Scam

by Jacqueline Herbers

Created on: July 21, 2009   Last Updated: July 25, 2009

As an adjunct English instructor at two local post-secondary institutions, I haven't been blessed with the opportunity to earn enough money to help support my family or with any kind of benefits package. In an effort to make a little extra money, then, I started searching for jobs online. I was looking for something I could do part-time, perhaps in the evenings, that could improve my situation.

I came across a job posting in which the company, solely web-based, advertised the need for online tutoring for high school or college students. I was definitely interested, so I e-mailed the company to request more information. It turned out their idea of "tutoring" consisted of providing "model essays" for students. I was disappointed, to say the least. I could certainly crank out essays for them, and at the price they were paying, I would make a considerable wage. My own code of ethics, though, prevented me from applying for the position. I knew the way those essays would be used.

So what is so wrong about students using these "example" papers? First, there's the obvious problem with plagiarism. A student with a hectic schedule and a lot of homework to do is simply too tempted to copy and paste from these papers. Some desperate students may even go so far as to actually purchase the papers and turn them in as the student's own work. Plagiarism, of course, defeats the purpose of education in that it promotes the stealing of ideas rather than the creation of them.

In addition, many of the example essays I've read are not quality work, especially regarding literary criticism or analysis. They tend to be more plot summary than analysis. This may come as a shock to some students, but professors who have already read the material do not want it regurgitated into an essay that they then have to read again. Professors want students own claims and evidence regarding a topic or piece of literature.

So are these term paper web sites just scams? Absolutely, yes. They rob every student who uses them of his or her intellectual freedom to create new thought. They can cheat students out of the little money they actually have. They can steal potential future scholars from universities. The truth is, no matter how terrible my financial situation is, I could never be paid enough to be a part of that.

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