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Skidmore calls for evidence on essay mills in bid to ban them

Image: Chris McAndrew [CC BY 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Former minister asks universities for examples of student plagiarism impacts before he pitches legislation

Former universities and science minister Chris Skidmore is calling for evidence on essay mills ahead of a proposal in parliament for legislation to ban the practice.

In an exclusive article for Research Professional News, the Conservative MP for Kingswood will say that the move to online learning during the pandemic has “increased risk that essay mills and those who actively aid plagiarism take advantage of increasingly vulnerable students”, and that the problem “needs to be addressed”.

Essay mills allow students to cheat on their courses, paying for essays they have not written themselves. In June 2020 the Quality Assurance Agency, the watchdog for higher education, warned that essay mill firms were targeting vulnerable and anxious students during the pandemic.

Skidmore is expected to propose legislation to ban essay mills—which would criminalise the provision and advertisement of cheating services, rather than the students who use them—in parliament on 10 February, under a Ten Minute Rule Bill.

Sector feedback

Skidmore told Research Professional News that before he pitches the bill, he is “keen to hear from the sector about their experiences and encounters with students using essay mills, and how widespread they consider the issue”.

He added that the “ongoing problem of essay mills and their online advertisement” was something that higher education staff “care passionately about”.

“Other countries have taken action to make these sites and their operation illegal, removing the temptation for students to use them,” he said.

“While they remain legal in the UK, however, it is difficult to stamp out cheating—especially with lockdown and courses being delivered through remote and online learning, we should send a strong message that services that encourage plagiarism are committing a crime.”

Those wishing to contact Chris Skidmore can do so by emailing chris.skidmore.mp@parliament.uk.