HYDERABAD: Varsity students are finding creative ways, rather than producing original research, to bypass plagiarism checks while doing college assignments, students said.
Students said that these assignments carry only 7-10 marks and are around 8,000 words each, due to which they feel it is an exercise in futility to produce original work.
“Plagiarism checks online do not detect pictures, only text. So, to reduce the plagiarism percentage to adhere to the university limits, we type the copy-pasted text in a word document, take a screenshot and attach it to our document. Formatting written text in either tabular or pictorial format helps us reduce plagiarised content,” a student studying at a well-known university in the state said.
Among other options available to students is buying readymade assignments, with a market for the same mostly run on word of mouth.
For an 8,000-word assignment, the charge is around Rs 16,000, which also includes a bibliography and citations. For assignments not requiring a bibliography, half the amount is charged.
While this reporter tried contacting one such centre, the respondent requested a WhatsApp call to ensure it was not recorded. The person at the centre said that Rs 2 would be charged per word, with no room for negotiation. If a student has additional requirements or a deadline, an additional amount would be charged.
Upon agreeing to the conditions, the reporter was given an email ID and asked to send the details of the project assignment, college rules and other requirements.
Some of them providing such services also take orders online without engaging in calls and just deliver the records to the student’s address. Some also prepare students on the assignments so that they don’t arouse suspicion during viva and can score well.
Students said that such underhanded means were necessary because they feel there is a lack of understating on the administration's part regarding how much work they can take on. Many said that they lose interest in the subject due to such assignments.
