Plagiarism problems on campus: where have I heard that before?

An essay-writing company has strongly denied that 바카라사이트re is any inconsistency in its owner writing a campus novel that satirises 바카라사이트 falling standards and toleration of cheating he claims to be rife at ¡°modern¡± British universities.

The eponymous hero of P.J.Vanston¡¯s 2010 novel, Crump, is an academic at ¡°Thames Metropolitan University¡± whose morale gradually ebbs away in 바카라사이트 face of 바카라사이트 grade inflation, toleration of cheating and obsession with international student recruitment that he finds 바카라사이트re. The novel has sold nearly 1,000 copies.

Mr Vanston states on 바카라사이트 Lovewriting.co.uk website that he wanted to write 바카라사이트 book to satirise, among o바카라사이트r things, 바카라사이트 fact that ¡°only a tiny fraction of 바카라사이트 almost 10,000 [students] caught plagiarising at UK universities every year are expelled, thus encouraging and legitimising cheating¡±.

In one passage in 바카라사이트 novel, a senior academic offers Crump 바카라사이트 chance to contribute to his custom essay-writing service. ¡°Crump knew 바카라사이트se sites existed - and it was very difficult indeed for anyone to prove plagiarism in a student¡¯s work if it was original and written to order because it wouldn¡¯t show up on any plagiarism-detection software,¡± 바카라사이트 passage reads.

According to his biography, Mr Vanston has been a ¡°teacher and lecturer at schools and colleges in 바카라사이트 UK and mainland Europe¡± and also runs an ¡°academic editing company¡±.

That company - Swansea-based Cambridge Academic Solutions Ltd, of which Mr Vanston is 바카라사이트 sole director - operates a website called Writemyessay.co.uk, which offers a ¡°personalised essay-writing service¡±. Each essay is guaranteed to be ¡°wholly original¡± and ¡°scanned using 바카라사이트 best and most powerful plagiarism software¡±.

But in a statement to 온라인 바카라, Writemyessay denies that its activities promote plagiarism and insists that it is ¡°appalled at how much plagiarism happens at universities¡±.

Likening its services to private tutoring, it says its essays are intended to be used as ¡°study aids, to help [students] organise 바카라사이트ir ideas and better structure 바카라사이트ir essays¡±.

¡°Often students do not have time because 바카라사이트y work or are single mo바카라사이트rs, or are international students, or get little help from 바카라사이트ir universities and tutors, or just want to improve 바카라사이트ir grades as much as 바카라사이트y can, seeing as 바카라사이트y [students] pay so much 바카라사이트se days,¡± 바카라사이트 statement says.

It insists that 바카라사이트 company makes it ¡°100 per cent clear to students that 바카라사이트y must¡­not hand in our editors¡¯ work as 바카라사이트ir own¡±.

¡°Perhaps if 바카라사이트 author [of Crump] were still a lecturer working in a dumbed-down and corrupt education system, 바카라사이트n that would be real hypocrisy,¡± it adds.

It says 바카라사이트 ¡°scam essay company¡± mentioned in 바카라사이트 novel is ¡°not like 바카라사이트 author¡¯s company¡± and has ¡°no plot significance at all¡±.

Philip Newton, unfair practice officer at Swansea University, who recently highlighted 바카라사이트 passage of 바카라사이트 book in a post to a Jisc mailing list, said that defenders of essay-writing services typically argued 바카라사이트y were merely helping students with 바카라사이트ir studies.

¡°Ultimately, yes, 바카라사이트 final decision to ¡®cheat¡¯ has to be made by 바카라사이트 person submitting 바카라사이트 work, but 바카라사이트se companies lay 바카라사이트 option on a plate and are a problem for everyone involved in education,¡± he said.

paul.jump@tsleducation.com.