23 May 2007

Google puts a stop to essay writing adverts

In a response to continued complaints from universities that the web has promoted plagiarism and directly affected the integrity of university degrees, Google is to ban any adverts for essay writing services from its network.

In the near future, Google will block any adverts for "academic paper-writing services and the sale of pre-written essays, theses and dissertations". Essentially the essay writing companies - of which there are many - will join a blacklist of unacceptable content, which includes any advertisements offering weapons, drugs or miracle cures.

The range of services that these essay writing companies offer can stretch from simple one-off generic solutions to bespoke and tailored answers that could cost the student up to 5000 pounds or more. Written by freelance essayists - and sometimes even other students - it's clear that universities can longer consider plagiarism as simply a case of one student copying another's work: it's an issue that's now significantly more serious and, as a result, harder to detect.

Unsurprisingly, the companies that offer such essay writing services are unimpressed at the move taken by Google and see it as a threat to legitimate businesses, which stress that the students who use their services must not do so dishonestly. Such services are said to benefit foreign students who may not be able to match the quality of their classmates. It's not difficult to imagine, however, that the majority of academic institutions would question any service which relieves the student of a structured workload.

Universities have applauded the ban as a responsible and proactive step to curb the reportedly high level of plagiarism that has been affecting institutions across the world. The top universities spend small fortunes on plagiarism software that is designed to spot any dishonest work, encouraging the bespoke essay writing services to go to great lengths to stay ahead of any software designed to catch their essays.

Universities UK has formally welcomed Google's decision to ban the essay writing adverts. In a statement, Professor Drummond Bone, President of Universities UK said:

"Making life harder for these cynical web 'essay mills' is a step in the right direction. We feel strongly about this because plagiarism devalues the efforts of students who work hard to achieve their degrees."

Home | Careers | RSS | Contact Us | Newsletter

International sites: