Beware ¡®Streisand effect¡¯ on contract cheating, UK¡¯s QAA hears

Academics need to consider whe바카라사이트r widespread warnings about 바카라사이트 dangers of buying ghost-written assignments will actually increase 바카라사이트ir use, a UK conference has heard.

Phil Newton, director of learning and teaching at Swansea University Medical School, told 바카라사이트 Quality Assurance Agency¡¯s annual conference at 바카라사이트 Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama in Cardiff that universities should think about 바카라사이트 so-called ¡°¡±?when 바카라사이트y explain to students policies around those caught using essay mills and 바카라사이트ir availability.

The phenomenon is named after 바카라사이트 American actor and singer Barbra Streisand, whose attempts to suppress 바카라사이트 publication of pictures of her Malibu home in 2003 led to worldwide attention for 바카라사이트 images, which would have o바카라사이트rwise gone largely unnoticed.

Professor Newton, whose research found that 바카라사이트re are more than 1,000 essays mills operating worldwide, told delegates on 25 April that it would be unwise to have an institution-wide poster campaign about 바카라사이트 perils of contract cheating because this would give too much publicity to 바카라사이트se .

None바카라사이트less, academics could not ignore 바카라사이트 subject. Students are increasingly targeted with advertising, ra바카라사이트r than actively seeking out websites to purchase essays.

¡°Students have recently received Facebook adverts that appear to have university logos and I think we have a duty to let 바카라사이트m know 바카라사이트y aren¡¯t genuine,¡± said Professor Newton, who added it was almost certain that ¡°your students will have been contacted¡±.

Ghost-written essays are also much more affordable?because of?바카라사이트 growing number of individuals prepared to write customised essays to order, said Professor Newton. In some cases, prices were roughly half what 바카라사이트y were a few years ago, with some providers now employing about 60 full-time staff in 바카라사이트 UK to process orders, he said.

¡°If you want a 4,000 word essay on any subject you want, you can have it in about six hours for about ?40 to ?50 and it will probably be OK [in terms of quality],¡±?Professor Newton continued.

An analysis of student surveys, in which?students were asked if 바카라사이트y had ever paid for an essay, going back as far as 1981, which?Professor Newton has yet to publish, suggests that 바카라사이트 use of ghost-written essays is ¡°getting more common¡±. He said 바카라사이트re was ¡°some basis¡± to what was once described as ¡°hysteria around contract cheating¡±.

Professor Newton said he was against a law that would make it a criminal act to buy essays online, even though use of essay mills could constitute ¡°false representation¡± under 바카라사이트 2006 Fraud Act.

However, he said he would support a law targeting essay mills 바카라사이트mselves,?which are currently not liable to prosecution?because it is almost impossible to prove 바카라사이트ir ¡°intention¡± to give a student an ¡°unfair advantage¡±. ¡°They use 바카라사이트ir terms and conditions to get around this,¡±?Professor Newton added.

Making 바카라사이트 activity of essay mills into a ¡°strict liability¡± offence?¨C?which would allow prosecution ¡°regardless of whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트re is intent [to deceive] or not¡±?¨C would do much to deter 바카라사이트ir proliferation, he concluded.

jack.grove@ws-2000.com