Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in
Book cover

Handbook of Academic Integrity pp 1–14Cite as

Contract Cheating: The Outsourcing of Assessed Student Work

Abstract

This chapter reviews the issues associated with contract cheating, loosely defined as the outsourcing of student work to third parties. The chapter is intended to serve as an overview of current research while also providing practical instruction and guidance to academics and educators.

The discussion begins by introducing contract cheating and comparing this specific form of academic misconduct with student plagiarism. The suggestion is made that current anti-plagiarism methods are not suitable for contract cheating, defined as where a student is requesting an original bespoke piece of work to be created for them. Six types of services that students can use to have work produced for them are listed; these are (1) essay writing services; (2) friends, family, and other students; (3) private tutors; (4) copyediting services; (5) agency websites; and (6) reverse classifieds. Specific challenges associated with each service are provided.

Findings related to the wider contract cheating area are given. This includes particular discussion of the research into agency sites, where a student makes the offer of work available to a large number of people who then bid to complete it. The student selects one of the bidders to complete the work based on a form of cost-benefit analysis. Issues considered include the extent of contract cheating, the cost and quality of outsourced work, and the range of subjects in which students are cheating.

The chapter concludes with a discussion of the main methods that can be used to prevent contract cheating. Research into technical solutions, such as stylometrics, put in place to find automated technical solutions to detect contract cheating, is also presented.

Keywords

  • Private Tutor
  • Academic Integrity
  • Cheat Behavior
  • Open Educational Resource
  • Agency Site

These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution.

References

  • Bartlett, T. (2009). Cheating goes global as essay mills multiply. Chronicle of Higher Education, 55(28), A-1.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brooks, C., & Ammons, J. (2003). Free riding in group projects and the effects of timing, frequency, and specificity of criteria in peer assessments. Journal of Education for Business, 78(5), 268–272.

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Clarke, R. (2008). List of sites associated with contract cheating. http://cboard.cprogramming.com/attachments/brief-history-cprogramming-com/8927d1242763399-contract-cheating-680_workshop_list.pdf. Retrieved 24 April 2015.

  • Clarke, R., & Lancaster, T. (2006). Eliminating the successor to plagiarism? Identifying the usage of contract cheating sites. In Proceedings of 2nd plagiarism: Prevention, practice & policy conference 2006. Newcastle, UK: JISC Plagiarism Advisory Service.

    Google Scholar 

  • Clarke, R., & Lancaster, T. (2007). Establishing a systematic six-stage process for detecting contract cheating. In Proceedings of the second international conference on pervasive computing & applications (ICPCA07), Birmingham, UK.

    Google Scholar 

  • Clarke, R., & Lancaster, T. (2013). Commercial aspects of contract cheating. In Proceedings of 8th annual conference on innovation & technology in computer science education (ITiCSE 2013), Canterbury, UK.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cogdell, B., & Aidulis, D. (2007). Dealing with plagiarism as an ethical issue. In T. Robert (Ed.), Student plagiarism in an online world: Problems & solutions. Hershey: Idea Group Inc.

    Google Scholar 

  • Contract cheating special interest group [Online community]. (n.d). https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-bin/webadmin?A0=CONTRACTCHEATING. Retrieved 24 April 2015.

  • Coughlan, S. (2012). How do you stop online students cheating? [News story]. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-19661899. Retrieved 24 April 2015.

  • Culwin, F. (2008). Inverse authorship attribution [Presentation slides], Higher education academy contract cheating workshop. http://www-new1.heacademy.ac.uk/assets/Documents/subjects/ics/contractcheating_inverse_authorship_attribution.pdf. Birmingham, UK. Retrieved 24 April 2015.

  • Culwin, F., & Lancaster, T. (2001). Plagiarism issues for higher education. Vine, 31(2), 36–41.

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Essaybay.com. (n.d.). http://essaybay.com. Retrieved 24 April 2015.

  • Fenn. M. (2014). Inside the black market for college homework [News story]. http://dailydot.com/lifestyle/college-professors-black-market-paper. Retrieved 24 April 2015.

  • Freelancer. (n.d.). http://freelancer.com. Retrieved 24 April 2015.

  • Google alerts. (n.d.). http://www.google.com/alerts. Retrieved 24 April 2015.

  • Hersey, C. (2013). The business of online plagiarism in post-secondary education. In Proceedings of world conference on educational multimedia, hypermedia & telecommunications, Victoria.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jenkins, T., & Helmore, S. (2006). Coursework for cash: The threat from online plagiarism. In Proceedings of 7th annual higher education academy conference in information & computer sciences. Dublin: Higher Education Academy.

    Google Scholar 

  • Koumantaris, G. (2011). Contract cheating – The hidden trend in computer science education. In Proceedings of WORLDCOMP’11 – The 2011 world congress in computer science, computer engineering, and applied computing, Las Vegas.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lancaster, T. (2003). Effective & efficient plagiarism detection. Ph.D. thesis, London South Bank University, UK.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lancaster, T. (2004). A comparison of visual techniques for plagiarism detection in student source code submissions, In Proceedings of EE2004 engineering education conference, innovation, good practice & research in engineering education, Wolverhampton, UK.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lancaster, T. (2013a). The application of intelligent context-aware systems to the detection of student cheating. In Proceedings of 3rd international workshop on intelligent context-aware systems (ICAS 2013), Taichung.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lancaster, T. (2013b). The contract cheating saga of crazylarry23 [Blog post]. http://thomaslancaster.co.uk/blog/the-contract-cheating-saga-of-crazylarry23. Retrieved 24 April 2015.

  • Lancaster, T. (2013c). The threat of contract cheating – Examining the “paid for” assignment solutions unduly populating the computing discipline [Presentation slides]. http://www.slideshare.net/ThomasLancaster/the-threat-of-contract-cheating-examining-the-paid-for-assignment-solutions-unduly-populating-the-computing-discipline-university-of-west-london-22-november-2013-28520825. Ealing, UK. Retrieved 24 April 2015.

  • Lancaster, T. (2013d). The use of text matching tools for the prevention & detection of student plagiarism. In P. Dias & A. Bastos (Eds.), Plagiarism phenomenon in Europe: Research contributes to prevention. Portugal: Braga.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lancaster, T. (2014a). More exams the way to beat cheats buying contract essays [News story]. http://theconversation.com/more-exams-the-way-to-beat-cheats-buying-contract-essays-32399. Retrieved 24 April 2015.

  • Lancaster, T. (2014b). Prevention, detection & policies in contract cheating [Presentation slides]. Higher education academy workshop. http://www.slideshare.net/ThomasLancaster/prevention-detection-and-policies-in-contract-cheating-higher-education-academy-workshop-at-birmingham-city-university. Birmingham, UK. Retrieved 24 April 2015.

  • Lancaster, T. (2014c). The current landscape of contract cheating [Presentation slides]. Higher education academy contract cheating workshop. http://www.slideshare.net/ThomasLancaster/contract-cheatingcomputingdiscipline-currentlandscape. Birmingham, UK.

  • Lancaster, T. (2014d). Winning the contract cheating battle [Presentation slides]. http://www.slideshare.net/ThomasLancaster/winning-the-contract-cheating-battle-university-of-sheffield-2-december-2014. Sheffield, UK.

  • Lancaster, T., & Clarke, R. (2007a). Assessing contract cheating through auction sites – A computing perspective. In Proceedings of 8th annual higher education academy conference in information & computer sciences. Southampton, United Kingdom: Higher Education Academy.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lancaster, T., & Clarke, R. (2007b). The phenomena of contract cheating. In T. Robert (Ed.), Student plagiarism in an online world: Problems & solutions. Hershey: Idea Group Inc.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lancaster, T. & Clarke, R. (2008). How to succeed at cheating without really trying: Five top tips for successful cheating. In Proceedings of 9th annual conference of the subject centre for information and computer sciences, Liverpool, UK.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lancaster, T., & Clarke, R. (2009). Contract cheating in UK higher education: Promoting a proactive approach [Presentation slides]. The third one-day event on institutional policies and procedures for managing student plagiarism. http://www.brookes.ac.uk/aske/documents/Plagiarism09_LancasterClarke.pdf. Oxford, UK. Retrieved 24 April 2015.

  • Lancaster, T., & Clarke, R. (2010). Staff-led individualised assessment – A case study. In Proceedings of 11th annual higher education academy conference in information & computer sciences. Durham, UK: Higher Education Academy.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lancaster, T., & Clarke, R. (2012). Dealing with contract cheating: A question of attribution. In Proceedings of 1st annual higher education academy conference in science, technology, engineering & mathematics. London, United Kingdom: Higher Education Academy.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lancaster, T., & Clarke, R. (2014a). An initial analysis of the contextual information available within auction posts on contract cheating agency websites. In Proceedings of International Workshop on Informatics for Intelligent Context-Aware Enterprise Systems (ICAES 2014), Victoria.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lancaster, T., & Clarke, R. (2014b). An observational analysis of the range & extent of contract cheating from online courses found on agency websites. In Proceedings of 8th international conference on complex, intelligent & software intensive systems (CRISIS 2014), Birmingham, UK.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lancaster, T., & Clarke, R. (2014c). Using Turnitin as a tool for attribution in cases of contract cheating; In Proceedings of 3rd annual higher education academy conference in science, technology, engineering & mathematics. Edinburgh, UK: Higher Education Academy.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lancaster, T., & Culwin, F. (2004). A visual argument for plagiarism detection using word pairs. In Proceedings of 1st plagiarism: Prevention, practice & policy conference. Newcastle, UK: JISC Plagiarism Advisory Service.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lavin, S. (2014). Local 6 confronts man for helping students cheat for cash [News story]. http://www.clickorlando.com/news/local-6-confronts-man-helping-students-cheat-for-cash/25825182. Retrieved 24 April 2015.

  • Levinson, H. (2005). Internet essays prove poor buys [News story]. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/4420845.stm. Retrieved 24 April 2015.

  • Matthews, D. (2013). Essay mills: University course work to order [News story]. Times Higher Education, 10 Oct 2013.

    Google Scholar 

  • McCabe, D., & Trevino, L. (1993). Academic dishonesty: Honor codes and other contextual influences. Journal of Higher Education, 64(5), 522–538.

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • MP to raise essay-writing firm concerns. (2014). [News story]. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-sussex-29109975

  • O’Malley, M., & Roberts, T. (2012). Plagiarism on the rise? Combating contract cheating in science courses. International Journal of Innovation in Science & Mathematics Education (formerly CAL-laborate International), 20(4).

    Google Scholar 

  • Owings, S., & Nelson, J. (2014). The essay industry. Mountain Plains Journal of Business and Economics, General Research, 15.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rentacoder.com. (n.d). http://rentacoder.com. Retrieved 24 April 2015.

  • Rigby, D., Burton, M., Balcombe, K., Bateman, I., & Mulatu, A. (2015). Contract cheating and the market in essays. Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, 111, 23–37.

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Ruiz, A. (2014). Secret world of cheaters [News story]. http://www.wnct.com/story/25468950/secret-world-of-cheaters

  • Stavisky, L. (1973). Term paper mills, academic plagiarism, and state regulation. Political Science Quarterly, 88(3), 445–461.

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Stevenson, D. (2010). How schools beat the net cheats [News story]. PC Pro. http://www.pcpro.co.uk/features/355597/how-schools-beat-the-net-cheats/4#ixzz2ivUq6nef. Retrieved 24 April 2015.

  • Sutherland-Smith, W. (2008). Plagiarism, The Internet, and student learning: Improving academic integrity. London, UK: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Transtutors (n.d.). http://www.transtutors.com. Retrieved 24 April 2015.

  • Trushell, J., Byrne, K., & Simpson, R. (2012). Cheating behaviours, the internet and education undergraduate students. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 28, 136–145.

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Turnitin.com (n.d.). http://turnitin.com. Retrieved 24 April 2015.

  • Unemployed Professors. (n.d.). http://unemployedprofessors.com. Retrieved 24 April 2015

  • Walker, M., & Townley, C. (2012). Contract cheating: A new challenge for academic honesty? Journal of Academic Ethics, 10(1), 27–44.

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Wallace, M., & Newton, P. (2014). Turnaround time and market capacity in contract cheating. Educational Studies, 40(2), 233–236.

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Wellman, N., & Fallon, J. (2012). Investigating academic malpractice within an MBA marketing module. International Journal for Educational Integrity, 8(1).

    Google Scholar 

  • Wieder, B. (2011). Pace university researchers work on new way to stop online cheating [News story]. Chronicle of Higher Education, 20 May 2011.

    Google Scholar 

  • Yakovchuk, N., Badge, J., & Scott, J. (2011). Moving beyond plagiarism detection towards a culture of academic integrity. Journal for Excellence in Teaching and Learning, 2(1), 63–76.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Computing, Telecommunications and Networks, Birmingham City University, Millennium Point, B4 7XG, Birmingham, UK

    Thomas Lancaster & Robert Clarke

Authors
  1. Thomas Lancaster
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Robert Clarke
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Thomas Lancaster .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of South Australia, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia

    Tracey Ann Bretag

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

Copyright information

© 2015 Springer Science+Business Media Singapore

About this entry

Cite this entry

Lancaster, T., Clarke, R. (2015). Contract Cheating: The Outsourcing of Assessed Student Work. In: Bretag, T. (eds) Handbook of Academic Integrity. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-287-079-7_17-1

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-287-079-7_17-1

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore

  • Online ISBN: 978-981-287-079-7

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference EducationReference Module Humanities and Social Sciences

search

Navigation