Spellchecking Is Never Enough, # 57

StudyMode.com ('Inspiring Better Grades') featured in in a post in January, which discussed the ethics of selling essays to/writing essays for students. I came across a(nother) typographical error on the site  recently, and thought it would be worth investigating it further. Here are a few of the many examples of that error (and a range of other errors arising incidentally from the search) found in essays available from Studymode's database. Do note that these are all marked 'Premium'.

Link: Studymode.com, results for search on 'Fallen angle'

A bit of a logical issue with that last one…

In super-cynical mode, I wondered whether the hideous grammatical, spelling and typographical errors are built in deliberately, intended to reproduce the kinds of mistakes that might occur in the work of this age group… Yet surely not, in essays intended only as 'reference material and thought-starters'.

You Cannot Be Serious, # 19

Here's a preview of an essay hosted by the subscription service MegaEssays.com:

 Link: MegaEssays.com, 'John Milton'

If you want to 'View the rest of this essay!' (exclamation marks are popular), you have to pay. In case you were wondering, the FAQ page addresses the subject of quality ―

― though it doesn't explain how a subscriber can select the paper best suited to match his or her own abilities. Not, of course, that it's an issue that would ever arise, as this FAQ shows:

 Link: MegaEssays.com, FAQs

There's also a set of Terms and Conditions devolving responsibility for the essays' usage on to the user. Indeed, the testimonials make it clear that the site's essays are intended only to offer students help in formulating their own ideas:

What isn't clear is how the stance on ethics and law ― the Plagiarism Police are watching you! ― fits with the Custom Essays service, which offers bespoke essays, at 'undergraduate' or 'graduate' level, at a cost ranging from $27 to $55 per page, depending on how quickly the material is required.*

* That's USD. The site shows an address in 'Cheyenne, USA' for queries, and the T&C page refers to 'the laws of the State of Ohio'.

Spellchecking Is Never Enough, # 16

Like eNotes.com (see You Cannot Be Serious, # 2), StudyMode.com (motto: 'Inspiring Better Grades') offers essays to students, although the site explicitly decries plagiarism:

Let’s be clear: submitting another person's work as your own is plagiarism, and we’re against it. While you may legitimately cite these works and use them as reference material and thought-starters to your heart’s content, please do not turn in articles from this website as your own.

Link: StudyMode.com disclaimer

It's a bit of a conflict of interest, then, that the site carries sponsored advertising for tailored essays and reports:

Link: StudyMode.com disclaimer

StudyMode also has a premium service, with prices ranging from 29.95USD per month to 89.95USD for a six-month subscription,* which allows access to full-length essays.

In case you thought I'd forgotten the mangling, here's a small selection of examples, focussed on, but not confined to, a mangle we've encountered before and will certainly meet again:

Link: StudyMode.com, 'Functions of Government in Pubic Policy'

Link: StudyMode.com, 'Classification of Pubic and Private Education'

Link: StudyMode.com, 'Comparison of Stress Level…'

* Source: Sarah Glazer, 'Plagiarism and Cheating', CQ Researcher, 23 (4 January, 2013), 1-28. Consulted online, 8 January 2013.

You Cannot Be Serious, # 2

Below a 'college freshman' (I think this means a first-year student at a North American high school, college of further education, or university) is requesting 'help' — actually to have a whole report or essay written for him (or her: 'freshman' seems to cover all gender options) — from eNotes.com, 'an educational resource used by millions of teachers and students', offering 'study guides, lesson plans, quizzes with a vibrant community of knowledgeable teachers and students to help you with almost any subject'… for a monthly or annual fee.

The freshman's homework (sampled below) was supplied by someone describing him/herself as a 'Teacher Graduate School Honors'. Wikipedia confirms this means someone doing (or perhaps having completed) an advanced degree.

Prepare to spit your coffee over your keyboard:

 Link: eNotes, 'Santan's speeches'

You Cannot Be Serious, # 1

The post-festive period can be quite gloomy for many, so I'm going for maximum amusement today.

This is one of a small, but cherished, collection that I look at from time to time and think cannot possibly be genuine errors, so it starts a new thread called, with apologies to John McEnroe, You Cannot Be Serious.

The question is the main point, but the response is worth reading too… 

 Link: Answers Corporation, 'cane, abel and Stan'