An essay mill is a type of ghostwriting service that provides students with academic papers in exchange for payment. While these services typically do not involve plagiarism, they can operate in the gray area of academic dishonesty. Although there is rarely any outright illegal activity associated with using an essay mill, a college or university may view it as academic fraud. Some universities allow professors to use a variety of methods to determine whether a student has used an essay mill, and if the student is found guilty, he or she may face disciplinary action. Expulsion, revocation of academic honors, or course failure are all possible punishments.
Essay mills may sell pre-written papers on a variety of topics or offer custom ghostwriting services. In either case, the essay mill usually gives the student a limited license to use the paper. The use of the paper is usually not considered plagiarism or even technically illegal because the student has a license. Because the license usually only allows for one use of the essay, any further sharing or selling of the paper could be considered plagiarism or copyright infringement.
Although these services are not technically illegal, some students may feel safe using them despite the fact that many academic institutions have policies prohibiting such behavior. If a college or university has an academic dishonesty policy in place, it may use a variety of methods to ensure that students follow it to the letter. Professors at some institutions are given the ability to use software that can detect signs of essay mill use, while others are given the ability to conduct impromptu oral testing. If a student is unable to convey the information in the essay in a coherent and thoughtful manner, he or she may be accused of academic fraud.
Colleges and universities frequently take academic dishonesty and fraud very seriously. A student will usually be investigated if a professor provides evidence of fraud. Various administrative personnel may hold a hearing during which the student may be exonerated or found guilty. Academic dishonesty, such as the use of a ghostwriting service, can result in a variety of penalties, though the student will almost always fail the class. If the student holds any academic honors or degrees, they may be revoked, and in some cases, he or she may be expelled from school.