agreed upon timeline, usually 1-3 days. Clients can provide feedback, request revisions, or accept the completed work. Ultius guarantees revision requests and offers refunds if clients are dissatisfied. For routine assignment types like essays and research papers, Ultius also offers same-day and next-day delivery options for an added cost.
Pricing depends on factors like academic level, word count, deadline, and type of work. On average, clients can expect to pay between $10-$30 per page for typical student assignments. More advanced graduate level work and very short turnarounds command higher rates. Ultius also publishes current writer rates on their site, usually $10-$25 per 1,000 words depending on experience and qualifications. Overall, Ultius aims to provide a transparent, competitively priced option compared to independent providers.
Quality Control
As a large company connecting many clients and writers, quality control is a major priority for Ultius. All prospective writers must apply, submit qualifications like degrees earned, and samples of previous work. Ultius reviews applications and samples to assess writing and subject matter expertise.
Once hired, writers are monitored with plagiarism detection software and periodically required to resubmit samples for quality reviews. Ultius is able to track metrics like order completion rate, client feedback, revision requests and more to evaluate individual writers on an ongoing basis. Writers that do not maintain high standards can be dropped from the platform.
Every completed work is put through extensive quality checks by Ultius editors before delivery to clients. This includes matching the content to assignment details, formatting reviews, citation checking, and plagiarism scans. On occasion, work may require rewrites if it does not meet internal standards. By maintaining multilayer quality protocols, Ultius aims to consistently provide high-quality, original custom writing.
Client Reviews and Perspectives
Looking at customer reviews on sites like TrustPilot and SiteJabber provides a sense of Ultius’s reputation and satisfaction levels from a client perspective. Ultius has accumulated over 13,000 reviews on these sites combined with an average 4-star rating. Positive feedback cites timely delivery, positive communication with writers, satisfaction with end products, and ease of using the site.
Criticisms brought up include instances where orders missed deadlines or contained minor errors. A small percent of clients expressed dissatisfaction with essay quality or revisions requested. Ultius responds to most negative reviews on their profile explaining efforts to address issues and make things right with those customers. Overall, reviews suggest the vast majority of Ultius orders are completed without problem.
Some students argue that using essay writing services at all undermines the purpose of academic work and promotes dishonesty. Others counter that Ultius and similar companies fill a need for timely help with assignments when students have heavy course loads or other commitments. As long as clients are transparent about using written sources, these services enable students to balance school with jobs and families.
The debate around ghostwritten academic work hinges on how involved—or not—the client is in the writing process and ownership of the final product. Fully written essays present major ethical issues, while assistance with research, structure, or minor rewrites poses less concern. Ultius asserts it aims to operate in a “gray area” of providing writing help rather than completing assignments alone. It is impossible to fully control client use once work is purchased.
Ethics of Ghostwriting
Ultius and other academic writing companies see themselves not as doing students’ work for them, but rather as offering writing assistance to help students learn. Critics argue these services can enable and even encourage academic dishonesty. Some key perspectives in the ghostwriting ethics debate include:
Plagiarism concerns – There is always a risk a client may submit a ghostwritten paper as their own work without attribution, even if the service prohibits this. Ultius acknowledges this risk cannot be fully mitigated.
Circumventing learning process – Ghostwritten papers replace a students’ own research, analyzing, organizing and writing—key skills and understanding meant to be developed through each assignment. Ultius maintains its goal is helpful not harmful assistance.
Unfair advantages – Students using essay services gain an edge over peers who complete all work themselves without external help. Supporters counter lifes responsibilities should not preclude access to education.
Blurred responsibility – It becomes unclear where the instructors responsibility ends and writing services begins in assessment of learning. Ultius argues professors must take some accountability to reasonably detect outsourced work.
Overall there are fair arguments on both sides of this complex issue without a universal consensus. Both supporters and critics of services like Ultius have reasonable perspective depending on how one views the purpose and ownership of academic work. Ultius navigates these debates by operating within legal context while insisting on providing transparent, responsible assistance to students.
Conclusion
Ultius is a large provider of custom writing help covering many topics students and professionals may require assistance with. By connecting vetted freelance writers via an online platform, Ultius aims to offer a transparent, quality alternative to independent ghostwriters or other essay mills. While academic custom writing will always raise ethical questions, Ultius asserts it strives to enable—not undermine—student learning through reasonable, appropriate levels of support. Perspectives on services like Ultius ultimately depend on how one balances responsibility and integrity in education with expanding access and life demands on students. As online academic support continues expanding, debates around ghostwriting will remain an important ongoing discussion.
Andrew Stroud