"Writing is easy. All you have to do is cross out the wrong words."
-Mark Twain

If you're not a professional writer like the late and great Mark Twain, I'm sure you don't view writing as such a straightforward task. Writing is complex and it can lead many students to feel discouraged; especially when they have huge assignments such as essays.

Since students are put under a fair bit of pressure to perform and deliver many writing projects to their teachers at secondary school and university levels, they might look for certain study aids or learning resources to help them get through their assignments. However, it's worth stating that not all writing aids and methods available on the internet are legal and recommended; some involve plagiarism.

Without further delay, in today's article, we'll review a new trend known as "custom-written essay services" and see whether or not it's something that students should use.

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Why Should Students Avoid Plagiarism?

While not spoken about so much during the first few years of elementary school, I remember teachers mentioning cheating and plagiarism very often once I was in high school. Educators completely condoned plagiarism and wanted us to avoid it at all costs. But, why? The following list features three reasons why plagiarism is detrimental and why students need to steer clear of it:

  • Plagiarism is theft: any way you want to slice it, plagiarism is stealing. It's taking the ideas of other people and making them your own.
  • Plagiarism encourages illegal activity: when students seek out services to help them get good marks, they are contributing to illegal activity and they aren't breaking the chain of plagiarism.
  • Plagiarism shows a lack of integrity: academics hate plagiarism since it shows a lack of integrity and doesn't fully display the talents of the student which contributes to subpar scholarship.

Even though there are many pressures surrounding students in an academic setting, they should be resolved to not stoop down so low and get caught plagiarising.

What are "Custom-Written Essay Services"?

essay writing services
Don't be fooled, the essay writing services offered online aren't without strings attached. You could be caught plagiarising, which is illegal. (Source: Unsplash)

Recently there has been a rise in the prevalence of so-called ‘custom written essay services.’  To paraphrase, they are companies who, for a fee, will offer to write your essay for you.  These are mainly written by people who claim to be knowledgeable in the subject; perhaps past teachers and students.

Many students love these essay writing services since it cuts out the work and you get to hand in the work pain-free and on time. Sounds simple, doesn’t it? However, it's worth stating that these "custom-written" essay services can't necessarily be trusted.

First of all, it would be a good idea to assess what these companies offer you. For example, we've done our research by visiting a couple of websites to see what they could offer for different types of work. Here are the observations:

  • The first site I visited offered me essays ranging from reflective reports to an entire dissertation. They offered me an assignment of a standard 2,000-word length piece of writing that would be completed in a week for £350.  When it came to a dissertation, they could give me a ‘first-quality’, 11,000-word piece for £1,700. The essay service could write a dissertation in a month. The second company could do the same work for a similar amount.
  • Both websites had full guarantees that the work would be of quality and if the work didn’t match the grade then you get your money back.
  • All of the sites claimed that if your paper was accused of plagiarism then you would immediately get your money back.
  • Both sites promised your privacy and that your details would never be disclosed.

Sounds great and quite peachy, right? But, it's quite seedy. In no way do we endorse the companies that serve as essay writing services and that is why we didn't include their names in this article. Students need to know that are many disadvantages to cutting corners and using essay writing services. Such as? Take a look at the following subheading to learn more.

What are the Drawbacks of Using Essay Writing Services?

taking the time to write
Plagiarism is crediting the thoughts of other people as your own. It's a serious academic offence. (Source: Unsplash)

As is the case with everything in life, there are serious cons to using essay writing services. As a student, the advantages might seem overwhelming. However, as an educator and working adult, your viewpoints will shift and you'll see that it's just a slightly legal way to cheat the system.

So, what are the drawbacks of using "custom-written" essay services? Take a look at the following list:

  • You can write a piece that you believe is perfect but the marks will be down to the examiner: never trust someone if they promised a grade. They don’t know your tutor and how they will interpret the work that you've hired the essay writer to complete. Also, you won't know how good the essay is until it's graded.
  • A Money-back guarantee doesn't cover all the problems of plagiarising: the notion that they promise to be 100% plagiarism free is complete and utter nonsense. Think of it this way: if you are ten days from hand-in and you buy a guaranteed first-class essay… what’s to say it’s going to be unique?  Do you think that even the best writers will be able to write a first-class 10,000-word dissertation in 10 days? Not necessarily! They might be plagiarism as well and the assurance to get your money back isn't comforting.
  • Your privacy is not 100% guaranteed: if you are accused of plagiarism by a university or author, companies claim that their information is governed by the Data Protection Act. However, what they don’t say is that your privacy is not guaranteed and there are specific clauses in the law that allows the publication of such material if it is relevant to a civil or criminal case. That's rough!

The bottom line is, if nothing else, custom-written essays are plagiarism. There are serious consequences for those who cut corners and decide to plagiarise. Like, what? Let's take a look at the following subheading.

How is Plagiarism Detected By Academic Bodies?

always wrong
Plagiarism is always the WRONG WAY! (Source: Unsplash)

Plagiarism is a serious academic offence.  The wilful passing on of someone else’s work as your own is universally condemned by all areas of academia. Educators despise plagiarism and wish it was eliminated. The following are a few of the steps that educators take to detect and punish plagiarism:

  • One of the most popular methods of detecting plagiarism is through a checker such as TurnItIn, a service that checks through your work to see if there are unreferenced elements to your work or if it is similar to another person. You may be required to either submit an electronic copy of your work at the deadline or may have to keep a copy of your work for later analysis
  • If you are accused of plagiarism you should be informed before the work is returned to you with a mark.  You should also be told how to appeal the decision if you believe there has been a mistake.
  • Thankfully, the consensus is that you will always have a chance to defend yourself and you are innocent until proven guilty.  If there has genuinely been a misunderstanding, such as a case of accidental plagiarism, then you will be able to provide evidence that it was not intentional.
  • In all cases, your Student Union will offer you support and will probably offer you a representative to take to any hearings that you have to attend.
  • If you are guilty of plagiarism the most likely outcome is that you will fail the piece of work. If you’re a final-year student and you’ve plagiarised your dissertation, you could well fail your final year.  You won’t be able to graduate with an Honours classification and, at worst, you could find yourself booted out of your course.

Honestly, the consequences of plagiarism do not make it work it. Students should try their best to steer clear of essay writing services that promise them the world. Original thoughts are treasured and respected by all those working in the education community.

In conclusion, it's not worth risking it. Whilst custom-written essays may seem tempting, there are many pitfalls and you'll feel so much better at the end of the day handing in work that is your own! 

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Brentyn

Avid movie-goer, reader, skier and language learner. Passionate about life, food and travelling.