You'll have seen the web adverts, the slick-looking flyers and you might even have received an email from them - essay-writing companies offering to write your assignment, project or dissertation for you....at a price.

There's obviously an ethical argument here - why on earth are you at University if you're just going to buy the work and cheat your way to a degree anyway?  But the reality is that we've all had times when the pressure of deadlines, personal life and academic difficulties make life at University tough.  It can be easy to think that buying an essay will save you time and effort, and help you make it to the end of your degree. 

Don't risk it - aside from the fact that buying your assessed work is against University regulations and could result in a harsh penalty for academic misconduct or worse, the work you buy is likely to be of very poor quality.  A recent report by the Guardian asserted that pre-paid essays were regularly found to be poorly written, with bad spelling, punctuation and syntax.  They also often failed to make the grade they claimed to to guarantee.  So, even if you are prepared to risk getting caught by the University, you might just fail the assessment anyway! 

If you are struggling with your written work, there is a host of support available right here on campus (and you don't have to pay £3000 per assignment!).  Firstly, start with your personal tutor - they are there to advise you and guide you on your academic progress.  If you need support around the actual research and writing of assignments, you can access fantastic resources from the Library's 'skills for learning' team (www.salford.ac.uk/skills-for-learning) As well as the online support, you can attend workshops or book a one-to-one appointment with a specialist staff member.

Finally, remember that if you are experiencing personal difficulties, or feel that you are not in a position to complete your assessment due to unforseen circumstances, you can submit a PMC online (personal mitigating circumstances) and request a later attempt at the piece of work. 

Here at the Union, we run an independent Advice Centre in University House, and our experienced advisors can help you navigate the difficulties of academic life.  You can drop in any time, or email advicecentre-ussu@salford.ac.uk to make an appointment.

So don't risk it - graduate with your head held high!