# Is this CL request by this cheating history grad student plausible? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 1, 2013, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-cl-request-by-this-cheating-history-grad-student-plausible/657259 "2013-05-01T22:12:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2013, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-cl-request-by-this-cheating-history-grad-student-plausible/657259/1 "2013-05-01T22:12:30Z")
[Re this ad](http://gawker.com/picky-cheater-offers-600-for-solid-masters-level-hist-486397414) as several commentators pointed out these seem more like AP high school history assignments. Would a grad level history program really assign papers like these? Is this a plausible a graduate level assignment or is this likely shenanigans? > [@](#): > > NEED THREE HISTORY RELATED PAPERS COMPLETED BY MAY 7TH (Midtown) > _FULL DISCLAIMER_ I am a college student enrolled in a masters level history program. I will be paying you to complete papers for me that I will then hand in as my own (or I will be purchasing work you’ve already done that meets the requirements of what I need). I am “cheating”. Please, understand and grasp this concept. If you’re morally appalled by it, then simply don’t respond to the ad. Also, please refrain from asking me the question of “why” I’m not doing the work myself. Thank you. Must be willing to meet in person twice. We will meet the first time so I can give you a very small amount of the money upfront. We will also meet so that I can make sure you’re legitimate, and you can in turn also make sure I’m legitimate. I’ve done this type of thing before, so I am comfortable and experienced with it. When we meet the second time and the project is complete, you must have a hard copy of each of the papers ready to go and ready for “hand in”. All I will have to do is add a cover sheet with my name and info. During our second meeting, you will also e-mail me Word attachments of the three papers as well. This is a package deal… please do not respond with offers to do one or just two of the papers. Those types of offers will not even receive a response. You must be capable of completing all three tasks. > > ALL THREE PAPERS ARE DUE NEXT TUESDAY, MAY 7th. > > Paper 1) Scholarly review of a history related academic/professional journal. You must answer three basic questions that the professor requested (I will provide them to you). Simple, and straight forward. (Three pages) > > Paper 2) “Thesis”/Research/Review paper on any World War II related specific topic or person. For example: The Versailles Treaty? Discuss and explain a certain battle or invasion and how it happened and why it was important? Discuss and explain a certain individual and how they affected WWII and why they were important, (NOT a “bio” of the person though). Your choices are broad and wide open. (((15 pages, minimum. Must use at least 5 legitimate scholarly sources, books, articles, etc…NOT “Wikipedia”)…must have accurate and complete bibliography page, proper in paper citations… APA format))) > > Paper 3) “Thesis”/Research/Review discussing any specific topic or person from “Pre-Contact” American history up to and just before the Civil War. So, basically…you can do an in-depth exploration of any American History related topic from before the 1630’s (American Indians, Jamestown, etc.) up through the Colonial Period to the Revolutionary American period to basically any topic to before 1830. (((10 pages, minimum. Also must use at least 5 legitimate scholarly sources, books, articles, etc., NOT “Wikipedia”)… must have accurate and complete bibliography page, proper in paper citations…APA format))) > > Fee paid will be $600, total. Non-negotiable. I will be paying $50 up front at our first meeting, and I will bring the other $550 in cash just to show you I have it. Please, no games. Once again, I have experience with this, and I will be able to sense any problems/issues in advance. You will receive the $550 at our second meeting when you hand me the completed assignments. Thank you. > •Compensation: $50 upfront and immediately/$550 upon completion of project > •This is a contract job. > •Principals only. Recruiters, please don’t contact this job poster. > •Please, no phone calls about this job! > •Please do not contact job poster about other services, products or commercial interests. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2013, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-cl-request-by-this-cheating-history-grad-student-plausible/657259/2 "2013-05-01T22:31:55Z")
Assuming this to be legit, the alleged grad student should have also included: [ul] [li]You must be of legal age to write the three history papers.[/li][li]You must sign a NDA (Non-Disclosure Agreement).[/li][/ul] ---
**Author:** ![April\_R](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@April\_R](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/April_R)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2013, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-cl-request-by-this-cheating-history-grad-student-plausible/657259/3 "2013-05-01T22:35:52Z")
Hahahahaha. Slick. Also incredibly stupid to risk your whole graduate school career for $600. ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2013, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-cl-request-by-this-cheating-history-grad-student-plausible/657259/4 "2013-05-01T22:38:28Z")
In my grad program, you may see something along these lines as a weekly assignment- the sort of thing that’s designed to check attendance and make sure you’ve done some reading. Midterm and final papers would be longer and more specific. ---
**Author:** ![Yarster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/7c8e57/32.png) [@Yarster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yarster)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2013, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-cl-request-by-this-cheating-history-grad-student-plausible/657259/5 "2013-05-01T22:43:16Z")
Sure, why wouldn’t this be plausible? College student takes history class thinking it is a blow-off subject and suddenly finds himself way behind the power curve due to laziness or taking too much of a course load for the semester with his/her other “real” classes and is now desperate. That is a tremendous amount of writing he wants done in a very short time assuming this is a very recent ad. My question is: how does he/she know they won’t pay the $50, and then have you jerk them around while time runs out, only to then not deliver the papers by the deadline when it is too late to hire someone else. I hope that happens to teach them a lesson. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2013, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-cl-request-by-this-cheating-history-grad-student-plausible/657259/6 "2013-05-01T22:55:47Z")
> [@Yarster](#): > > Sure, why wouldn’t this be plausible? > > College student takes history class thinking it is a blow-off subject and suddenly finds himself way behind the power curve due to laziness or taking too much of a course load for the semester with his/her other “real” classes and is now desperate. That is a tremendous amount of writing he wants done in a very short time assuming this is a very recent ad. > > My question is: how does he/she know they won’t pay the $50, and then have you jerk them around while time runs out, only to then not deliver the papers by the deadline when it is too late to hire someone else. I hope that happens to teach them a lesson. I am specifying this is a request by a masters GRAD student presumably in a graduate level history program, NOT an undergrad. ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2013, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-cl-request-by-this-cheating-history-grad-student-plausible/657259/7 "2013-05-01T22:58:46Z")
> [@even\_sven](#): > > In my grad program, you may see something along these lines as a weekly assignment- the sort of thing that’s designed to check attendance and make sure you’ve done some reading. Midterm and final papers would be longer and more specific. Pretty much this. I’ve been in a grad class where a typical week included two different writing assignments, neither of them very long (1-5 pages maybe, rarely more than 10). You had to write a little on all sorts of different topics. You weren’t graded so much on how long your essay was but on whether or not you discussed everything that was expected. You were NOT expected to just write page after page of crap and say, well, it’s ten pages and the expectation is ten pages so it’s a good paper. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2013, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-cl-request-by-this-cheating-history-grad-student-plausible/657259/8 "2013-05-01T23:09:19Z")
A paltry $600 for work of this volume and calibre? What an insult! :mad: ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2013, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-cl-request-by-this-cheating-history-grad-student-plausible/657259/9 "2013-05-01T23:10:50Z")
> [@robert\_columbia](#): > > Pretty much this. I’ve been in a grad class where a typical week included two different writing assignments, neither of them very long (1-5 pages maybe, rarely more than 10). You had to write a little on all sorts of different topics. You weren’t graded so much on how long your essay was but on whether or not you discussed everything that was expected. You were NOT expected to just write page after page of crap and say, well, it’s ten pages and the expectation is ten pages so it’s a good paper. If that’s the case I would think even a mediocre grad student would be expected to be able to bang these things out. He’s offering $ 600 for doing what amounts to weekly homework, not a term paper? Wow. ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2013, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-cl-request-by-this-cheating-history-grad-student-plausible/657259/10 "2013-05-01T23:13:50Z")
It’s a test by a psychology or sociology student. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2013, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-cl-request-by-this-cheating-history-grad-student-plausible/657259/11 "2013-05-01T23:22:38Z")
Why is he insisting that one person write all three papers? Given that he wants thirty pages within a week, it seems like he’s asking for hackwork. He’d get better results by splitting the job (and the money) up among three different people. ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2013, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-cl-request-by-this-cheating-history-grad-student-plausible/657259/12 "2013-05-01T23:25:36Z")
> [@astro](#): > > If that’s the case I would think even a mediocre grad student would be expected to be able to bang these things out. He’s offering $ 600 for doing what amounts to weekly homework, not a term paper? Wow. #1 and #2, yeah, that could be a weekly homework assignment. #3 not so much as it looks more complex. ---
**Author:** ![apollonia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/2bfe46/32.png) [@apollonia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/apollonia)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2013, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-cl-request-by-this-cheating-history-grad-student-plausible/657259/13 "2013-05-01T23:39:01Z")
I have a Masters in history. This is absolutely not anything like what I did, ever. First of all, a “review of any WWII related person or topic” is incredibly vague for a MA-level paper. “Any topic from pre-contact up to the Civil War” is also incredibly wide-ranging. All the coursework I did was either incredibly specific and/or complex, OR it involved theory and philosophy. Or both. Ten pages of writing, as mentioned, is a week’s assignment, not a term paper. Five sources is laughably low for a paper of that wide-ranging complexity. APA style is also not very common in history. It’s mostly used in psych and social sciences. I mean, it’s possible for a history grad program to use APA but it’s vastly vastly vastly more likely they’ll use Chicago or Turabian. This is either AP high school work, or maximum introductory or 2nd year university coursework. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2013, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-cl-request-by-this-cheating-history-grad-student-plausible/657259/14 "2013-05-01T23:58:42Z")
> [@apollonia](#): > > I have a Masters in history. This is absolutely not anything like what I did, ever. First of all, a “review of any WWII related person or topic” is incredibly vague for a MA-level paper. “Any topic from pre-contact up to the Civil War” is also incredibly wide-ranging. All the coursework I did was either incredibly specific and/or complex, OR it involved theory and philosophy. Or both. Ten pages of writing, as mentioned, is a week’s assignment, not a term paper. Five sources is laughably low for a paper of that wide-ranging complexity. Any chance it could be just a _really shitty_ grad program? ---
**Author:** ![April\_R](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@April\_R](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/April_R)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2013, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-cl-request-by-this-cheating-history-grad-student-plausible/657259/15 "2013-05-02T00:01:58Z")
> [@olivesmarch4th](#): > > Any chance it could be just a _really shitty_ grad program? This ---
**Author:** ![apollonia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/2bfe46/32.png) [@apollonia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/apollonia)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2013, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-cl-request-by-this-cheating-history-grad-student-plausible/657259/16 "2013-05-02T00:10:36Z")
I suppose it’s _possible_, in that all things are possible. But I think it vastly more _probable_ that’s it a high school or university student trying to sound more important than he is, with more money than sense. Furthermore, “thesis,” “research,” and “review” are all very defined concepts in a grad program and mixing them together in assignment titles is less than senseless. This is not part of a thesis. There is no original research involved. And none of it is scholarly review of works. ---
**Author:** ![Alley\_Dweller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alley_dweller/32/430_2.png) [@Alley\_Dweller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alley_Dweller)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2013, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-cl-request-by-this-cheating-history-grad-student-plausible/657259/17 "2013-05-02T00:47:46Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Why is he insisting that one person write all three papers? Given that he wants thirty pages within a week, it seems like he’s asking for hackwork. He’d get better results by splitting the job (and the money) up among three different people. So the professor won’t spot difference in style or format between the three papers? ---
**Author:** ![moejoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de053/32.png) [@moejoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moejoe)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2013, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-cl-request-by-this-cheating-history-grad-student-plausible/657259/18 "2013-05-02T01:48:01Z")
Hmm, I would definitely write those papers for $600, because they don’t sound very hard to write and I could use the moolah, but I wonder why someone studying graduate level history doesn’t want to write their own papers. Anyone at the graduate level should be able to bang those out over a long hard weekend if he’s behind on his work. It could be a high school AP student who already has an acceptance letter from wherever U and wants to start his summer a little early. ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2013, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-cl-request-by-this-cheating-history-grad-student-plausible/657259/19 "2013-05-02T01:58:07Z")
My guess would be that it’s an undergrad who is hoping they can get grad-level writing out of the cash they are paying. Someone advertising for an undergrad paper is going to get all kinds of yahoos that would be reluctant to take on a grad paper. It is a chunk of change to pay for laziness. My first thought is that it may be a non-native English speaker (ad could have been put up by a friend) whose English level isn’t up to these papers. Other than that, maybe they are out of the country or on a heroin binge or something and just can’t write it. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2013, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-cl-request-by-this-cheating-history-grad-student-plausible/657259/20 "2013-05-02T02:32:43Z")
> [@even\_sven](#): > > My guess would be that it’s an undergrad who is hoping they can get grad-level writing out of the cash they are paying. Someone advertising for an undergrad paper is going to get all kinds of yahoos that would be reluctant to take on a grad paper. > > It is a chunk of change to pay for laziness. My first thought is that it may be a non-native English speaker (ad could have been put up by a friend) whose English level isn’t up to these papers. Other than that, maybe they are out of the country or on a heroin binge or something and just can’t write it. I see your point. It’s odd that a grad student would require this. You’d figure if they wanted a masters in _history_ they would uber history wonks and would be all over this not begging for paid ghost writers. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-cl-request-by-this-cheating-history-grad-student-plausible/657259.md?page=2)