I have heard about the thesis writing factories in India and have brushed it off thinking it is not a wide spread problem. However, recently it has come up so many times that I can’t ignore the extent of the phenomenon and the clients not only in India but also in US and UK universities.
A couple of years back I joined sites like People Per Hour to see what was going on there. My profile sets me up as a researcher, evaluator, writer, editor. It has been a pleasure working with some MA and doctoral students stuck somewhere in their research and writing process but most of the requests I get are to write papers, chapters outright. Some openely ask to ‘ghost write’ a journal paper while others use sneaky phrases like ‘major edits’. Some asking to get entire end term papers written are fearless to just post the assignment with the course and university name clearly visible.
It is appalling and distressing to see the number of such requests that reach me when it is quite clear I do not do such work. How many papers, thesis are being written by people who make it their profession? I was told the going rate for a thesis is in lacks.
If you decided to study, why wouldn’t you want to learn I keep asking in bafflement. It was clarified by one simple remark – I am not interested in research, I am doing this only to get the degree as now-a-days it is difficult to get teaching assignments without it. The incentives are all wrong already. The thesis factories are going to just baloon some more with the new UGC requirements for degree and publishing to be an assistant professor.
I am pretty sure there are still people out there who are stuck without good mentorship who will give their best if I can just help and motivate them. I am also hopeful that there are at least some who can be poked and motivated into at least trying before they declare they don’t care enough to work to get their piece of paper.
devayani tirthali 