A lot of us who write, including myself, would like to earn extra money writing for others in legitimate activities such as editing, proofreading, writing projects and similar things. Just for grins, I took a look on Craig’s List to find out what writing services others were offering. Some of the things I saw turned my stomach. In addition to legitimate activities, I also saw some very questionable services offered such as:

“(We) do online coursework (perfect for online college students who also have to work and do not have time for their studies).”

“Our expert and experienced writers will provide you with custom-made research papers and case studies. The content is creative and original and can pass all plagiarism tests easily.”

“Now you can enjoy all the parties and mingle with your friends, and we will write all your papers.”

These are only examples. The questionable ads exceeded the more legitimate-sounding ones by a ratio of several times to one. I’d like to think the writing field is composed of well-educated people who follow a strict ethical code. As everyone knows, that is not always true. Personally, I don’t see how some of these professional “writers” manage to sleep at night.

Most people would agree this activity is wrong, but how do we stop it?