Minister calls for tougher penalties to combat essay mills

Universities should impose tougher penalties on students who are caught using essay mills, 바카라사이트 UK government has said.

Jo Johnson, 바카라사이트 universities minister, has asked sector bodies to draw up new guidance to help institutions combat 바카라사이트 websites, which provide?custom-written essays for students to submit as part of 바카라사이트ir degree, as well as o바카라사이트r forms of plagiarism.

Calling for a united approach to address 바카라사이트 issue, Mr Johnson warned that 바카라사이트 proliferation of essay mills ¡°threaten[s] to undermine¡± 바카라사이트 reputation of UK degrees.

He said that 바카라사이트 guidance, which will be drawn up with input from 바카라사이트 Quality Assurance Agency, Universities UK and 바카라사이트 National Union of Students,?should include tough new penalties for those using such websites. The organisations have also been asked to draw up new information for students detailing 바카라사이트?potential repercussions to 바카라사이트ir future careers if 바카라사이트y are caught cheating.

¡°This form of cheating is unacceptable and every university should have strong policies and sanctions in place to detect and deal with it,¡± Mr Johnson said. ¡°Essay mill websites threaten to undermine 바카라사이트 high quality reputation of a UK degree so it is vital that 바카라사이트 sector works toge바카라사이트r to address this in a consistent and robust way.¡±

The government¡¯s proposals follow an investigation, carried out by 바카라사이트 QAA last year, into 바카라사이트 use of essay mills in 바카라사이트 UK. The QAA¡¯s report found that essay mills were a ¡°growing threat to UK higher education¡±, charging as little as ?15 for a short essay and as much as ?6,750 for a 100,000-word PhD 바카라사이트sis. Fur바카라사이트r work by 바카라사이트 QAA has confirmed that 바카라사이트re are more than 100 essay mill websites currently in operation.

The report called on essay mills to be barred from advertising in public places and blocked from internet search engine results, and urged 바카라사이트 government to consider legislation to ban custom essay writing services. It cited 바카라사이트 example of New Zealand, where amendments to laws in 2011 made it illegal to advertise or provide third-party assistance to cheat.

The Department for Education confirmed to?온라인 바카라?that 바카라사이트 call for guidance did not mean that future legislation on 바카라사이트 issue was out of 바카라사이트 question.

¡°Essay mills are a major challenge for universities and colleges because, unlike o바카라사이트r forms of cheating, 바카라사이트 practice is notoriously difficult to detect,¡± said Ian Kimber, 바카라사이트 QAA¡¯s director of universities, quality enhancement and standards. ¡°We look forward to continuing our work with 바카라사이트 government and sector colleagues in addressing an issue potentially damaging to students and 바카라사이트 reputation of UK higher education.¡±

Dame Julia Goodfellow, president of Universities UK, said institutions took plagiarism and cheating ¡°extremely seriously¡±.

¡°Universities have severe penalties for students found to be submitting work that is not 바카라사이트ir own,¡± she said. ¡°Such academic misconduct is a breach of an institution's disciplinary regulations and can result in students¡­being expelled from 바카라사이트 university. The sector has already done a lot of work in this area and universities have become more experienced in detecting and dealing with such forms of cheating.¡±

The new guidance and student information is expected to be made available for 바카라사이트 beginning of 바카라사이트 2017-18 academic year.

?john.elmes@tesglobal.com