UK custom essay industry is worth £100m per year but there is no regulation

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(Free-Press-Release.com) July 3, 2011 -- UK students are using custom essay websites more than ever, according to a new survey. The industry is worth more than £100m in this country alone, up from £90m two years ago.

The survey was commissioned by Blackbird Essays and asked 500 students for their experiences with custom essay sites. Nearly 20% of those students said they had used a custom essay site at least once or more, with the typical spend per order being £120.

However, many of those students said they had been scammed at least once. There are hundreds of custom essay websites online, but some either take students' money and run, or deliver plagiarised or poor quality essays.

Jane Emmet, co-owner of Blackbird Essays, says that: "the custom essay market is totally unregulated. It's impossible for students to know who to trust. Many learn by trial and error, losing money in the process. When they finally find a site that is reliable, they quickly spread the word."

Blackbird Essays is looking to help establish an industry regulator that would provide a badge of quality for high quality websites. Interest in such a scheme is low so far, but Emmet says: "there is no choice. The industry must clean up, or it will continue to be swamped by scams."

Until a regulator is established, Emmet has a few tips for customers: "Check out a site first. Play it safe. Don't hand over money without being sure you'll get good quality work in return."

Blackbird Essays is a new custom essay site that offers customers the chance to view the work before they pay. The site says it hopes others will follow suit, as a way of getting rid of the scams in the industry.

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