Very few parts of the world have legislation that prohibits the operation or the promotion of contract cheating services. This means that commercial companies providing such services can formally register and operate in most countries. If a student enters into an agreement with a contract cheating provider, what rights do they have to change their mind and what are the risks if they choose to do so? This paper examines the question through legal, institutional and societal lenses, showing that although a student has the consumer rights to withdraw from a contract with an essay mill, they may also be putting their future at risk by doing so. Contract cheating providers are now embedded within many institutions, using sharp practices to connect with vulnerable customers, but are also perfectly placed to blackmail students or threaten to report them to their institution if they ask to cancel their order. The paper argues that, while not condoning the practice of contract cheating, supportive processes need to be in place to help students at risk as part of standard institutional duty of care. This must be backed up by institutional policy that considers academic integrity as a core value for all.

世界上很少有地方立法禁止运营或推广合同作弊服务。这意味着提供此类服务的商业公司可以在大多数国家正式注册和运营。如果学生与合同作弊提供者达成协议，他们有什么权利改变主意，如果他们选择这样做有什么风险？本文从法律、制度和社会的角度审视了这个问题，表明虽然学生有权退出与论文工厂的合同，但他们这样做也可能将自己的未来置于危险之中。合同作弊提供商现在已嵌入许多机构中，使用尖锐的做法与易受攻击的客户建立联系，但如果学生要求取消订单，他们也非常适合勒索学生或威胁要向他们的机构报告。该论文认为，虽然不宽恕合同作弊的做法，但作为标准机构注意义务的一部分，需要制定支持性流程来帮助处于危险中的学生。这必须得到将学术诚信视为所有人的核心价值的机构政策的支持。