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Investigation: The rise of Ireland’s essay-writing industry

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New anti-cheating laws lead to crackdowns on essay mills

New cheating laws have come into effect in Ireland last week. There has been a legal crackdown on essay writing services provided by a growing number of these “essay mills”. It has been made an offence to advertise or provide such services. New Zealand and Australia have already implemented this ban and have had legislation in place for it since 2011.

By Andrea Andres | Nov 27 2019

The state agency Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI) has warned that essay mills pose a serious threat to the integrity of higher education. Essay mills facilitate academic cheating by supplying bespoke written essays and dissertations to students that are written by other students and academics. The students who pay for these essays then submit them as their own work. The providers claim that these essays are plagiarism-free on that basis that they are ‘original pieces of work’. It can be impossible to establish that they are not the work of the student.

It is currently estimated that there are 5 to 6 major providers of this service in the Irish market and many more smaller providers as well.

One recent UK report revealed that one in seven graduates (14%) has admitted to paying someone else to undertake their assignment. For Australia that number is 6-10% of their student population. International research shows there has been a sharp rise in the use of these services. According to the figures compiled by The Irish Times, there have been over 1000 cases of student plagiarism in Ireland since 2010.

Ireland alongside New Zealand and Australia has been one of the few countries to introduce legislation to tackle this problem. The QQI will launch a communications campaign that will inform the providers, learners, advertisers and publishers of the new legislation.

The QQI has also established the National Academic Integrity Network, which comprises representatives of all public and private-third level colleges as well as student representatives. Its purpose is to create a collaborative approach to tackling the issue. The agency wants to agree upon common definitions of academic cheating and identify a good method to take action against it. They want to develop good practice for the reporting and prosecution of the instances of cheating.

The network had its first meeting on November 14th , which was addressed by Professor Micheal Draper, of Swansea University and Professor Cath Ellis, of the University of New South Wales. Both professors have extensive experience in the area of contract cheating and essay mills.

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Are essay mills threatening the integrity of academia, in 2019, ireland passed the qualifications and quality assurance (education and training) amendment act to tackle a growing trend in academic misconduct driven by essay mills..

Academic misconduct is an age-old practice. It dates back to the Ming and Qing dynasties, when Chinese students used miniature copies of books to cheat in their civil-service examinations. Fast forward a few thousand years, and cheating in academia is still alive and well – it has simply taken on a new, more sophisticated form. No longer confined to the pages of tiny books, answers and essays can now be purchased and sold online through a practice known as contract cheating.

This growing form of academic misconduct “often consists of companies, regularly referred to as “essay mills” selling learners bespoke assignments, essays and even theses which learners then submit for assessment as their own work”, according to Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI).

In Ireland, the Qualifications and Quality Assurance (Education and Training) Amendment Act 2019, bans the provision and advertisement of these services. However, as QQI points out, “it does not criminalise the learner who cheats”.

Ireland is one of the first countries in the Western Hemisphere to enact legislation to address this issue. Elsewhere, organisations continue to operate in grey areas of the law. Michael Draper, professor of legal studies at Swansea University and a member of the UK-based Quality Assurance Agency’s Academic Advisory Group, says that “in the UK, there are around 26 companies, legitimately registered companies at Companies House, which supply essays”.

Draper claims that “there are three factors that always play into academic misconduct”. The first is opportunity. “The more takeaway assessments you have, the greater the opportunity”, he explains. The second is pressure, caused by hectic exam schedules or tight deadlines, and the final is rationalisation. Draper explains that students may pacify worries by telling themselves, “’it’s okay to do this because everyone else is doing this’ or ‘it’s not illegal’”.

Conversely, Cath Ellis, associate dean of education at the University of New South Wales Sydney and researcher in the field of academic misconduct, argues that “there are as many reasons why students would cheat as there are students who cheat”.

Regardless of motivation, what most students do not realise, according to Draper, is that by deciding to “invest” in their university careers and purchase from these organisations, they also risk becoming complicit in a process described by Draper as “exploitation on a massive scale”. He explains to me that many essay mills based outside the UK employ highly educated individuals in the global south who are paid “a pittance” to author students’ academic works.

I don’t think students realise that by buying these essays, they are actually helping to support an exploitative organisation.

“I don’t think students realise that by buying these essays, they are actually helping to support an exploitative organisation that is taking advantage of Africans who can’t get jobs, Asians who can’t get jobs, and are forced to do this”, Draper says.

Sadly, there is no quick fix to this complex problem. Draper explains that if these websites are shut down, “we’ve got to actually support these countries in terms of their economic development so that [when] people [are] forced out of these jobs, there’s something to go to. Otherwise, you are just simply taking food off peoples’ tables”.

Another unexpected consequence is that some students have found themselves in situations where they have been blackmailed by the organisations they purchased from. “I don’t think students are aware that [by engaging in contract cheating] they run the risk of being blackmailed”, Draper says.

While legislation has lessened the impacts of this issue in Ireland, academic misconduct and threats to academic integrity persist. Statistics are difficult to come by online. However, in an email statement to The University Times , the Office of the Junior Dean said that “in 2015/16 [Trinity] College was made aware of 12 instances of academic misconduct. This raised to 45 in 2016/17 and stayed at approximately the same levels in 2017/18 and 2018/19 with 42 and 47 respectively. Information on 2019/20 is not yet available”.

It should be noted that “not all instances of plagiarism are defined as ‘academic misconduct’”, so the statistics available surrounding academic misconduct may not include all instances of plagiarism the College is made aware of. Academic misconduct remains an issue in Trinity, but, according to the Office of the Junior Dean, “‘contract cheating’ is not, to date, a major concern in Trinity, but the Junior Dean’s Office is aware of the phenomenon”.

While legislation has lessened the impacts of this issue in Ireland, academic misconduct and threats to academic integrity persist.

In June 2020, Joseph Harbison, the director of undergraduate teaching and learning in the School of Medicine, issued a warning to Trinity medical students regarding suspected cheating in an Ear, Nose and Throat exam. In an email statement to The University Times , Harbison said that “the issue for the medical school is that our exams are also safety assessments for people who are going to be doctors. Therefore if we’re uncertain of them we need to have them repeated to make sure that the students have the required knowledge and skills”.

Of course, the outbreak of coronavirus has also presented new challenges. The move to online assessments offers further opportunity to engage in academic misconduct and, as Harbison points out, cheating online “is next to impossible to prove”.

Yet, Ellis remains convinced that the move to online assessments will not have a major impact on academic integrity: “The reason why people are freaking out about Covid-19 and academic integrity is because we have lost the ability to pack people into huge halls, pop them at an individual desk, give them a pen and paper and scrutinise them, invigilate them, while they pour their learning onto a piece of paper.”

At the crux of her argument is a survey of 14,000 students that looked at cheating behaviours and found that exam cheating remains the most common form of academic misconduct. “What people [think] is that we are losing a very robust way of ensuring academic integrity”, she explains. “In fact, people are putting misplaced trust in the things we have lost.”

Draper’s research has also produced some startling results: as many as one in seven recent graduates may have paid someone to do an assignment for them and, as he points out, “they are probably under-reporting”.

Moving forward, Draper believes that a combination of legislation and support from faculty can help to combat this issue. “At the end of the day, it is the relationship between a personal tutor and a student that really matters. That conversation around academic performance, making sure that students realise there is support available to develop their abilities and competency and that they don’t need to actually go to these sites – that can only come on a one-to-one personal discussion”, he explains.

Although the situation is improving in Ireland, globally, there is still a lot of progress that needs to be made. Until then, we are forced to watch as contract cheating continues to pose a threat to students, academic integrity and the rights of those employed by essay mills across the world.

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Essay Mills and Contract Cheating from a Legal Point of View

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This chapter provides an overview and analysis of the operation of essay mills and contract cheating from a legal point of view through the lens of some of the countries that have either adopted or are considering the adoption of legislation in relation to essay mills. This chapter considers the rationale for legislation in the Republic of Ireland and Australia and the arguments for legislation to be introduced in the United Kingdom with the differences between the various enactments and proposals considered in addition to the issues of enforcement of laws resulting from the operation of essay mills across borders.

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Draper, M. (2022). Essay Mills and Contract Cheating from a Legal Point of View. In: Eaton, S.E., Curtis, G.J., Stoesz, B.M., Clare, J., Rundle, K., Seeland, J. (eds) Contract Cheating in Higher Education. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-12680-2_4

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Essay mills explained: What they are and why you should avoid them

Essays and term papers can be stressful, especially for international students who sometimes doubt their ability to research in depth and write thousands of words in English, all to a tight deadline.  

That’s where essay mills come in, exploiting the fears of students and offering to do the hard work for them in exchange for money. 

But here’s the spoiler alert - you should absolutely avoid essay mills. All the time.

They don’t work for you. They don’t even work for the essay writers themselves, and you should see that as a big warning sign. But more on that below.

What are essay mills? 

Essay mills are pretty straightforward: You pay a company to write your essay for you. The company in turn offloads the essay to a (usually freelance) writer. A couple days or weeks later, and you get your completed essay in return. 

It’s not like a proofreading service, where someone can check your spelling, grammar and citations for a fee (though even those are controversial in universities). No, essay mills offer to write you an entire essay from scratch. 

In other words, they allow students to commit academic fraud. In fact, they exploit the worries and stresses of students and entice them into cheating. They’re considered deeply unethical, and put students themselves at risk of severe punishment if caught. 

Another business model of this kind are essay banks. Here, students can buy essays that have already been written. But there’s a much higher risk of getting caught for plagiarism, since who knows how many hundreds or thousands of people have used that very same essay. 

Are essay mills legal or illegal?

The legality of essay mills depends on where you go to university, but the unethicality is clear no matter the location. Here’s a quick rundown of essay mills’ legal status in popular study abroad countries:  

Anti - essay mill legislation in the UK was passed in the House of Commons in February 2021, and will soon be made law. It’s not totally illegal yet, but it’s just a matter of time. 

The Republic of Ireland has also passed a number of bills to help tackle essay mills, while the practice is totally illegal in Australia and New Zealand. 

As for the USA and Canada, some US states have made them illegal, while Canada is under mounting pressure to follow suit.  

But the content and nuances of these laws changes from place to place. For example, in some US states it’s illegal for the student to use them, whereas the bills in Ireland, the UK, New Zealand and Australia are an attempt to criminalise essay mill companies themselves.

However, when we talk about legality, we’re of course talking about the law. But just because you might not cause a criminal offense by using essay mills, it’s still academic fraud and/or plagiarism. And getting caught for that can come with some dire consequences. 

Long story short, you really shouldn’t use them, regardless of their legality. 

Why you should avoid essay mills

1. if it doesn’t make dollars, it doesn’t make sense.

The writer's pay is awful. I mean really bad. Trust me -- I write for a living, and I’ve seen hundreds of advertisements for essay mill jobs. Every time I see one I can’t believe how little money the writers make for so much time and effort.  

But does this affect you? Totally! Would you care about doing great work if, a) the money was terrible, and b) it wouldn’t take you anywhere in your career? I know I wouldn’t...

Let’s talk about cost and time to put this into some perspective. The price range of essay mills varies wildly depending on the writers they employ. You can pay anywhere between £10-£35 per page. Roll this out over a 10 page essay, and it could be anywhere between £100 and £350 for the final product. But you can also come across offers for much, much less money than this.

While that higher end of £350 might seem like a lot of money, trust me -- it’s really nothing for the amount of research, writing, citations, editing and proofreading required. 

If £100 per day is considered a “just fine but not great” sum of money in the UK, a writer would have to do all the work on your essay in 2.5 days just to make it worthwhile. And they’d have to do it without the subject knowledge that you have. 

2. The writers aren’t subject experts

Think about it: if they were a subject expert, would they really be working for a shady company that facilitates cheating? Not a chance. 

The main point is that these writers are badly underpaid and they’re not experts, therefore they’re putting very little effort or expertise into your essay. They just want to do it as quickly as possible before moving onto the next one. 

3. There’s no guarantee of a good grade

None. Since the writers are underpaid, lack expertise and rush their work, it’s a recipe for a bad final product. Multiple studies have shown that essay mills do mediocre work at best. 

The essay you pay hundreds of pounds for might get you a pass grade, but you could do much better yourself. 

4. The punishment is harsh

Every university has severe laws on plagiarism and academic fraud, which is the exact result of using an essay mill. At its most lenient, a student caught breaking rules on plagiarism will receive no grade at all for the work, but at worst they can be suspended or even expelled from your university.  

But the perfect “crime” goes unnoticed, right? Well, it’s unlikely in this case. 

5. Essay mills and detection services

Most universities use pretty innovative plagiarism detection software these days, which can pick up on any hint of fraudulent work. Thus, the risk of getting caught is very high. And by the time a student does get caught, they’ve already lost their hard earned cash to the essay mill company. 

6. Essay mills don’t care about you

The company doesn’t care about you, and nor does the writer. That’s a pretty bad starting point for doing business! Once they’ve got their money and done their sub-standard work, they can move on to exploiting someone else’s fears. 

7. There’s a risk of scams 

Most essay mill sites demand a deposit of the final amount, or sometimes the entire fee up front. Either way, you won’t see your essay until you’ve paid them something. This makes it a prime opportunity for scam artists to take your money without giving anything in return. 

You see, it’s extremely easy for scam artists to launch a website advertising essays for sale, then just shut the operation down once they’ve made some quick cash without doing any work. 

Speaking of scams, here’s an article on some other international student scams to watch out for !

8. There’s a risk of bribery too

And then there’s the risk of bribery. Even if a student thinks they’re anonymous while dealing with essay mills, they’re not. There’s an email address, bank account name, even their IP address to worry about. 

So if the company or the writer decides that they want to blackmail or bribe a student by threatening to unveil the truth, they can. And they’ll always be able to.  

A final word on essay mills: Honest work is the best work

It sounds old fashioned, but there’s no replacement for smart, hard, honest work. Any student can write a great term paper or essay assignment on their own. All it takes is time, research, and some focus. 

Even if you’re under pressure or lack some confidence in your English ability, there are so many better ways to deal with it. Use a study abroad education counsellor , speak to your teachers and your friends. They’ll be able to point you in the right direction and help make that essay easier. 

As for essay mills? Forget about them. They’re exploitative, they serve no good purpose, and you can do a better job yourself!

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Third-level students increasingly being targeted by 'essay mills'

Quality and Qualifications Ireland said certain types of students were particularly at risk of using essay mills for cheating on assignments, including postgraduate and international students

Students are being targeted by online services offering to write assessments for them while "promoters" are suspected to have been hired within colleges to gather inside information on assignments.

Social media contact

Students have even been contacted individually on WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and Instagram about specific essays they had to do as part of their college work.

A memo from Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI) said details of the assignments were either being provided by other students in exchange for discounts, or where students had been hired as “promoters” on college campuses.

The background memo said certain types of students were particularly at risk of using so-called "essay mills" for cheating on assignments, including postgraduate and international students.

“Certain cohorts of learners appear to be more vulnerable to use of assignment writing services," the briefing note said. 

In particular: international students where the pressure to succeed is very high and high levels of shame are associated with failing

“[Also] postgraduate students where again there is a high level of investment in succeeding and learners may have additional financial and other pressures to deal with; and students on business and computer science (and related subject area) programmes.” 

Increase in 'essay mills'

The memo said recent years had seen massive growth in "essay mills" that offered “bespoke assignment writing services” to individual studies.

It said they had since expanded to include paraphrasing services, which try to get around counter-plagiarism tools that are in use in third-level institutions.

QQI said international research showed as many as one in seven students may have used a contract cheating service

It added that anecdotal evidence was this had increased during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Academic integrity

The memo — which was sent to the Higher Education Authority last year — said that since March 2021, “academic integrity alerts” were being sent every six weeks to colleges.

These provided an updated list of websites offering essay or assignment writing services, while third-level institutions were also giving feedback on similar sites they had encountered.

“The international reputation and credibility of the national education and training system, and that of the individual institutions within it, demands that our HEIs are bastions of academic integrity,” the memo said. 

Digital platforms

In a statement, QQI said digital platforms were increasingly being used by essay mills to target students.

A spokeswoman said they had set up systems with TikTok, Google, Facebook, and Instagram where they could report profiles, posts, and search results that offered services that compromised academic integrity.

She said: “Regular check-in meetings with TikTok and Google will enable QQI to share trends of concern observed which may inform monitoring, community policies and [the] discoverability and ranking of search results."

The spokeswoman said that a week-long series of master classes had taken place in May for the higher education sector on how academic misconduct could be detected and managed.

She said an academic integrity module for learners was also under development while workshops took place on an ongoing basis to tackle the problem of contract cheating.

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Access to Information Updates

Students personally targeted by essay mills with “promoters” suspected to have been hired within colleges to gather information on assignments

Individual students are being targeted by online services offering to write assessments for them while “promoters” are suspected to have been hired within colleges to gather inside information on assignments.

Students have even been contacted individually on WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and Instagram about specific essays they had to do as part of their college work.

A memo from Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI) said it was suspected details of the assignments were either being provided by other students in exchange for discounts, or where students had been hired as “promoters” on college campuses.

The background memo said certain types of students were particularly at risk of using so-called ‘essay mills’ for cheating on assignments including postgraduate students and international students.

The briefing note explained: “Certain cohorts of learners appear to be more vulnerable to use of assignment writing services. In particular: international students where the pressure to succeed is very high and high levels of shame are associated with failing.

“[Also] postgraduate students where again there is a high level of investment in succeeding and learners may have additional financial and other pressures to deal with; and students on business and computer science (and related subject area) programmes.”

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Prosecution of contract cheating

Recent years have seen the emergence of individuals and online companies (colloquially termed ‘essay mills’ ) that offer bespoke assignment writing services to learners across all discipline areas and award types on the National Framework of Qualifications. The use of these services is known as contract cheating .

Commercial contract cheating services include paraphrasing services (to hinder counter-plagiarism tools such as TurnItIn), falsified work placement reports, research proposal writing services, and research and statistical data outsourcing services.

Legislation

The facilitation of learner cheating is a threat to the integrity, standards and reputation of Irish education and training. Legislation to address this issue was introduced in November 2019.

Section 43A of the Qualifications and Quality Assurance (Education and Training) (Amendment) Act 2019 makes it an offence to:

• facilitate a learner to cheat in any way;
• advertise cheating services to learners; and
• publish advertisements for cheating services to learners.

QQI is responsible for bringing prosecutions under this section of the Act. Those convicted of an offence under Section 43A may receive a fine of up to €100,000 and/or imprisonment for a term of up to five years.

If you wish to report concerns about contract cheating or possible breaches of Section 43A of the 2019 Act, please contact QQI at [email protected] .

For education quality and integrity agencies -  Global Academic Integrity Network

For education and training providers -  National Academic Integrity Network  

For learners -  Your own work, Your own degree, Your own achievement!   

Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI) 26/27 Denzille Lane Dublin 2, D02 P266 Ireland Tel:  +353 1 905 8100

© 2021 Quality and Qualifications Ireland

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Essay mills suspected of hiring 'promoters' within colleges to gather information on assignments

INDIVIDUAL STUDENTS ARE being targeted by online services offering to write assessments for them while “promoters” are suspected to have been hired within colleges to gather inside information on assignments.

Students have even been contacted individually on WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and Instagram about specific essays they had to do as part of their college work.

A memo from Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI) said it was suspected details of the assignments were either being provided by other students in exchange for discounts or where students had been hired as “promoters” on college campuses.

The background memo said certain types of students were particularly at risk of using so-called ‘essay mills’ for cheating on assignments including postgraduate students and international students.

The briefing note explained: “Certain cohorts of learners appear to be more vulnerable to use of assignment writing services. In particular: international students where the pressure to succeed is very high and high levels of shame are associated with failing.

“[Also] postgraduate students where again there is a high level of investment in succeeding and learners may have additional financial and other pressures to deal with; and students on business and computer science (and related subject area) programmes.”

The memo said recent years had seen massive growth in ‘essay mills’ that offered “bespoke assignment writing services” to individual studies.

It said they had since expanded to include paraphrasing services – which try to get around counter-plagiarism tools that are in use in third level institutions.

QQI said international research showed as many as one in seven students may have used a contract cheating service, and that anecdotal evidence was this had increased during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The memo – which was sent to the Higher Education Authority last year – said that since March of 2021, “academic integrity alerts” were being sent every six weeks to colleges.

These provided an updated list of websites offering essay or assignment writing services while third-level institutions were also giving feedback on similar sites they had encountered.

The memo added: “The international reputation and credibility of the national education and training system, and that of the individual institutions within it, demands that our HEIs are bastions of academic integrity.”

In a statement, QQI said digital platforms were increasingly being used by essay mills to target students.

A spokeswoman said they had set up systems with TikTok, Google, Facebook, and Instagram where they could report profiles, posts, and search results that offered services which compromised academic integrity.

She said: “Regular check-in meetings with TikTok and Google will enable QQI to share trends of concern observed which may inform monitoring, community policies and [the] discoverability and ranking of search results.”

The spokeswoman said that a week-long series of master classes had taken place in May for the higher education sector on how academic misconduct could be detected and managed.

She said an academic integrity module for learners was also under development while workshops took place on an ongoing basis to tackle the problem of contract cheating.

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UK ‘falling behind’ in essay mills fight without legislation

As ireland reports success from ban on advertising, campaigners say uk risks reputation of its degrees by not following suit.

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The UK risks jeopardising the integrity of its degrees unless it follows in the footsteps of other countries that have outlawed advertisements for essay mills, experts have said.

Previous education secretaries and higher education ministers had indicated their increasing concern about the growing market in essay mills after a 2018 paper found that it was likely that as many as one in seven recent graduates worldwide had engaged in contract cheating.

However, Times Higher Education understands that there are no current plans to introduce legislation in the UK, in contrast to the Republic of Ireland, which has passed a law banning advertising by essay-writing services, and Australia, which is proposing to outlaw contract cheating itself.

“We thought we were on the way to something. But aside from increased guidance and media attention, we haven’t got anywhere,” said Michael Draper, professor of legal studies at Swansea University , offering his assessment of the British situation.

In 2018, Sam Gyimah, who was then universities minister, said legislative options “were not off the table” after more than 40 higher education leaders called for the government to introduce a ban. In March 2019, the education minister, then Damian Hinds, said it was time to “stamp out essay mills” and called on PayPal to stop processing their payments.

However, Professor Draper has since published research on how the increased publicity and governmental pressure had changed the behaviour of essay mill companies. The findings, published in the International Journal for Educational Integrity , concluded that there had been no change.

“We’ve been having this conversation for years, but without legislation that disrupts their business model in the UK, why would [essay mills] behave any differently?” he said. “The UK is supposed to be a global leader in higher education – we must be able to guarantee the quality of our degree awards – but I fear the government’s attention is elsewhere.”

In July 2019, a private member’s bill was laid before Parliament by Lord Storey, the Liberal Democrat education spokesman in the House of Lords, that would have made it an offence to advertise cheating services for higher education assessments in England and Wales. However, Parliament was then prorogued, halting further progress.

According to Thomas Lancaster, a senior teaching fellow at Imperial College London , “the legal movement in the UK has completely stalled, and we are falling a long way behind countries like Australia, Ireland and Montenegro”.

“The key legislative approach we have to make is to stop firms being allowed to advertise to students within the UK. The advertising is blatant, persuasive, and students can’t avoid it. We need to make it as difficult as possible for contract cheating firms to do business,” he said.

Deirdre Stritch, approval and monitoring manager at Quality and Qualifications Ireland, which enforces the country’s legislation, said that the law had already passed “obvious measures of success” and that 13 adverts had been removed since it came into force last November.

The legislation also prompted work that will allow universities to block essay mills’ websites from their servers and has led to the creation of the academic integrity network.

It has not only disrupted the business model of essay mills but also “commenced a coordinated, concerted national conversation on this topic and given impetus to move at a quicker pace”, Dr Stritch said.

A Department for Education spokeswoman said that the UK government was clear it was “simply unethical for online essay writing companies to profit from a dishonest business which exploits young people”.

“We have…called on online giants to block payments and advertisements for these services,” she said. “We are not ruling out legislating, but there are a number of obstacles to eliminating essay mills through legislation, and we are working with the sector on effective ways of tackling this problem.”

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Blog The Education Hub

https://educationhub.blog.gov.uk/2022/04/28/essay-mills-are-now-illegal-skills-minister-calls-on-internet-service-providers-to-crack-down-on-advertising/

Essay mills are now illegal - Skills Minister calls on internet service platforms to crack down on advertising

Skills Minister Alex Burghart has written to internet service platforms to make sure they know that essay mills - which facilitate cheating by helping academic writing, often by appearing to be legitimate - have been made illegal and to call on their support in making sure they can no longer advertise online. Here you can read that letter.

The Skills and Post-16 Education Bill has become law. Through this act, the Government has legislated for landmark reforms that will transform post-16 education and skills, including criminalising essay mills.

As you may know, Essay Mills are online platforms that facilitate contract cheating. Contract cheating happens when a third party completes work for a student which is passed off by the student as their own work. Many essay mill companies use marketing techniques which indicate they are offering ‘legitimate’ academic writing support for students. Reports also indicate that some essay mills seek to blackmail students who use these services. It is right that we have legislated against these insidious crimes.

It is now a criminal offence to provide or arrange for another person to provide contract cheating services for financial gain to students taking a qualification at a post-16 institution or sixth form in England, enrolled at a higher education provider in England and any other person over compulsory school age who has been entered for a regulated qualification at a place in England.

Similarly, it is now an offence for a person to make arrangements for an advertisement in which that person offers, or is described as being available or competent, to provide or arrange for another person to provide a cheating service. Importantly, the offence centres around the act of advertising to students, and for the offence to be committed it does not need to be seen by its target demographic.

There is now a strengthened, collaborative effort across the sector to tackle essay mills and we want you to be part of this campaign. Platforms such as yourself play an integral role in helping us to make the most effective use of the legislation; marketing and advertising are the lifeblood of any successful industry. We are aware that high numbers of essay mills have used your platform to promote their services to students in the past, paying for advertising to promote their companies. Essay mills are now illegal entities, and you should not carry their advertising. It is no longer a moral question; you will be facilitating an illegal activity. I ask you to do everything in your power to prevent the advertising these unscrupulous practices.

Removing essay mill access to online marketing will seriously hamper their efforts to target vulnerable students and I implore you to do so following the introduction of this legislation. We must now all work together to capitalise on it.

I hope that in writing to you today I have underlined the urgency of this issue and the important role that companies like yours play in stamping out essay mills once and for all and am sure I can be confident in your support.

Thank you for your support with this important matter.

Tags: cheating , essay mills , internet service platforms

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Academic cheating using paid-for essays ‘poses threat to integrity of third level’

Conference hears one in seven students have used ‘essay mills’.

Prof Michael Draper of Swansea University has published a report on the sharp rise in “essay mills”. His research indicates that as many as one in seven recent graduates may have paid someone to undertake an assignment for them.

Academic cheating using online “essay mills” is posing a significant threat to the integrity of higher education, the State body responsible for policing standards in third level has warned.

International research indicates there has been a sharp rise in written-to-order essays and dissertations, with as many as one in seven graduates admitting to paying someone to undertake an assignment for them.

While the scale of cheating in Ireland is difficult to estimate, there have been more than 1,000 cases of students in Ireland being disciplined for plagiarism since 2010, according to figures compiled by The Irish Times.

In response to these trends, Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI) has established a new National Academic Integrity Network to help agree common ways to identify and prosecute academic cheating.

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The new network met for the first time on Thursday and heard of how recently enacted laws make it an an offence to provide or advertise “cheating services” which aim to give students an unfair advantage over others.

The provisions are based on legislation first introduced in New Zealand which makes it illegal to advertise or provide third-party assistance to cheat.

They include circumstances beyond essay writing, such as sitting an exam on behalf of another person.

The network heard that a new QQI communications campaigns will target providers, learners, advertisers and publishers to inform them of the new legislation and its implications for them.

Detection and analysis

QQI officials are also collaborating on an international project involving other agencies on detection and analysis of academic cheating, It says solutions will require a sophisticated and collaborative international response.

The network heard from Prof Cath Ellis of the University of New South Wales, who is currently conducting research into contract cheating. Her university was one of 16 Australian third-level institution affected by scandal in 2015 which discovered that some 1,000 students across the institutions had paid a company to to ghost write their assignments and sit online tests.

Prof Ellis is also leading a project with Turnitin, a technology company that supplies plagiarism detection software, to find better ways to identify instances of cheating that go beyond copy and pasting content.

In addition, the network heard from Prof Michael Draper of Swansea University who has published a report on the sharp rise in "essay mills". His research indicates that as many as one in seven recent graduates may have paid someone to undertake an assignment for them.

Blackmailed by these services

Prof Draper also said there are reports that some students who have complained to “essay mill” companies or demanded their money back have been blackmailed by these services.

Some of these firms have threatened to tell a student’s university about using the service or demanded more money.

Prof Draper said Swansea University and others have sought to tackle the problem by using students as “academic integrity champions” or ambassadors, who can signpost and support students at risk of using “essay mills” or contract cheating services.

They can also act in confidence as go-between to let academic know where we need to take action, such as in the case where students have been blackmailed by “essay mills”.

He also said there needs to be a wider cultural change in an era where so many students will have grown up using the internet as their source of information.

Many schools do not teach anything about intellectual property rights or plagiarism, so when they come to university they have to be “re-educated”.

Carl O'Brien

Carl O'Brien is Education Editor of The Irish Times. He was previously chief reporter and social affairs correspondent

Key subjects to be taught through Irish under plan to boost standards

Sharp drop in primary pupils using computers in school, the secret teacher: ‘sure, your woman can’t teach, everyone knows that’, #gaeilge24: over 30,000 students take part in irish speaking challenge, ‘unsustainable’ school transport scheme may face cuts, students giving up sports and social activities due to leaving cert pressure, in this section, family withdraws trinity bursary in protest over college becoming ‘no-go zone for jews’, ‘a vast majority of people have no idea who travellers actually are’, queen’s pledges to ‘divest from investments’ in companies listed by un for certain activities in palestine, ul staff expressed ‘multiple concerns very early on’ over student housing project, pac hears, trinity students to end protest after college agrees plans to divest from israeli companies, northern lights visible across east coast of ireland, northern lights set to return to irish skies on saturday night, bambie thug misses eurovision dress rehearsal over ‘urgent’ situation, almost 28 years on, michelle smith de bruin’s olympic splash continues to make waves, latest stories, eurovision: can bambie thug pull off shock win for ireland after missing final rehearsal, chelsea boost european hopes as late goals stun nottingham forest, carolina panthers opt against signing monaghan goalkeeper rory beggan, carlow work past underdog tag to hold kilkenny to a draw, dublin thrash antrim to leave leinster final within sight.

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Bambie Thug: Ireland’s Eurovision Song Contest finalist says organisers forced Palestinian message change

T he first Irish Eurovision Song Contest finalist since 2018 has criticised the organisers of the competition for asking them to alter a pro-Palestinian message.

Bambie Thug won a place in Saturday’s final with a mesmerising execution of their song Doomsday Blue at the semi-final on Tuesday in Malmo , Sweden.

The Cork-born singer, 31, told a press conference in Malmo they were forced to change their body paint in Ogham script – an early Medieval alphabet – which translated to ceasefire and freedom, a nod to the situation in Gaza and amid Israel’s inclusion in the competition.

“It was very important for me because I’m pro justice and pro peace,” they said.

“Unfortunately, I had to change those messages today to ‘crown the witch’ only (which was an) order from the EBU.”

A spokeswoman for the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) said: “The writing seen on Bambie Thug’s body during dress rehearsals contravened contest rules that are designed to protect the non-political nature of the event.

“After discussions with the Irish delegation, they agreed to change the text for the live show.”

The body had previously warned that Palestinian flags and symbols would not be allowed in Malmo Arena.

Despite this, former Swedish Eurovision contestant and opening act Eric Saade had a symbol, commonly used by people who want to show they are pro-Palestinian, on his arm.

The EBU said that it “regrets” that Saade chose to wear the keffiyeh pattern material and “chose to compromise the non-political nature of the event”.

Bambie Thug, whose black costume was removed during the performance to reveal a second outfit in the colours of the trans flag, said that they were completely “disassociated” and having an “out of body experience” after making Saturday’s final.

Ireland has not won since 1996 with Eimear Quinn’s The Voice.

Six years ago Ryan O’Shaughnessy reached the final of the competition with the song Together, and came 16th in Lisbon, Portugal.

Elsewhere, Olly Alexander delivered his first performance, which used rotating cameras to show an energetic upside-down locker room staging of Dizzy.

It is the first time the UK, which is already through to the final, has performed in a semi-final.

Also making the final were Ukraine duo Alyona Alyona and Jerry Heil with their religious infused Teresa & Maria, Finland’s Windows95man with the absurd No Rules! and Serbia contestant Teya Dora with Ramonda.

Cyprus contestant Silia Kapsis with Liar, Lithuania singer Silvester Belt with Luktelk, Croatia’s Baby Lasagna with Rim Tim Tagi Dim, Slovenia’s Raiven with Veronika, Portugal’s Iolanda with Grito, and Luxembourg’s Tali with Fighter will also compete on Saturday with those who go through from the semi-finals on Thursday.

The “big five” – the UK, Germany, France, Spain and Italy – are the biggest donors to the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) so have already made the final along with host Sweden’s entry Marcus & Martinus.

The Norwegian-born twin singers performed their love song Unforgettable which saw them turn the stage into a dance club.

The first Eurovision semi-final was hosted by Swedish comedian Petra Mede and Hollywood actress Malin Akerman.

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Notre Dame Post-Spring Position Group Rankings - Defense

Bryan driskell | may 5, 2024.

Notre Dame had a successful spring session that ended with an entertaining Blue-Gold Game. The spring is just one part of what it takes to build a football team. Notre Dame players have finished up the spring semester and the next step will be reporting for summer workouts and then fall camp.

The Fighting Irish defense was the strength of the team in 2023, and Al Golden and the staff will look to keep that rolling in 2024. Overcoming key losses, players stepping up and the standouts remaining standouts are all keys to the defense once again being one of the nation's best units.

As we head into the summer period let's rank the positions groups based on where things stand coming out of the spring.

1. DEFENSIVE TACKLE

Defensive tackle was the arguably the greatest strength of the Notre Dame defense going into the spring, and it's clearly the best position group coming out of the spring. Obviously the starting duo of Howard Cross III and Rylie Mills fuels this ranking. Mills and Cross were an outstanding pair in 2023, and they are one of just two duos that return for 2024 that ranked in the Top 25 nationally in both pressures and run stops according to Pro Football Focus (Michigan being the other).

Notre Dame can't just repeat in 2024 what it did in 2023 if the Irish are going to make a deep run in the College Football Playoff. If Notre Dame wants to compete for a title in 2024 it will need to play 16 games, which puts a greater burden on players, especially bigger players. That meant Notre Dame needed some players to emerge as more impactful backups that could add playmaking value to the defense when Mills and Cross are off the field.

That's why the spring breakout of Jason Onye was so important for the Irish. Yes, Onye was outstanding in the Blue-Gold Game, but his emergence began at the beginning of the spring and lasted throughout. Onye started to turn his immense potential and physical gifts into much-improved production, which gives the interior a huge boost.

If Onye carries this into the fall and Notre Dame gets Gabriel Rubio back in the fall the Irish will have a big, veteran duo to bring off the bench and provide high level play. That will allow Golden and Al Washington to take some of the snaps and playmaking burden off the shoulders of Cross and Mills. Junior Donovan Hinish also had some impressive moments this spring. One of Devan Houstan , Brenan Vernon or Armel Mukam forcing their way into the rotation would also provide a playmaking boost.

This unit is loaded and set for a big 2024 season.

2. CORNERBACK

Notre Dame's cornerback tandem in 2023 was one of the nation's best, but the Irish will have to replace Cam Hart , who is now a member of the Los Angeles Chargers. The other starter - Benjamin Morrison - missed most of the spring with a shoulder injury. That combination would cause major concern for a lot of programs, but this should remain a strength for Notre Dame.

Replacing Hart's leadership and coverage skills won't be easy, but Notre Dame is in the fortunate situation of having a talented group of young players behind him. Sophomore Christian Gray and junior Jaden Mickey will both be tasked with filling Hart's shoes. They are a unique duo with complementary skills. Gray is a pure cover player that is the ideal fit for Golden's defense, while Mickey is a physical corner that does his best work coming downhill.

With Morrison out for much of the spring, Gray was forced to play a lot more in the boundary. He's a natural fit there, so Gray thrived all spring. Gray playing in the boundary more gave Mickey plenty of time to get comfortable in Hart's field spot. In the fall, they'll be back to battling for the starting field spot, but both will play very important roles and their presence should allow the defense to continue having strong play to the field.

There are plenty of teams on Notre Dame's 2024 schedule that would be thrilled to have Gray and Mickey as a starting duo, but the Irish are blessed to have Morrison returning for his junior season. Getting back to good health is vital for Morrison and Notre Dame, but if he does he'll not only be the top cover player for the Irish, he'll be arguably the top cover man in college football.

Morrison's injury and the depth concerns behind the top three players are partly why this unit isn't ranked at the top. If Morrison can get back to full strength, and one of junior Chance Tucker , freshman Leonard Moore or Karson Hobbs emerge as a legit No. 4 cornerback this unit will continue being dominant and could easliy rise to the top of this list.

3. LINEBACKER

Notre Dame's linebacker group is in a unique position. A case could be made that this is Notre Dame's most athletically gifted position group. The concern is that heading into the summer it's also a very inexperienced goup with plenty to prove.

Sixth-year senior Jack Kiser 's return gives the Irish one veteran player, and this spring he began the transition of moving to a full-time role inside as the team's Will linebacker. How well he makes that transition will have a significant impact on how good this unit will be. Kiser is a bit undersized, but he's athletic and has shown a penchant for making impact plays in the past.

While Kiser's transition inside is important, it's the ability of the inexperienced group behind him to grow up quickly that will ultimately determine just how good the linebackers will be in 2024. Sophomore Drayk Bowen seems poised to take over the Mike position. His size and downhill explosiveness were evident all spring, but Bowen will need to continue developing his footwork, block destruction and ability to properly fit in the run game.

Junior Jaylen Sneed continues to show flashes of playmaking ability as a Rover, Will and an edge rusher. Sneed so far has tantalized with his athleticism, but consistency has been an issue. Sneed made strides this spring, but plenty of work is needed. Freshman Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa quickly made a strong impression with a strong spring, and he'll likely force his way into the rotation. Sophomores Preston Zinter and Kahanu Kia also showed playmaking ability throughout the spring.

Sophomore Jaiden Ausberry is a player to watch. Notre Dame lacks depth at nickel behind Jordan Clark, and Ausberry established himself as a Rover/Nickel hybrid this spring. He's built like a linebacker but he runs like a safety. If he can emerge this fall he'll give the Irish a unique weapon in the slot that could give the defense a major boost.

4. DEFENSIVE END

Notre Dame still has significant questions on the edge of the defensive line. There were some encouraging moments during the spring, but the unit remains a major question mark as we head into the summer. This group will need to establish some answers if the defensive line is going to be good enough to fuel an elite defense.

Duke transfer RJ Oben and emerging junior Josh Burnham give the Irish more athleticism and explosiveness at defensive end. Oben has experience, but this spring showed he would need more time adjusting to the Irish defense. Notre Dame needs him to get up to speed in a hurry, and if he does he could match the production that Javontae Jean-Baptiste provided last season. Burnham made big strides this spring, and he can build on his spring he should combine with Oben to give the Irish a strong duo at end.

Freshman Bryce Young also showed star potential, and he'll get more chances to force his way into the rotation. Young is a unique player that has elite length, an explosive first step and the potential to be an impact edge rusher as a rookie if he can continue learning the nuances of the position.

Vyper remains a major question mark. Veteran Jordan Botelho had his moments, but he also continued to show a lack of consistent focus. Notre Dame needs him to become a more consistent player and provide more pass rushing production than we saw last season. Notre Dame desperately needs sophomore Boubacar Traore to force his way onto the field. He possesses a unique blend of elite length and first step explosiveness, and if the light goes on for Traore the Vyper position will be far more disruptive than it was in 2023.

If you want to know why I think the Irish defense is going to be outstanding in 2024 look no further than the fact the safety depth chart is the lowest ranked position. Notre Dame returns a unanimous All-American in Xavier Watts , who had a strong spring period as well. When a position that returns an All-American ranks last as a unit it shows there are concerns, but also shows how good the rest of the defense looked this spring.

Sophomore Adon Shuler still needs work, but he showed himself capable of being the sidekick to Watts. Shuler is an active downhill player that could develop into a high-quality run defender and middle of the field cover player. Eliminating mistakes, playing with better angles and being a more consistent tackler are areas wher Shuler must continue to improve if he's going to give the Irish the steady presence it needs on the back end.

Sophomores Luke Talich and Ben Minich will battle for a key depth role in the fall. Minich is a quality athlete that shows playmaking potential, as long as he can stay healthy. Talich is a long (6-4), rangy athlete that has the tools to be an impact run defender. Talich has to be more assertive, and if he can do that in the fall he'll force his way onto the field. Freshman Kennedy Urlacher showed physicality and good range this spring.

Notre Dame welcomes Northwestern transfer Rod Heard this summer. A nickel for the Wildcats, Heard will be transitioning to safety at Notre Dame, and the defense needs that transition to be a smooth one. Heard has loads of experience, and he's a more athletic player than last year's starter at the position. If his transition goes smooth the safety position will become a strength, will be better than last season and will give the Irish more coverage playmaking talent opposite of Watts.

Notre Dame also welcomes gifted athlete Brauntae Johnson this summer, which adds another rangy, athletic player to the depth chart.

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BRYAN DRISKELL

Bryan Driskell is the publisher of Irish Breakdown and has been covering Notre Dame football for over a decade. A former college football player and coach, Bryan and Irish Breakdown bring a level of expertise and analysis that is unmatched. From providing in depth looks at the Fighting Irish, breaking news stories and honest recruiting analysis, Irish Breakdown has everything Notre Dame football fans want and need. Bryan was previous a football analyst for Blue & Gold Illustrated before launching Irish Breakdown. He coached college football at Duquesne University, Muhlenberg College, Christopher Newport University, Wittenberg University and Defiance College. During his coaching career he was a pass game coordinator, recruiting coordinator, quarterbacks coach, running backs coach and wide receivers coach. Bryan earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in history from Salisbury University, where he played quarterback for the Sea Gulls. You can email Bryan at [email protected]. Become a premium Irish Breakdown member, which grants you access to all of our premium content and our premium message board! Click on the link below for more. BECOME A MEMBER Be sure to stay locked into Irish Breakdown all the time! Follow Bryan on Twitter: @CoachD178Like and follow Irish Breakdown on FacebookSubscribe to the Irish Breakdown YouTube channelSubscribe to the Irish Breakdown podcast on iTunes Sign up for the FREE Irish Breakdown daily newsletter

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Washington Memo

Gallows Humor and Talk of Escape: Trump’s Possible Return Rattles Capital

At Washington dinner parties, dark jokes abound about where to go into exile if the former president reclaims the White House.

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By Peter Baker

Peter Baker reported from Washington, where he has long lived and has been a journalist for most of the past four decades.

It has become the topic of the season at Washington dinner parties and receptions. Where would you go if it really happens?

Portugal, says a former member of Congress. Australia, says a former agency director. Canada, says a Biden administration official. France, says a liberal columnist. Poland, says a former investigator.

They’re joking. Sort of. At least in most cases. It’s a gallows humor with a dark edge. Much of official Washington is bracing for the possibility that former President Donald J. Trump really could return — this time with “retribution” as his avowed mission , the discussion is where people might go into a sort of self-imposed exile.

Whether they mean it or not, the buzz is a telling indicator of the grim mood among many in the nation’s capital these days. The “what if” goes beyond the normal prospect of a side unhappy about a lost election. It speaks to the nervousness about a would-be president who talks of being a dictator for a day , who vows to “root out” enemies he called “vermin,” who threatens to prosecute adversaries, who suggests a general he deems disloyal deserves “DEATH ,” whose lawyers say he may have immunity even if he orders the assassination of political rivals.

“I feel like in the past two weeks that conversation for whatever reason has just surged,” said Miles Taylor, a former Trump administration official who became a vocal critic of the former president . “People are feeling that it’s very obvious if a second Trump term happens, it’s going to be slash and burn.”

That’s all fine with Mr. Trump and his allies. In their view, Washington’s fear is the point. He is the disrupter of the elite. He is coming to break up their corrupt “uniparty” hold on power. If establishment Washington is upset about the possibility that he returns, that is a selling point to his base around the country that is alienated from the people in power.

Washington, of course, has never been fertile Trump territory. He won just 5 percent of the vote in the nation’s capital in 2020, and it is hardly surprising that the governing class is unsettled by attacks on “the deep state.” Even many Republicans in the capital are nervous about Mr. Trump. The District of Columbia has so far been the only place other than Vermont to support Nikki R. Haley over Mr. Trump in this year’s Republican primaries .

But Mr. Trump’s flirtation with authoritarian figures and language has raised the specter of a Washington vastly different even than during his first term, when he was at times restrained by establishment Republicans, military officers and career civil service officials who are less likely to surround him in a second. His rhetoric this time around has centered more than before on power and how he would increase it and use it if he won again.

“The rest of America may not take what he says seriously,” said former Representative Stephanie Murphy , Democrat of Florida, “but I think you’re hearing the uncomfortable chatter in Washington among Democrats and Republicans because they understand having worked with him in the past that when he says something he means it.”

Ms. Murphy, who served on the House committee that investigated the events of Jan. 6, 2021, did not hesitate when asked about her Plan B. “Portugal,” she said promptly. She has thought it through. Portugal has a lot of appeal — beautiful, charming and less expensive than elsewhere in Europe — and is on many lists in Washington.

There is a spectrum of how serious people really are. Ms. Murphy said in her case it is mostly mordant humor. “I think I’m being flippant because I would like to think I wouldn’t have to be a refugee for the second time in my life from political persecution,” said the former congresswoman, whose family escaped Vietnam when she was a child.

David Urban, a Trump ally who worked on his 2016 and 2020 campaigns, said apprehensive Washingtonians have gotten themselves into a dither because they cannot “look past the bluster to the substance” and are suffering from “Trump derangement syndrome.”

“The chattering class is freaking out,” he said. “There are plenty of people who see the dark side of the moon with Trump. And there’s a good contingency in Washington who can’t wait for him to get here.”

He added: “They really think it’s going to be the end of democracy as we know it, and I think it’s misplaced.” In fact, Mr. Urban said, a new Trump presidency would still be subject to checks and balances that would restrain any extreme impulses. “There are plenty of grown-ups, plenty of serious people who will want to roll in a second Trump administration.”

Moreover, for all the doomsday talk inside the Beltway this spring, plenty of people have made vows to flee in the past if the candidate they opposed won, whether it was George W. Bush for the left or Barack Obama for the right, without actually following through.

“Every four years, whenever it looks like a Republican might win, Democrats rev up the ‘I will leave America’ rhetoric. Yet none of them ever do,” said Douglas Heye, a Republican strategist. “This might be more of an attention-getting tactic.”

But many in Washington speculating about travel plans are not seeking publicity. Indeed, many who discussed it in recent days did so only if guaranteed that their names would not be used for fear of making themselves more of a target.

The range and seniority of people who talk about it is striking. They include current and former White House officials, cabinet secretaries, members of Congress, agency directors, intelligence and law enforcement officials, military officers, political strategists and journalists. The topic came up repeatedly at the swirl of Washington soirees surrounding the recent White House Correspondents’ Association dinner.

One person high on Mr. Trump’s enemies list said that getaway planning is a regular matter of discussion among those targeted over the years on the former president’s social media accounts. Another favorite Trump target said it is raised “over and over again,” particularly among spouses of those seen at risk. A European ambassador said it comes up at least twice a week with Washington figures joking about needing asylum.

“It’s definitely been a topic of conversation,” said Steven A. Cook, a Middle East scholar at the Council on Foreign Relations. Mr. Cook has no personal reason to fear Mr. Trump’s “retribution” but dreads the onset of a more autocratic form of government like that he has seen in places like Egypt and Pakistan.

His possible refuge? Abu Dhabi, he said, acknowledging the irony that “a little Jewish kid from Long Island” might feel safer in the United Arab Emirates than his homeland.

“Perhaps because we’re in Washington and it’s a bubble, maybe we’re overplaying it,” Mr. Cook said. “But it’s not as hard to imagine as it once was. Until relatively recently, I shared the idea that the United States was sprinkled in fairy dust and it couldn’t happen here. But too much has happened and maybe it could.”

With Mr. Cook, leaving is just talk for now. But others are going further. They have researched family history to see if they could qualify for a passport from, say, Ireland, Poland or Germany. They have been updating passports and looking for property to buy in Europe. Some have hired lawyers to explore their options.

David A. Andelman, 79, a longtime journalist who already lives part-time in France, wrote on CNN’s website this past week that he and his wife might move there full-time if Mr. Trump wins and had “found a growing sentiment that we are hardly alone.” The day that his column posted online, he said, his real estate broker in France received 45 calls from Americans looking to do the same.

A lawyer who has clashed with Mr. Trump is among those who have been studying his European roots in case he needs to establish residency. The conversation, he said, has gone from a knowing joke to prudent contingency planning. It would be “madness to dismiss” the risk, he said.

A former government official who angered Mr. Trump said it is not a trivial conversation or purely humor. While this person expressed optimism that American institutions would prevent major injustices, anyone targeted by Mr. Trump could still be made “miserable” by investigations, grand juries, lawyer fees and career-killing publicity.

Brian Katulis, a scholar at the Middle East Institute who has worked at the National Security Council, the State Department and the Pentagon, said a friend from the Obama administration recently went to London and scoped out possible real estate and schools.

“My view is a little less hair on fire,” he said, expressing faith in the country’s resiliency. “I’m going to ride this ship if it goes down, dumping buckets overboard. I don’t think it’s sinking. But if it starts going in that direction, my attitude is not to jump off the ship. We don’t have better places to go.”

Peter Baker is the chief White House correspondent for The Times. He has covered the last five presidents and sometimes writes analytical pieces that place presidents and their administrations in a larger context and historical framework. More about Peter Baker

Our Coverage of the 2024 Election

Presidential Race

President Biden’s economic adviser said lawmakers should sharply raise taxes on corporations and the rich  when tax cuts signed in law by former President Trump expire next year.

A partisan battle in Ohio has stalled an effort by state lawmakers to ensure that President Biden is on the ballot  in the state this November, teeing up what could be an expensive and protracted legal battle ahead of this year’s election.

Donald Trump told a group of oil executives and lobbyists that they should donate $1 billion to his presidential campaign  because, if elected, he would roll back environmental rules that he said hampered their industry.

Mexico Prepares for a Trump Win:  Behind the scenes, the Mexican government is talking to people close  to the Trump campaign about proposals such as a threat of a “universal tariff” on imported goods, and working to resolve trade disagreements before the U.S. election.

R.F.K. Jr. Signature Gatherers:  More than half a dozen New York City residents described encounters with people seeking  their signature who did not make clear that their aim was to place the independent 2024 candidate on the ballot.

Sensing Shift on Abortion:  Are Latinas — once considered too religious or too socially conservative to support abortion rights — changing their views on the issue? Democrats are optimistic .

A Wild Card in Texas:  Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the independent presidential candidate, expects to be on the ballot in Texas. His addition could lend a hand to the Democratic challenger seeking to unseat Senator Ted Cruz .