Is Plagiarism Big Business Online?
NEW YORK, May 7, 2002 — -- A college education is expensive these days: tuition, room, board and fees. And some students have further expenses they may not ask their parents to cover: term papers.
Yes, as students turn in end-of-semester papers this month, many will be partaking in a black-market academic subculture that has thrived for years: buying work instead of doing it. Only now, many of them will be purchasing papers online. As it has in so many areas of life, the Information Age has changed the business of academic cheating.
These days, term papers are no longer just available through tiny ads in the back of, say, Rolling Stone. Instead, dozens of term-paper companies — often referred to as "paper mills" — have sprouted like weeds on the Internet, offering essays on everything from the Bronte sisters to marine biology.
And while it's a matter of debate whether plagiarism in general is on the rise, many academics agree that the proportion of plagiarism stemming from the Web has grown dramatically. As with other vices — gambling, for instance — the Internet has added a level of convenience for those inclined to partake.
Is There A Plague of Plagiarism?
But professors, deans or parents worried about the proliferation of Internet cheating should not despair. Some educators believe the very nature of the medium places limits on it use, and remain unconvinced the paper mills are doing much business. Others think the real online money lies in legitimate tutoring services.
Why Wouldn’t This Business Model Work?
No matter how ethically dubious term-paper Web sites are, they may appear, on the surface, to have a good business model with a low cost structure. A paper mill can keep charging again and again for the same essay, while the Internet provides worldwide distribution of materials that otherwise would be difficult to obtain — just as it has aided legitimate academic research, for that matter.
Indeed, term-paper mills operate like a lot of other Internet sites. They provide free samples of content, accept credit cards and promise secure transactions over the Web. Sites tend to charge from $7 to $15 per page, per paper, although some charge yearly subscription fees.
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