How Do I Find a Legitimate Academic Research Company?

If I were given a penny for each time I've read a variation of the following question on this site, Donald Trump would be begging me for loans.

How do I find a legitimate site?

Yes, I know. You want an old, original, trustworthy, legitimate company that is based in the United States and employs only qualified, native English-speaking writers. You're not alone. Finding such a site/company can be a daunting, nearly impossible task (if you don't have the necessary knowledge and tools). There is no magic solution; however, the process does not have to be overly difficult, either. I suggest using "site age verification" to automatically eliminate hundreds of potentially fraudulent sites from consideration. I am going to spare you all of the unnecessary fluff and get right to the point.

HOW DO I CHECK A SITE'S AGE?

You must start by personally checking/verifying the age of each site that's on your "consideration list." Use the Whois database (whois.domaintools.com) to check the age of each site.

WHY IS A SITE'S AGE IMPORTANT?

Well, aside from the obvious benefits and value of extensive experience, there is an even more important factor at play. The oldest site in the industry has been online since 1995. Prior to 2001, there were no "scam" sites or foreign companies in the entire "essay" industry. In 2001, a fraudulent company from Pakistan (that recently got shut down for selling fake degrees; see nytimes.com/2015/05/18/world/asia/fake-diplomas-real-cash-pakistani-company-axact-reaps-millions-columbiana-barkley.html) appeared on the scene and began selling 100% plagiarized papers that it stole/copied from various sources. Then, in 2005, a Ukrainian outfit appeared. It is now the most notoriously fraudulent company in the essay industry, hacking millions of websites in order to inject links to its scamming, unqualified, ESL sites. Today, in 2015, fraudsters and incompetent, ESL hacks from Ukraine, Pakistan, India, and the Philippines have completely infested the industry, making it very difficult to pinpoint the legitimate companies.

CAN I TRUST THE CLAIMS THAT I READ ON A SITE?

No! You've probably heard the saying, "Trust, but verify." Well, when trying to find a legitimate site, I suggest that you "Don't trust; verify age." Never trust a site's/company's claims about its age, writers' qualifications, or where it is geographically located. All of the foreign scammers lie about their geographical location, writers' skills, and/or how long they have been in business in order to unfairly compete with the original, American companies. The only way to know (with 99% certainty) which sites/companies are old, original, American, and truly located in the United States is to use the Whois database to personally verify the age (i.e., "registration date") of each site.

FOUR GENERAL RULES:

1. Sites that have been online only since 2005 to the present are potentially risky (i.e., likely ESL and not based in the United States). To be completely safe, you should immediately eliminate such sites from consideration.

2. Sites that have been online since 2003-2004 are fairly safe to use.

3. Sites that have been online since 2002 are safe to use.

4. Sites that have been online since 2001 (or before) are very safe to use.

Interesting methodology. So how does this algorithm account for legitimate startups?

I was under the impression Axact was a diploma mill, not a paper mill. Any clarification on that?

It doesn't. As I stated, there is no "magic solution" that can completely account for all possible scenarios. However, using "site age verification" is the best option for customers because site age is a critical indicator of legitimacy (as explained above) and it's easy to verify.

There is no such thing as a "legitimate startup," especially not in the essay industry. One can't just declare one's legitimacy. One has to prove it. A site/company must establish legitimacy over an extended period of time (i.e., many years).

I see what you're trying to say but I disagree that startup legitimacy is time-based. It makes sense to use time as a surrogate for legitimacy for older websites, because we have no other metric. But we can't just say "until you've been in business for x years, you're not legitimate." I began my own organization in 2004 but didn't launch a website until earlier this year because I didn't need to. My clients were all obtained through word of mouth. Was my business objectively any less legitimate? Clearly not, given my high client retention.

I agree that for the random client, short of a referral from a trusted friend/close acquaintance, there is no way to tell if a startup is reputable.

Yes, I can, because site age it is the ONLY consistent, substantive metric that carries any real weight (for the reasons that I have already mentioned). Plus, it is easily verifiable.


So what? I started my organization in 1992 and have 7,000,000 employees. (Making s-i* up is great fun, isn't it? That's why your easily-fabricated opinion of yourself means absolutely NOTHING to me or anyone else.)

I'm not going to alter my opinions and exceptionally well-researched information/data just to suit your personal agenda. Sorry, but there have been about 6,000 people just like you in this forum since 2005, all of whom had similarly grand aspirations about their soon-to-be business ventures. If you want to be perceived as legitimate, you're going to have to put in the years to earn it.


Well, it's a good thing that nobody gives a s-i* about a startup except the owner.

Damn, what a sorry state this industry is in when nothing can be proven and we sit around interpreting shadows all day.

I get it, moot point to argue these things. Is ever angle of this forum amped with such paranoia or are there some corners where hypothetical situations can be discussed? Or alternately, are there other forums that are not used to recruit clients where industry operators can have candid conversations about the industry without people freaking out that they are trying to market themselves?

Actually nevermind W2B. Conversing with you feels eerily like conversing with Editor75.

I can prove (and already have, throughout this forum) every claim that I make.


Again, you're getting all pissy because the FACTS that I provided don't suit your "startup" agenda. Sorry.

No I just see through what you're doing, that's all.

Agenda agenda agenda agenda agenda? Want to say it a few more times? Agenda agenda agenda? Agenda agenda agenda agenda?

Have your fun W2B. Whether you believe me or not, I'm not too concerned with the fact that you deliberately peddle a strategy that tries to limit the mass market to older websites with no objective and unbiased evidence that they are any better than the rest.

Fair's fair I suppose. You cannot possibly tap my market, so I shouldn't be surprised that you try to keep others from tapping yours. Just try not to be so transparent about it.

Oh, and......EssayScam.org TOS:

5. Most users may have commercial reasons for participating in the EssayScam Forum. Any and all information posted on the forum should be considered as a personal and subjective opinion or 'alleged fact' only (even if the poster claims otherwise and/or provides a 'proof' to back up their statements).

Cry me a river. You can't prove invalid a single word that I have typed, so you're extremely frustrated. I understand. I'm very good at what I do. Don't feel too badly about yourself. Trust me, you're not the first person to resort to whining due to an embarrassing inability to hang with me. You want potential customers to be your guinea pigs by blindly trusting your brand new, completely unproven "startup." Not gonna happen. Deal with it. My argument is as solid as a rock, and you know it, but you are being intellectually dishonest in order to promote and protect your "startup" agenda (yes, agenda).

I can't tap your market? Really, now? LMAO! Been there, done that, and still doing that in multiple markets. You can't touch my skills, son. Granted, you don't know who I am, but if you did, you'd realize just how fuc*ing stupid your comment is.

Getting worked up are we?

Yes, you can't tap my market because you are too poor. But we will enter the mass market soon. Enjoy it while you still have it.

No, not at all. I'm just being entertained by a small fish in my very big pond.


LMAO!


Oh, no, what will I do? Never before have a heard/read such a promise. I'm shuttering.


I will now enjoy it even more, knowing that you will use significant time, money, and resources that will result in nothing but total failure. Chin up! Stay positive! Fight the good fight! You know, all that . . . .

Yup, you're definitely worked up.

OK, now you're just embarrassing yourself. Seriously, you've lost. Accept it. Move along.

Why, when you provide such a target-rich environment for competitive intelligence...

>200% growth semester on semester, prices double yours, margins triple your prices. Robust brand equity and loyalty, nearly 95% repurchase.

If this is "total failure," then we're LOVING it all the way to the bank. All thanks to quality--something probably alien to you.

Once we've saturated and consolidated our segment, we're coming for your territory too, W2B.

And there isn't a damn thing you can do about it. Enjoy it till we take it.

Hey, I think that you left ONE di*k un-sucked. Get back to work!

By the way, fag, I made my fortune LONG ago. My great, great grandkids are set for life. You're a peon. You couldn't afford the rent on one of my guest houses.

How can we contact you, @writers2beware ?

I am not sure if I am the best person to comment on this. I've been burned quite a few times, but I did find some good companies.

I'd say stay away from cheesy and flashy looking websites that make extravagant claims like "we have 100s of writers or we were here since 98".

I'd probably even stay away from companies or focus on companies where I can talk to the writer directly. I notice that when I get to talk to the writer directly or manager, I generally get good results.

Yet when I deal with flashy websites, I usually have problems. I bought plenty of papers in the last two years and it took me a while to find people who wouldn't screw me. Just my two cents.

Nice attempted dig at established companies. It weakens up the fish for those who prefer a string of fly-by-night websites that come and go as they are exposed, hissing and spitting, to the light. Really, why would anyone prefer a solid, legitimate business that's been around for years?

I started another thread about a company that had such statements on their website. The reality is that the owner of that enterprise wasn't even 15 years old in 1998 and subsequent investigations reveal that he certainly did not have over 100 PhDs.

Not to worry, I heard they've changed a lot! I might use them soon, but their prices are a bit steep. $25 per pages is a little too high for me.

So, I am sticking with academic experts for now, they wrote an awesome paper for me recently for less than $10 per page. I think they are based in the U.S too!

But man, this is so tempting. If Academic experts let me down, I might try essaywritingcompany.com (that company that claims to have been around since 1998).

I've heard nothing but good things about them, so it's hard for me to write them off just because of that story I read about their ex-owner in the city pages.

How do you find a legitimate website in this industry? The truthful answer is you don't. It is extremely difficult to find a legitimate company online, specially since some of the originals have either gone out of business because of all the quacks that came after them or, the companies are using paid for fictitious US or UK based addresses and phone numbers. IP addresses can be bounced all over the world until you can't even tell when it started anymore, and companies can claim to have simply changed their company name over time so they have been in existence for far longer than their blurb allows them to admit. A client can knock himself out trying to find evidence of a legitimate company or, and this is the more common occurrence when looking for a valid academic outsourcing company, the client can just take a leap of faith and hope that all goes well with his paper. If the transaction goes smoothly the first time and the same pain-free experience is repeated over a period of time, then that is the best that can happen. It's not about the legitimacy of the company than it is about the building of trust and repeat business that gives a company or a writer a better sense or image as a legitimate academic research company or independent academic writer.

This is true. With the proliferation of 3rd rate writing companies that make their blurbs sound like they are godsent entities to help students out, it has become next to impossible to vet the company for legitimacy, reliability, and competence. These are things that students can only prove to themselves based upon their length of time working with an individual writer or a company.

I for one have never been attached to an academic research company. So one would say that I would have a difficult time proving the legitimacy of my work and my competence as a writer. Actually, nothing could be further from the truth. My legitimacy comes from the fact that I had a steady stream of clients during my heyday as an academic writer. My competency was proven by the fact that the students would beg me to open up my tight schedules to accommodate their orders because they refused to trust any other writer, even if I personally referred them to several others who could do the job. My reliability came from how I managed to deliver the paper in time, regardless of the tight turnaround time. End result? My clients always saw me as a legitimate, reliable, and competent writer. That, is what made my freelance academic research business legitimate in the eyes of the students and to me, that was all that mattered.

No matter how many satisfied clients a writer has, it's always a calculated risk on the part of new clients until they receive their first project from any writer. The only things clients can do before deciding which writers are likely to be legitimate is check to see how long various writers have been contributing to this forum, read through some of their posts, and then, limit your risk to a small project at first.

I agree with most of your points, except the above. While not completely untrue, it's not complete accurate. I have a colleague whose company tutored private (local and regional) clients for nearly two decades, then decided to offer his services online (aka his website was born). Until the past couple of years, he didn't try to promote his site. Now, he's wanting his clientele to be more online than face-to-face. So, there's that. Otherwise, yep, age (aka longevity) does play a role in legitimacy, especially if the company or service provider is not transparent with who they really are, etc.

It is more difficult to find a legitimate academic research company than it is to find a legitimate freelance writer. Academic writing companies change hands too often. The policies constantly adjust, the writers are running through a rotating door. Hence the difficulty in verifying the actual status of a writing company. The name of the company may remain the same for decades, but that will never mean that the same people are running the company. Normally, it is the unchanging ownership of a company, and the long term relationship the company has with a writer that also helps to create a legitimate image for the company. The trust factor, which is a strong indicator of the legitimacy of a company is often affected by the goings on behind the scenes. If a company constantly changes hands, then it will be difficult to say it is a legitimate company even though it has been around since the 1990's. Forget legitimacy, it doesn't matter. Only the ability to deliver the client requirements matter and that, is usually what helps the company gain a sense of legitimacy in the eyes of the client.

There are very few academic research companies left these days. Most of them have folded shop since AI took over a majority of the business through student participation. So the problem is no longer how to find a legitimate academic research company, it is how to find a research company if at all. Most of the businesses have gone the AI route already, which seems silly when you think about it since most AI research comes free of charge to the students. Only a handful of independent and legitimate writers remain as well.

In one respect, this is beneficial to prospective customers looking for a legitimate writer. By now, the only remaining writers are the best of the best who've been doing this long enough (and well enough) to have cultivated extensive clientele lists. Less successful writers have already left the business, and there are probably fewer scam writers than ever, simply because scammers tend to target industries with significant potential, not industries under tremendous threat from a competing technology.