Up to a third of British university students use custom essay sites

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Free-Press-Release.com) February 2, 2011 -- Up to a third of all British university students use custom essay sites to help with their studies, according to new research released today.

But contrary to expectations, most use custom essays in entirely appropriate ways: as a study aid that helps them write their own assignment, rather than as an opportunity to cheat.

Custom essays are often seen as a way for lazy students to easily purchase material that they can then submit as their own for academic credit. While many custom essay sites offer poor quality material written by non-native English speakers, some offer high quality work that could - if used improperly - be passed off as the student's own.

Meg Shaw from new custom essay site Guardian Essays, which commissioned the research, believes that "while there will always be a minority of students who hand in custom essays as their own, the majority recognise these essays as one of the best study aids money can buy".

With nearly half a million new students entering higher education in the UK each year, the market for custom essays is massive and lucrative. This inevitably attracts scammers, and some websites actively encourage students to cheat using custom essays.

But Ms. Shaw believes that "the misuse of custom essays by a minority should not detract from the fact that a custom essay can be an invaluable study aid, and is no different from textbooks that provide model answers".

Like most sites, Guardian Essays warns students that they should not submit custom essays under their own name for credit, although Ms. Shaw admits that it is impossible to ensure that this never happens. "If someone hands in a custom essay that they've purchased from Guardian Essays, there's not a lot we can do. We have no way of knowing if they've done that. But we do urge all students to use custom essays appropriately, as a way of learning, rather than as a way of cheating".

More information can be found online at http://www.guardianessays.com/

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