Can markers detect contract cheating? Results from a pilot study

Dawson, Phillip; Sutherland‐Smith, Wendy

doi:10.1080/02602938.2017.1336746

Cited by 84 publications

(43 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…Although Dawson and Sutherland-Smith (2017) assert that the detection of contract cheating is less successful than the prosecution of contract cheating, Draper et al (2017) point out that lawsuits on contract cheating cannot be more successful either in coping with contract cheating. This is to say that after expelling a student due to contract cheating to which he/she confessed, the university did not always have the standing to sue the provider of contract cheating services.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Ethical and legal observations on contract cheating services as an agreement

Tauginienė

Jurkevičius

2017

Int J Educ Integr

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In this paper we cast light on one form of dishonest behaviour in academiacontract cheating services. We examine how an agreement between a student and a contract cheating services provider is viewed from ethical and legal perspectives. For this purpose we carried out an analysis of contract cheating services as an agreement which, in Lithuania, is currently facing the challenge of implementing laws regarding contract cheating services as a violation of academic ethics. Taking into consideration recent jurisprudence, together with social media articles, we conclude that while any agreement for contract cheating services is severely criticized in terms of ethics, the courts either do not regard this type of agreement as a violation of legal norms, or they inadequately apply legal remedies when such an agreement is deemed to be void.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It appears that it is easier to prosecute contract cheating, once discovered, than it is to discover the transgression in the first place (Dawson and Sutherland-Smith, 2017). This seems so because substantiating "contract cheating to the extent required in formal university processes is very difficult" (Dawson and Sutherland-Smith, 2017, p. 7).…”

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confidence: 99%

Ethical and legal observations on contract cheating services as an agreement

Tauginienė

Jurkevičius

2017

Int J Educ Integr

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“…The first, and simplest, business model is that of the writers are working as selfemployed freelancers. Dave Tomar -who is probably better known by his original pseudonym Ed Dante and by the moniker the Shadow Scholar -has described this business model in some detail in an article (Dante 2010) and subsequent book (Tomar 2012). His choice of the pseudonym 'Dante' is apt as he refers to the working life he experienced as a writer for academic custom writing companies as being his 'personal hell' (Tomar 2012 p. 157).…”

Section: Business Modelsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The infernal business of contract cheating: understanding the business processes and models of academic custom writing sites

2018

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While there is growing awareness of the existence and activities of Academic Custom Writing websites, which form a small part of the contract cheating industry, how they work remains poorly understood. Very little research has been done on these sites, probably because it has been assumed that it is impossible to see behind their firewalls and password protection. We have found that, with some close scrutiny, it is indeed possible to find some 'cracks' in these sites through which we can look to gain insights into the business processes that operate within them. We have reverse engineered the business processes that operate within some of these sites. From this we have also been able to identify three different business models that are supported by these sites. Our analysis supports important findings about how these sites operate that can be used to inform future strategies to detect and deter contract cheating.

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“…Studies such as Coughlin (2015) are aligned to post-completion investigations without the benefit of the student voice and where a grade or outcome is already recorded. Dawson and Sutherland-Smith (2017) reported that academics can identify some forms of contract cheating, but again their experiment was outside of the time pressures of providing grading and feedback within sessional requirements, and without the need to discuss irregularities with students. Other studies focus on how to classify the seriousness of incidents and apply consistent penalty decisions once issues such as plagiarism are identified (Carroll & Appleton, 2005;Yeo & Chien, 2007).…”

Section: International Journal Formentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Educational Integrity occurrence is still largely reliant on the person charged with the responsibility for grading the work (Bretag & Mahmud, 2009;Dawson & Sutherland-Smith, 2017;Lancaster & Clarke, 2007;Rogerson, 2014;Rogerson & McCarthy, 2017). Educators grade assessable student work against rubrics, discipline criteria and task specifications.…”

Section: International Journal Formentioning

confidence: 99%

Detecting contract cheating in essay and report submissions: process, patterns, clues and conversations

Rogerson

2017

Int J Educ Integr

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Detecting contract cheating in written submissions can be difficult beyond direct plagiarism detectable via technology. Successfully identifying potential cases of contract cheating in written work such as essays and reports is largely dependent on the experience of assessors and knowledge of student. It is further dependent on their familiarity with the patterns and clues evident in sections of body text and reference materials to identify irregularities. Consequently, some knowledge of what the patterns and clues look like is required. This paper documents how to identify some of the patterns and clues observed in essay and report submissions. Effective assessment design with specific contextual requirements make irregularities easier to detect and interpret. The irregularities identified were confirmed as instances of contract cheating through conversations held with postgraduate students. An essential element of the conversations was the evidence presented for discussion. Irregularities were noted on a pro-forma specifically developed for this purpose. Patterns identified include misrepresented bibliographic data, inappropriate references, irrelevant material and generalised text that did not address the assessment question or grading criteria. The validated patterns formed the basis of identifying potential instances of contract cheating in later submissions. Timely conversations with students before the end of semester are essential to determining whether the patterns and clues link to poor knowledge of academic writing conventions or classified as contract cheating necessitating the application of appropriate penalties under institutional policies and procedures.

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Can markers detect contract cheating? Results from a pilot study

Cited by 84 publications

References 15 publications

Ethical and legal observations on contract cheating services as an agreement

Ethical and legal observations on contract cheating services as an agreement

The infernal business of contract cheating: understanding the business processes and models of academic custom writing sites

Detecting contract cheating in essay and report submissions: process, patterns, clues and conversations

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