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# Investigation: how the UK’s essay mill industry has become universities' hidden problem
- URL: https://www.birminghameastside.co.uk/uk-essay-mill-industry-contract-cheating/
- Published: 2018-09-03T13:22:57.000Z
- Updated: 2018-09-03T13:22:57.000Z
- Author: Wan Ulfa
- Tags: Data, Features, News, Universities, #Migrated-1786701253228, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-08-14 09:54

*This week the Government has been* [*urged to outlaw essay writing services*](https://www.theguardian.com/education/2018/aug/31/essay-writing-services-must-be-banned-to-stop-cheating-say-academics?ref=birminghameastside.co.uk) *after a* [*study*](https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feduc.2018.00067/full?ref=birminghameastside.co.uk#B43) *found evidence of a rapid increase in contract cheating. Birmingham Eastside's *Wan Ulfa Nur Zuhra* spent three months investigating the problem, speaking to a former essay ghostwriter, following trails that led to fake addresses, and uncovering a systemic problem whereby universities are failing to keep records on the problem. Read her special immersive feature below.*