Homework Helper
A new website called M-Journal will automatically turn Wikipedia pages into realistic-looking academic papers.
The idea is to give students a hand on their homework, making it seem like they’re citing more reputable sources than Wikipedia without having to do any extra work, according to Buzzfeed News. Its creators, from a company called MSCHF, told Buzzfeed News that M-Journal is meant to help students circumvent busy work.
Paywalled Pranks
If a teacher attempts to look up what sources their students are citing, they’ll see what appears to be a poorly-scanned copy of an academic journal article. The most devious part: the fake journal is paywalled and asks would-be subscribers for $300 to read the full version of an article, or $2,000 for an annual pass.
“For all intents and purposes, most papers should be able to refer to Wikipedia,” MSCHF founder Gabe Whaley told BuzzFeed News. “Wikipedia is a pretty good source.”
Kicking The Tires
Unfortunately, the articles aren’t very good. Whaley claimed that he knows of at least one college professor who was fooled by an M-Journal citation, but based on the site’s shoddy output it seems more likely that the prof simply didn’t bother looking into it.
Students hoping to use M-Journal as a shortcut are also banking on the chance that their teachers don’t know about any of the open-access projects that help navigate around paywalls.
Or, you know, simple fact-checking Google searches.
READ MORE: This Website Will Turn Wikipedia Articles Into “Real” Academic Papers [Buzzfeed News]
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