Yes, teachers can tell if you hired an online freelancer to write your essay, but only if you’re careless.
If you’re careful enough, the risk of your teacher detecting that you used an essay writer is almost zero.
Careless mistakes, such as not changing the default author name, submitting a paper whose voice and style doesn’t match yours, and not reviewing the paper can get you caught.
In this article, we will discuss some of the things that can make your instructor suspect you bought an essay and what you can do to minimize the risk of being caught.
Possible Ways That Teachers May Be Able To Tell If You Hired a Freelancer to Write Your Essay
Differences in writing style: Your instructor may be familiar with your writing style and voice and may be able to detect significant differences in writing style, tone, and level of sophistication that suggest that you did not write the essay.
Plagiarism detection software: Many schools and universities use plagiarism detection software that can detect similarities between a student’s essay and other sources on the internet, including essays written by freelancers. This is particularly dangerous if you use an unreliable writing service that recycles essays.
Inconsistencies in knowledge: If the essay is on a topic that you have not demonstrated a strong understanding of in class or previous assignments, it may raise suspicion that you did not write the essay by yourself.
Suspicious behavior: If you suddenly produce an essay that is significantly better than your previous work, or if you are evasive or defensive when asked about the essay, it may raise suspicion that you hired someone else to write it.
Lack of originality: If the essay lacks originality or does not reflect your personal experiences or perspectives, it may suggest that you did not write the essay.
Inappropriate document author: Most word processors have a default document author and in most cases, it happens to be the name of the computer that you’re using. For instance, if in the past you have been submitting documents whose author is “John Stewart,” then all of a sudden the author’s name changes to “Ali Ibrahim,” your instructor can become suspicious.
Not reviewing your paper: In some cases, your paper may contain details that may make your teacher suspect that you bought your essay from a freelancer. For instance, your paper may have details that you need to input yourself such as your name or your contact. If these are not filled in accurately or you submit the paper with placeholders, your professor can tell that you did not write the paper by yourself.
Here’s a more detailed article on how teachers can be able to know if you used a custom writing service.
Things to Do to Minimize the Risk of Being Caught
- Use a reliable custom writing service: This is perhaps one of the most important things if you want to avoid being suspected of having hired someone to write your paper for you. You should hire a company that understands your unique needs and customizes the essay to reflect your requirements and characteristics. For instance, when you use our cheap custom writing service, we usually assign a subject expert to write your paper. Our editors also review the paper to ensure that it matches your writing voice and style. For instance, if you’re an ESL student, we use a language that significantly matches yours. Each paper is also checked for plagiarism and you can request unlimited revisions until you’re certain that the essay matches your writing style.
In case placeholders are used, we inform you in advance so that you can insert the relevant information.
- Write the essay yourself: The best way to eliminate the risk of your teaching finding that you hired someone to write your paper is to write it by yourself. This implies that instead of submitting the paper as your own, you should use important ideas, formatting and structure, or references to write your paper. This may require more effort and time, but it will surely eliminate the risk of being caught.
Besides, by using this approach, you can eliminate issues such as inconsistencies in style and voice and most of the other issues identified previously. You can even rewrite the paper using your style and voice. - Use reliable sources: Ensure that only relevant, credible, and reliable sources are used in your paper. Do not submit an essay that uses information from fake, questionable, or unreliable sources that could raise suspicion about the authenticity of your work.
- Reference your sources properly: Ensure that you properly reference and cite all sources used in your essay. This helps to avoid plagiarism and shows that you have put in the effort to do your research and understand the topic. Besides, make sure that the references are relevant and accurate.
- Use a plagiarism checker: Before submitting your essay, use a plagiarism checker tool to check for any potential plagiarism. This can help you identify any unintentional instances of plagiarism and allow you to correct them before submitting your work. For instance, you can reduce the risk of submitting a paper that had been submitted by someone else.
- Do not share your work with others: Do not share your work with other students or freelancers as this could increase the risk of being caught for academic dishonesty. For instance, they can submit the work as their own, which can land you in trouble if your instructor finds out.
- Review the paper thoroughly before submitting: This is one of the most important things especially if you have not rewritten the paper. You should ensure that it matches your style and voice, doesn’t have any suspicious characters, and does not have any placeholders. It’s only by thoroughly reviewing it that you can establish whether it matches your voice and style, or level of English.
Consequences If You are Caught Hiring Someone to Write Your Paper for You
If you get caught hiring an online freelancer to write your essay or engaging in any other form of academic dishonesty, there can be serious consequences. The consequences may vary depending on the school, college or university policies, and the severity of the offence.
Some possible consequences if you’re caught include:
Failing the assignment or course: The most common consequence is failing the assignment or course. This means that you will have to retake the course or risk being delayed in your academic progress.
Suspension: In some cases, you can be suspended from school or college for some time. This can have a significant impact on your academic and personal life.
Expulsion: The most severe consequence is expulsion from school or college. This means that you will no longer be allowed to attend the institution and may have difficulty transferring to another school or college.
Damage to reputation: It can damage your reputation and credibility, both within the academic community and in future job prospects.
Legal consequences: In rare cases, it may lead to legal consequences, especially if it involves fraud or other criminal activities. You can read more about these consequences in this article.
Can I Use the Essay as A Model Paper to Write My Own?
If you have received an essay from an online freelancer and you are considering using it as a model paper to write your essay, it is important to keep in mind that this could still be considered academic dishonesty, especially if you are using large portions of the original essay in your work without proper citation or attribution.
Using the essay as a reference or model can be helpful in understanding the topic, structure, and organization of a well-written essay. Besides, it can significantly minimize the risk of your instructor knowing that you paid someone to write your paper for you. However, it is important to use it only as a reference and not copy or paraphrase it without proper citation or attribution.
It is also important to ensure that the final work is entirely your own and reflects your ideas, writing style, and perspective.
In conclusion, while it may be tempting for students to hire online freelancers to write their essays, the risks of being caught are high especially if you’re not careful. Teachers can detect inconsistencies in writing style, knowledge, and behavior, and many institutions use plagiarism detection software. To minimize the risk of being caught, you should review the paper before submitting it, write the essay yourself, use reliable sources, reference your sources properly, and use a plagiarism checker. The consequences for getting caught can be severe, including failing the assignment or course, suspension, expulsion, damage to reputation, and legal consequences. While using a model essay as a reference or guide can be helpful, it is important to do so ethically and with proper citation and attribution.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can a teacher identify a student who has bought essays online?
Teachers may be able to identify if a student has bought an essay online by looking for differences in writing style, using plagiarism detection software, detecting inconsistencies in the student’s knowledge, noticing suspicious behavior, or identifying a lack of originality in the essay.
How can a teacher determine if an essay was written by her students or was ordered from an essay writing service?
Teachers can compare the writing style, level of knowledge, and voice of the essay with the student’s previous work and in-class performance. Additionally, teachers can use plagiarism detection software to detect similarities between the essay and other sources on the internet.
What do teachers and professors do about students paying a website to write their essays?
If a teacher or professor suspects that a student has paid a website to write their essay, they may investigate the matter further and take disciplinary action if necessary. The consequences may include failing the assignment or course, suspension, expulsion, damage to reputation, or legal consequences.
Can professors tell if a student had hired an academic writing service to complete their assignment?
Professors may be able to tell if a student hired an academic writing service if they notice significant differences in writing style, tone, or level of sophistication. Additionally, professors may use plagiarism detection software to detect similarities between the student’s essay and other sources on the internet.
How risky is it to use an essay writing website for my coursework? They have a plagiarism-free guarantee but I'm still scared.
Using an essay writing website for coursework can be risky especially if you use an unreliable service. Ensure to hire the right writing company to minimize the risk. Furthermore, ensure that the service comes with guarantees such as plagiarism-free work and always ensure that you review papers before they are submitted to ensure that the content is relevant and the writing style matches yours.
If I hired someone online to write my essay for school, what are the chances I will get caught?
The chances of being caught hiring someone online to write an essay for school are relatively low if you’re careful. It depends on factors such as the methods used by the student and the freelancer, the teacher’s familiarity with the student’s writing style and the level of knowledge. Therefore, it’s advisable not to submit a paper the way it is delivered. Rather, review it to ensure that it is unique, the writing style and voice match yours, and that the references and in-text citations are accurate/not fake.
Author
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Georgina Miles is an expert academic tutor, writer, and researcher. She is skilled in writing academic research essays and theses, and any other type of academic paper including case studies and reports. As a professional academic writer, she can write various types of academic disciplines including business, history, psychology, sociology, literature, and law. Georgina's natural style is witty and engaging, but she can adapt to the needs of each student. All of her writing is 100% unique and proofread to ensure quality.