Watching the Essay Mill industry

Last week, we updated our research into web traffic for 300+ English Language Essay Mills (our Essay Mill Database is a free resource where you can monitor ads, look at trends, and get a deeper understanding of the industry). The results show that traffic is up seasonally, mirroring the activities and assignments on college campuses across English-speaking campuses and online programs.

It's been predicted that ChatGPT and the rise of other AI-powered cheating technologies would kill the traditional Essay Mill industry (after all, if AI can write, why pay someone else to do it). While we support the demise of Essay Mills, to paraphrase Mark Twain, "The reports of their death are greatly exaggerated."

While they might have had an initial hit early in 2023, traffic is growing after the summer lull. We have not tracked any significant reduction in the number of sites or of sites in our database going dark.

Contract cheating is no small part of our focus on the writing process and student authorship. Authorship remains an important yet mostly absent aspect of writing in the classroom; we believe it is the key to encouraging scholarship, improving writing, rewarding student effort, and building a new model for integrity.