Paul (not his real name) is a first-year University of Ottawa student and ex-amateur ghostwriter.

On four separate occasions, Paul was paid to write the assignments and essays of other students.

According to both the University of Ottawa and Carleton University, this is academic dishonesty and an academic offense. Violations of Carleton’s academic integrity policy can result in punishments ranging from failing the course, to outright suspension from a program.

Paul said his main incentive to break the university’s code was financial.

“I think the reason I did it to begin with was I was paying for school full-time and I needed the money,” he said.

Though he said he was by no means a professional, “I didn’t go around advertising it.”

Students discovered he was offering this essay-for-hire service after another student on his residence floor asked him to write an essay in exchange for $80.

Word quickly spread and Paul was open for business.

“It took me three to four days to complete each assignment,” Paul explained.

However, once shouldering other people’s assignments, Paul said he had trouble keeping up with his own schoolwork.

“I was too busy making money,” he said.

The money, Paul said, certainly wasn’t pocket change either.

He not only received a flat rate of $80 for his services, but charged an extra $2 for every per cent over 80 the assignment received.

After four assignments, Paul resigned from his short career in ghostwriting.

“If I got caught, I’d have screwed up my future,” Paul said.

Although he said he had no particular moral qualms about his actions, he was worried about the possible future repercussions, especially if he decided to pursue a master’s or PhD down the road.

However, ghostwriting is not always about students writing assignments for other students.

In many cases, students have the option of going through professional essay mills that can churn out essays like clockwork.

These businesses have teams of ghostwriters, some with post-undergraduate degrees, according to Custom Essay’s website, who will write essays to certain specifications for students for a fee, anywhere from $20 to $100+ depending on the assignment.

Custom Essay is a business based out of Toronto which offers editing, researching, and writing help to students for a fee.

Their website states, “Whether its term papers, research papers, reports, or custom writing, rest assured that when ordering a custom essay from us, the most qualified writer will be assigned to complete your order.”

The problem with ghostwritten assignments, according to Carleton student affairs director Ryan Flannagan, is the difficulty in deciding which assignments are ghostwritten and which are the students’ original work.

Flannagan outlined three overarching reasons as to why students feel the need to outsource their work.

The first is the pressure of time.

“Students can’t manage their schedule as they are busy with things like jobs and athletics, so it comes down to the final days before an essay worth 30 per cent is due and they panic,” he said. “In order to get it done, they are willing to pay a ghostwriter.”

The second is the struggle to do well. “Paying someone for an A/A- is an attractive option,” he said.

The final is the barrier of language, especially encountered by international students.

Flannagan points out the pressure from home to do well can at times seem overwhelming for these students, which forces them to seek alternative means of making the grade.

Human rights professor Bill Skidmore said catching ghostwritten essays is much more difficult than detecting straight up plagiarism.  

“Mostly the ones you catch are the ones who have done their own direct plagiarism,” he said. “The difficulty is I can’t, just because something is really well-written, accuse a student of plagiarism. I have to have evidence.”

“[Academic dishonesty] ruins your relationship with the student,” he said.

“When going off campus, you’re not always sure what their motivations are and you don’t know if they have a degree,” Flannagan said. “Students are putting themselves at risk, particularly when they have to pay.”