Ghostwriters in the cloud

Elizabeth Fisher, Alexander J. McLeod, Arline Savage and Mark G. Simkin

Journal of Accounting Education, 2016, vol. 34, issue C, 59-71

Abstract: Ghostwriters are “hired guns” who complete online tests, write term papers, or even take entire courses on behalf of others. Several surrogate indicators suggest that the market for ghostwriting is growing. This paper explores the antecedents, ethical considerations, and legal issues involved with ghostwriting, and discusses the authentication techniques, identity-management methodologies, and proctoring options that can help control ghostwriting activities. It also describes a pilot study that the authors conducted of a promising authentication system. Both institutions of higher learning and accounting educators can adopt policies and procedures to deal with ghostwriters, and we include a list of best practices for this problem.

Keywords: Ghostwriters; Academic misconduct; Cheating; Online education; Online classes; Student authentication (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2016
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:joaced:v:34:y:2016:i:c:p:59-71

DOI: 10.1016/j.jaccedu.2015.11.001

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