The Complete Guide To Contract Cheating in Higher Education
Dave Tomar’s new book provides an invaluable resource to educators who seek to better understand how and why their students cheat and what can be done about it.
The Complete Guide To Contract Cheating in Higher Education, released on June 17, 2022, constitutes the single most comprehensive source on contract cheating in higher education yet compiled. Drawn from the author’s decade of experience as an academic ghostwriter, and a subsequent decade spent bringing greater attention to cheating in higher education, The Complete Guide to Contract Cheating in Higher Education provides an invaluable resource to educators who seek to better understand how and why their students cheat and what can be done about it.
Visit Dave’s author pages:
For an interesting look into Dave’s take on his groundbreaking new book, check out his announcement of it’s release.
Advance Praise for The Complete Guide to Contract Cheating in Higher Education
Dave Tomar’s book is an excellent but disturbing look at contract cheating in higher education. Unfortunately, it probably just confirms what experienced faculty already suspected about contract cheating (and cheating in general). But if you can stand to see “how the sausage is made,” this book covers it in gory detail.
Fred Switzer, Professor of Industrial-Organizational Psychology, Clemson University
Part confessional, part exposé, this is a must-read for anyone who wants to learn the ins-and-outs of ghostwriting, the reasons why students cheat and how the problem should be understood and best addressed. Grounded in a genuine concern about the pressures students face, a frank recognition of higher education’s contribution to the problem, and a thoughtful perspective on college teaching, this eye-opener of a book grabs your attention and never lets go.
Mike Nietzel, President Emeritus of Missouri State University, Senior Contributor at Forbes Magazine
Any educator who is concerned about student cheating needs to own this book. The combination of Tomar’s experience, his unflinching look at the real issues impacting higher education, and his unique window into the business of cheating makes for a fascinating read. More importantly, it makes for a singular resource on cheating. If you want to stop cheating in your classroom, you need to understand why students do it and how they get away with it. Tomar’s book is packed with insights on these very topics and is sure to generate productive discussions on campuses around the world.
Jed Macosko, Professor of Physics, Wake Forest University
Dave Tomar’s book on the pandemic of academic cheating leaves no stone unturned. As a former, now reformed, ‘professional ghostwriter’, his 13 revealing chapters and four appendices include discussions on his experience as a once shadow scholar, now reformed. An important chapter helps faculty detect the problem early with a chapter on college “admission essays.” More likely than not, every faculty member has had firsthand experience with papers submitted that are clearly not the work of the “student” author. Tomar’s Complete Guide to Contract Cheating in Higher Education is a superb resource for helping faculty detect cheating, with sections on the design, deterrence, detection and diagnosis of this growing phenomenon. Tomar leaves no stone unturned, no trick unexplained.
Mary Poplin, Professor of Education and Transdisciplinary Studies, Claremont Graduate University
David Tomar gave higher education his brave and unblinking candor in revealing his own role years ago in contract cheating. Now he turns the spotlight on “Higher Ed, Inc.” and its many enablers, an industry that is often more concerned about revenue stream and emoluments than the students it should serve. His admonition to address writing deficiencies is sound, but even more important is the message to look at the epidemic of academic dishonesty in the context of systemic dysfunction. We must not ignore Mr. Tomar’s message.
Michael Poliakoff, President of ACTA (American Council of Trustees and Alumni)
Recent Press for Dave Tomar
Other Books By Dave Tomar
The Shadow Scholar: How I Made a Living Helping College Kids Cheat, September 18th, 2012, From Bloomsbury USA.
Reviews for The Shadow Scholar
“A fascinating exposé of the remarkably robust industry of academic ghostwriting.” The Wall Street Journal
“Appropriately, coincides with a year of cheating scandals.” The New York Times
“A cautionary tale worth pressing upon any freshman.” AV Club.
“Stunning tale of academic fraud.” Washington Post
“...page-turning account of a first-class bullshit artist and his never-ending search for redemption.” Kirkus Reviews
Selected Works By Dave Tomar
The Shadow Scholar. Originally published in The Chronicle of Higher Education, November 12, 2010.
How I Helped Teachers Cheat. Originally published in The New York Times, November 2, 2012.
From User to Deal...A Vinyl Junkie Goes Pro. Originally published in The Huffington Post, July 29, 2014.
Ghost in the Machine? How to Spot a Ghostwritten Paper. Originally published in The Huffington Post, January 8, 2014.
Cable Television’s Music Streaming Service is Obsessed With Death. Originally published in The Huffington Post, October 30, 2017.
Why Students Cheat. Originally published in Inflection Magazine, September 25, 2019.
The Student Cheating Surge Lurking in the Shadows of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Originally published in Inflection Magazine, January 10th, 2021.
Media Appearances Featuring Dave Tomar
Fox Business News. Originally aired on Fox News Network, October 1, 2012.
The Today Show. Originally aired on NBC, September 19, 2012.
Faking the Grade. A Documentary from Merit Motion Pictures. Directed by Andrew Blicq. Originally aired on CBC, November 15, 2012.
ABC World News Tonight. Originally aired on ABC, August 21, 2012
More from Academic Influence:
