Academic integrity is a fundamental principle that universities and educational institutions require students to uphold. All students are expected to complete their work and submit original assignments, papers, and dissertations reflecting their learning and knowledge. Unfortunately, some students and academics do not adhere to these standards and engage in academic dishonesty, such as contract cheating services.
This is precisely what I experienced during my first year of PhD study. While browsing on social media, I came across a post that advertised a “thesis writing center” where individuals could buy dissertations for a fee.
I knew how challenging and exhausting writing a dissertation was, so I was shocked and delved deeper into the post and its comments. I became curious and started conducting my own investigation, channeling my inner Sherlock Holmes. After a bit of digging, I discovered that the company was run by two brothers who were academics at a public university. Feeling outraged, I decided to take action. However, I was aware that my identity could be exposed if I used my regular email address, so I created a temporary email account to contact them anonymously.
I sent them a message, telling them that I knew who they were and that they needed to stop their illegal activity. Otherwise, I would report them to the Council of Higher Education.
In response, they scoffed at me and expressed that their actions were entirely legal.
They went as far as disclosing their company information, which identified them as operating in the field of “Thesis writing center.”
Determined to expose their fraudulent activity, I delved even deeper and discovered that this particular line of work was initially established during the era when typewriters were used for typing theses. During that time, individuals would hire scriveners to type their theses as typewriters were not commonly available. However, at present, contract cheating services are exploiting this field as a guise for their fraudulent activities.
I sent a brief report to the Council of Higher Education, hoping for action. Unfortunately, I did not receive a response. I found numerous complaints from victims of contract cheating services on a complaint website. All of the complaints mentioned the same process.
These guys would try to coerce their victims into insulting themselves because one clause in their alleged contract stated that if the “client” insulted or swore at the “providers”, they would cancel the agreement unilaterally.
After seeing the conversation screenshots provided by the victims, it became clear that these fraudulent contractors make deliberate efforts to provoke their “clients” to insult them. This was their way of threatening their victims with a defamation case.
Finally, the Council of Higher Education declared that they would file lawsuits against all contract cheating services.
That declaration worked to an extent, as the websites of nearly 90% of these services promptly closed or became inactive, including the one I had contacted.
Unfortunately, these firms have popped out once again, becoming active, and potentially luring unsuspecting students into committing academic dishonesty. While the initial response from the council of higher education was commendable, it’s clear that a more sustained effort is needed to tackle this issue entirely. If we are to safeguard academic integrity and uphold the value of education, we must take a comprehensive approach to combat contract cheating services.
My experience with contract cheating services opened my eyes to this unethical practice that undermines academic integrity in all senses.
These services prey on students who are struggling with deadlines, time constraints, or poor writing skills, enticing them with convenient and easy solutions instead of encouraging them to persevere and learn.
It is essential to keep a vigilant eye on contract cheating services and raise awareness among students, faculty members, and policymakers about the dangers of this unethical practice. We must continue to uphold academic integrity and ensure that all higher education institutions prioritize and maintain these ethical principles for their students’ benefit.
About the author:
Dr Özgür Çelik is a TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) instructor at Balikesir University, School of Foreign Languages in Türkiye.
Contact: ozgurcelik911@gmail.com