E-rrors included

Despite The Times Higher' s report last month of the burgeoning trade in dissertations for sale to students on internet auction site eBay, some sellers are getting rather complacent.

"Have you been slacking off all year? Need a dissy fast and can't be arsed doin' it?" one entrepreneurial student with a charming knack for marketing said in an online posting. "The dissertation was given a 2nd-class mark, excellent if you have missed lectures all year and your tutor won't believe you if you hand in a 1st-class paper purchased on the internet! Genuine mistakes included... All in Microsoft Word, just hand it in as it is, or modify to suit, you decide."