by Janet Perry

Created on: April 24, 2009

Academic 'ghost-writing' is an oxymoron. You have a strong contradiction of terms here. Academic is a title gained by work that is relentlessly flawless in its precision and brilliance. 'Ghost-writing' on the other hand, is something people do simply for money. I have appreciated the benefits of good academic pursuit and those who hold it dear. I have honed skills and thought about topics until my brain simply hurt. I have benefited immensely from these endeavors. I have watched other students struggle to gain a skillful use of the English language and express their brilliance within its rules. I have watched Professors stir the minds of legions of students with their in-depth knowledge of their fields. There is no room for ghost-writing here.

I listen to the arguments of those who support academic ghost-writing and I think how weak all of the arguments are. The bottom line is its dishonest. Academia has no room for dishonesty. We rely on Academia's excellent students rising to the top of the bunch. This happens as students hone their skills. It involves a great deal of work. It involves a lot of sacrifice to the Department you are studying in and the Professors you are studying under. But, I do believe that it is this repetitive hard work, honing ones academic skills that then makes for Professors who are the best in their fields. This in turn makes for well educated students. That makes for a strong society.

I feel I can make some assumptions about these 'ghost-writings' because I answered an ad for a company that does this. I was told the types of articles I could get paid for. The list included a Masters Thesis! ( Where 'you can really make some money'! ) It involved the research and the writing of the Thesis. I was disgusted. This 'student' was going to pay someone to write the Thesis that would earn them their Master's Degree. I thought of all of the work that I did, studying to learn, to become a stronger writer, and to simply work my brain! What will happen to academic standards if students are able to simply 'buy' their papers?

A student's mastery of the language of their discipline is an important part of gaining academic excellence. Academic papers are the root of a lot of intellectual development. Trying to skip this step by buying knowledge from the internet is a sign of weakness. There is no room for weakness of mind in Academia. In Academia, there is only room for excellence and hard work. Fiat Lux!

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