Research Writer Interview With Irene

Freedom and flexibility. I think this job is perfect because it doesn't tie me up to a certain place or a fixed work schedule. I can plan my day however I want to, having to respect only pre-determined deadlines.

Like all students, I faced tight deadlines many times throughout my academic career. I am no stranger to overnight essays or term papers. I usually prefer deadlines that give me the time for a thorough research, but I can also write urgent papers. In order to make sure I respect deadlines, I simply consider them much tighter. For example, if a paper is due at 10 PM, I change my deadline to 5 PM and stick with it. I am a disciplined person.

I am currently a 2nd year student in a Master of Business Communication, hence this is my primary field of expertise. At the same time, I have a good knowledge of related fields, like marketing, public relations, economics, sociology, psychology and human resources. I am also passionate about philosophy (including personal philosophy). However, I am proficient at synthesizing and analyzing information, so I can basically write on any topic.

First of all, I have full access to a university library containing recent literature on my fields of study. Furthermore, the Internet offers an unlimited range of information sources on any topic. Nonetheless, the quality varies from one source to another. I usually trust journal articles from different free databases (like allbusiness.com, findarticles.com), as well as various case-studies published by consultants or universities. Moreover, many corporate sites offer very interesting information on specific business topics (for example how to write business letters).

I can dedicate up to 20-40 hours/ week to this activity, depending on the workload.

My view on plagiarism is simple: I find it unprofessional and unethical. The practice of using someone else's ideas, without proper citation, is harmful to the reputation of the writer. The main collateral effect of plagiarism is that it erodes trust. Reputation is essential to the writer in order to be professionally appreciated, not to mention its importance throughout the academic career. What you do is who you are in today's world. And trust is a fundamental ingredient in the relationship between the client and the writer, as well as between students and educational institutions. Plagiarism is a temptation that seduces writers with promises of efficiency and intellectual appreciation, but, in fact, represents only a quick fix that puts large question marks over the integrity and professional attitude of whoever makes use of it. The only method to keep your hands clean of plagiarism is to reference properly all sources. Originality is very important when writing, but no one expects students to reinvent the wheel or to make Nobel Prize discoveries. Previous knowledge is the starting point of any paper. The main requirement is to cite all the research material used to elaborate any form of written composition. Ultimately, plagiarism is a concept that relates to common sense, and it is interpreted subjectively through it. I am extremely careful to giving proper credit for all the ideas I use in my papers.