Doctoral Writing Markets: Exploring the Grey Zone

Aitchison, Claire; Mowbray, Susan

doi:10.1007/978-981-287-098-8_39

Cited by 9 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 24 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…As the institution widened its focus to pay closer attention to doctoral academic integrity, gathering further insights about doctoral contract cheating was warranted. Whilst its methodology replicates some of the methodological procedures of Aitchison and Mowbray (2015) and Rowland et al (2018), this study uses textual analysis to examine websites targeting doctoral students and framed by themes about doctoral studies identified in the current literature. Such a theme-oriented textual analysis approach, Fürsich (2009, p. 241) argues, "allows the researcher to discern latent meaning, but also implicit patterns, assumptions and omissions of a text".…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In addition, individual characteristics such as moral values and motivation impact the likelihood of engaging in contract cheating (Rundle et al, 2019). The ways in which these cheating trends apply to doctoral students is still largely unknown, yet Aitchison and Mowbray (2015) argue that this market "appears to be growing rapidly" (p. 298) and that there is a "grey zone" (p. 290) of online third-party doctoral writing providers. This can encompass legitimate and appropriate editorial thesis support but also websites where doctoral students can purchase work from a third party.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…While much of the current research into contract cheating has focused on coursework students, there is a growing body of literature that investigates the relationship between this serious type of academic misconduct and the doctoral student experience. The purpose of this article is to share insights from a small study into the language features of contract cheating websites offering doctoral writing services, building upon studies that have previously explored these topics (Aitchison & Mowbray, 2015;Rowland et al, 2018). This article considers Rowland et al's (2018, p. 654) concept of the vulnerable student for whom the term 'vulnerable' means that a student is "facing extenuating circumstances that make cheating appear to be less distasteful than other outcomes that may eventuate".…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Students Pay the Price: Doctoral Candidates are Targeted by Contract Cheating Websites

Kelly

Stevenson

2021

IJDS

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Aim/Purpose: This paper analyses the textual features of contract cheating websites that offer thesis writing services for doctoral students and considers implications for practice. Background: Contract cheating is an increasing challenge for higher education institutions, governments and societies worldwide. However, relatively little is known about the prevalence of online thesis writing services and the ways in which these companies attract doctoral students as customers. Methodology: This study has a three-step textual analysis methodological approach: firstly, identifying contract cheating websites that target doctoral students; secondly, applying a top-down thematic approach to the literature to identify potential vulnerabilities; and, thirdly, using these themes in a textual analysis to interrogate the language used on these websites. Contribution: Much of the current research into contract cheating has focused on coursework students. This study builds on the small sub-field of scholarship that has investigated contract cheating in a research writing context, and in contradistinction to previous studies, analyses the persuasive language features used by online contract cheating websites in the context of commonly reported doctoral student challenges. This is a novel approach not yet explored in the literature. Findings: The analysis reveals that contract cheating websites include specific language to appeal to doctoral students’ vulnerabilities across four common themes: ‘balancing work and personal life’, ‘the complexity of doctoral academic writing’, ‘self-efficacy’ and ‘academic career progression’. Recommendations for Practitioners: The themes present in this study highlight the critical role thesis supervisors can play in supporting doctoral students’ thesis writing progression, as well as the value of peer learning groups in building self-efficacy. The limited research literature into contract cheating in a doctoral context also suggests a need for increased training and awareness-raising programs for supervisors, thesis examiners and new graduate students. Recommendation for Researchers: Future studies that further investigate the prevalence of these themes across a broader scope of websites and countries will provide greater insights into the extent to which these websites are a global threat to vulnerable doctoral students. Impact on Society: The paper provides a foundation for researchers and graduate schools to raise greater awareness of contract cheating amongst doctoral students and, in so doing, combats the reputational risks it can have on universities and the potential safety risks for the general public. Future Research: Semi-structured interviews and focus groups with doctoral students and supervisors that explore their awareness of contract cheating for thesis writing and their ability to identify research writing that has been completed by a third-party.

show abstract

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Students Pay the Price: Doctoral Candidates are Targeted by Contract Cheating Websites

Kelly

Stevenson

2021

IJDS

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In our study we were interested in identifying the kind of help doctoral students might be able to secure via the Internet (Aitchison & Mowbray 2015). We were surprised by what we found -the extraordinary numbers of providers, and the hugely varying quality of what was being offered.…”

Section: Gift Economymentioning

confidence: 95%

“…Our research into external provisions found that many of these providers offered students the kind of help that they found lacking in their institutions: "We do what their supervisors don't" (Aitchison & Mowbray 2015). To paraphrase Inger Mewburn, this easy and voluminous availability of resources for doctoral writing and candidature requires us to ask, "What then is the value-added that supervision can offer?"…”

Section: At the Interface Of The Internet And Writing Technologiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Research Writing

Aitchison¹

2016

Postgraduate Supervision - Future Foci for the Knowledge Society

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

“Simmering Pressure”: How Systemic Stress Impacts Graduate Student Mental Health

Bekkouche¹,

Schmid²,

Carliner³

2021

Performance Improve Qtrly

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Graduate students suffer from issues with mental and emotional wellbeing at a high rate. While most commonly understood as an individual issue, the high prevalence of mental health problems suggests that their causes may extend beyond personal factors. A closer look at the environment that a graduate student operates in suggests systemic or organizational factors that exert notable pressures that students have to cope with. This article examines four levels of systems that create a structural environment that negatively impacts mental health and wellbeing among graduate students: (1) the academic system, (2) the institutional and departmental systems, (3) lab or cohort systems, and (4) the social‐economic system. In light of this analysis, we propose a model of how systemic stress affects mental health. This model sheds light on the systems‐level process improvements that can be instituted to help universities prevent mental health issues among graduate students.

show abstract

Doctoral Writing Markets: Exploring the Grey Zone

Cited by 9 publications

References 24 publications

Students Pay the Price: Doctoral Candidates are Targeted by Contract Cheating Websites

Students Pay the Price: Doctoral Candidates are Targeted by Contract Cheating Websites

Research Writing

“Simmering Pressure”: How Systemic Stress Impacts Graduate Student Mental Health

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About