Is using Course Hero Cheating? A guide on what really works

If you have been using Course Hero, you may be at risk of being caught cheating especially if you used the contents for a paper. In this comprehensive review, we explore whether using Course Hero is considered a cheat and if so, when it is and when it is not.

In case you need much quicker help, feel free to consult our homework writing services any time. That is just for fast help. Read on to learn how to handle the issue

For starters, Course Hero, an educational technology website that helps facilitate online learning for students. It enables students to access various educational resources contributed by both students and instructors. The main aim of this website is to help students in their studies.

Is using Course Hero Cheating?

Using Course Hero is not considered cheating if a student uses it to get inspiration for your paper, know how to format it, or understand how arguments are made. However, it would be cheating if you use Course Hero papers and turn them in as yours or use their contents directly.

In both instances, it all depends on how you will use the papers you get from the paper repository. We will explore both ways and bring out the scenarios for cheating and for not cheating. Let us delve into this in detail below;

When using Course Hero is considered Cheating

Cheating is considered the use of any dishonest means to gain an advantage.

Using Course Hero against the rules of the institution you study in is considered cheating. Institutions are different.

Some agree to the use of Course Hero, while others don’t. Using Course Hero in institutions where it is prohibited is not only breaking the rules of the students but cheating on other students.

You will get help in a particular assignment while the other students will do it independently as required by the instructor.

In institutions where the use of Course Hero is not specified, various instructors may be against the use of Course Hero. Using Course Hero against the will of your instructors is cheating.

You will not be evaluated on the basis that the given test, assignment, or research was supposed to be. It is always important to avoid using Course Hero when not required to save yourself from any disciplinary actions from your instructor or institution.

Using Course Hero can be regarded as cheating when you copy answers provided directly to your work. It is not usually bad not knowing something. But this does not mean you should copy any answer provided directly.

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No learning, just Copying

You do not learn anything. When you copy the answer word to word you are cheating on yourself and the instructor too. You know very well that you cannot answer the question.

The instructor will think that you know what you are doing. The materials provided by Course Hero should guide you on how to work out a certain question.

When copying from Course Hero, you are also plagiarizing. This is a form of academic dishonesty that can land you in trouble as well.

When you use Course Hero to get good grades that you do not deserve can be regarded t as cheating. Course Hero is mostly right, and copying answers may lead to success in your academics.

You will get accolades and credits that you do not deserve. This can prove to be a challenge on your next academic step because it was not deserved.

You do not have a good academic foundation since you did not learn and therefore, maintaining your career becomes a challenge.

When using Course Hero is not Considered Cheating

When you think of it, it is your responsibility to use Course Hero the right way. How many students will see an answer to a question and not copy it directly to their assignment?

Many researchers have concluded that most students will copy answers to a question that is worked out for them.

Using Course Hero can be regarded as honest when it is a guide to help you solve a problem.

You may not have had any clue about how the question can be worked out or you may have tried several times and failed.

If Course Hero is not helping you gain more understanding of what you have learned in class, then you are using it the wrong way.

The main reason why students are given tests and assignments is to gauge their understanding of various topics. Copying answers from Course Hero will not help achieve that.

How to Safely use Course Hero and Avoid Cheating

Students can use the content they get from Course Hero without cheating using the following ways:

1. Paraphrasing the Answer

Paraphrasing involves using formulating an answer of your own. You will first read the answer provided on Course Hero, understand it, and try writing what you have understood on your own.

2. Avoid Similar Copies

To avoid writing a similar copy of what is provided on Course Hero, you can use synonyms, reword sentences and change the voice of the sentences.

3. Use Different Viewpoints

When answers are stated in short summaries, and not explained, you can use the points to come up with an explanation of your own.

You may have different views on the points. it is not a must that you use the view provided on the answer. To avoid plagiarism, you should not copy the points directly.

4. Use for Comparisons only

Another method of using the Course Hero and not be accused of cheating is by using it for comparisons. When you have completed your work, you can use the solutions provided by Course Hero to compare your arguments to those of Course Hero.

You can then make corrections where you made mistakes. Sometimes Course Hero may have used a different method to arrive at an answer. This means that you will know other methods of answering a question.

Course Hero also provides textbooks and resources which students can rent. Students can use these to read on specific topics from which questions arise and gain more understanding, hence comfortable answering the questions.

Course Hero is a very important feature in every student’s academic life. This is only if it is used for the right reasons. It is very fast and efficient when providing you with the answers to your question.

If your main purpose of using Course Hero is not helping you advance in your academics, then you should not use it at all. The knowledge and understanding you get in school are more important than the grade you eventually get. The consequences of using Course Hero to cheat in your academic work are severe.

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How to Copy-Paste on Course Hero

Most students love Course Hero but tend to use it wrongly. Learn to use it well, and you will not be in trouble. You can copy and paste directly from Course Hero. All you have to do is to highlight the content and copy it directly to your assignment.

However, Course Hero is usually against students’ and tutors’ direct copying of materials. You must avoid copying materials from Course Hero if you need work that is not to be flagged as plagiarized.

Can Course Hero get you into Trouble? 

Whether Course Hero can land you into trouble, it all depends on how you use it. If you copy answers word to word from Course Hero, you are likely to get into trouble.

If your institution is against its use, then you have landed yourself into trouble if you are caught. such institutions have their reasons why they do not agree with the usage of such platforms.

Additionally, they have set punishments that are to be imposed on anyone involved.

You will eventually get punished if it is established that you used Course Hero.

Copying answers directly from Course Hero is plagiarism. every institution is usually against plagiarism.

It is a form of academic dishonesty and punishments are designated to be imposed on those involved.

These punishments are usually harsh and can ruin your academic status. Plagiarising is a form of copyright infringement.

If you copy answers provided by Course Hero when conducting research, you are likely to be accused of copyright infringement by the owners of the work. The owner can sue you, and if it is proven, you are eligible for the punishments provided. 

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Can you Get Caught Cheating on Course Hero?

You can get caught if you cheat using Course Hero. Course Hero is an online platform that can be accessed by plagiarism detectors such as SafeAssign and Turnitin. Course Hero allows these scanners to access their content.

Therefore, any content you include on your assignment directly copied from Course Hero will land you trouble.

It will be detected by various plagiarism detectors, and it will be flagged as plagiarized. The plagiarism detector used will indicate Course Hero as the source of the work.

Most of the papers on Course Hero are already submitted to universities. This means that they are already on the databases of various plagiarism detectors.

If any student submits the same work as his original work, then the work is flagged as plagiarized. This is most probably with a 100% similarity score. 

How do teachers know you copied from Course Hero

Instructors can also notice whether or not you used Course Hero in the following ways.

1. Checking the Paper structure

Varying font types and sizes. Most students do not remember to edit their work when they copy an assignment. Keen instructors will notice such differences in your work and will investigate the source of the work.

Instructors have come across work from Course Hero and know the font size and styles used. They are likely to suggest that the work was got from there.

If instructors call Course Hero to help in the investigation of such papers, Course Hero fully cooperates to prove whether the work was from their site.

2. Checking Plagiarism Papers are available online

Many Course Hero papers are available online, and a plagiarism scan will show copied content. Plagiarism scanners like Turnitin can check Cursehero content and can flag your papers for similarity.

Instructors are likely to have come across them. Submitting such a paper is taking a huge risk. Instructors are likely to identify.

3. The quality of the paper

Most of the papers are also of poor quality. They contain mostly false information. When several papers with wrong information are submitted to the instructor, the instructor is likely to source for the origin of the work.

Course Hero, being used by many students, makes it possible for many students to submit an identical paper.

When instructors come across similar papers submitted by different students, they will likely know that the papers have been obtained from a similar source. After investigations, they will know that the paper came from Course Hero.

If the exam was tough and you pass it well compared to the rest of the class, instructors are likely to ask you questions on the exam. If you cheated, you will not be able to explain the answer.

The instructor then is likely to know that you did not do your work on your own, and you may be forced to reveal the source of information.

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Does Course Hero Give you Correct Answers?

Course Hero gives out correct answers because they involve tutors to provide solutions, especially for paid subscriptions. They have experienced tutors who answer all your questions correctly. However, some answers may be wrong since students upload them to get unlocks. This may compromise the quality of answers for other users.

Therefore, you need to be careful when using their answers. Before the answer is submitted to you, it is checked for plagiarism to make sure that it is original.

Nobody is always perfect. Sometimes you may get wrong answers from Course Hero. The correctness of the answers usually relies on you. We compared Course Hero and Chegg and found the latter being more accurate in answers.

If you feel contented with the work that you receive from Course Hero, the tutor gets paid. Tutors are not paid if the work they submit to students is of low quality.

Whenever you feel not contented with the work you receive, you are eligible for a refund of the full amount you paid. This makes accessing the content you receive from Course Hero important to establish whether it is correct or not.

Is Course Hero Legit?

Course Hero is a legit company that offers legal services of homework solutions to its users. You can trust them with your studies as a personal learning tool. However, the way you use their services matters, as it may be against your university’s academic integrity rules.

Their customer service is usually top-notch. Their main aim is to provide the best for students asking for help. Their prices are also reasonable compared to the services that they offer.

If instead of Course Hero you can use Chegg, check my other article on whether using Chegg is considered cheating, and know more about what you can do to avoid trouble.