If a writer submits plagiarised content which is obviously copy pasted, what do you do? Refuse to pay and give the reason, make partial payment or do nothing?
If you specified before that the writer should not plagiarize, then yes, refusing to pay is what I would do. Because those articles are useless for you. Tell them beforehand that you're going to check up on them with copyscape.com , that should make them get the content done right.
This is for forum posters, some of them have blatantly copied stuff and are asking for payment. I had specifically mentioned that the content should be original.
You are not getiing the goods you purchased, you could have copied the text yourself, you did not need to pay someone to do that , I would not pay
Don't pay; it's simple as cake. And if the provider keeps bitching about it, report him somewhere. If he's on a forum, give him some bad rep or something. If he has a thread where he's selling his services, put up a small note warning people he's a total scammer. Whatever you do, withhold all payment. Cheers
If they're copying copyright-protected material (if it's written, it's generally protected), start by getting it off of your site (you'll be the one in legal trouble up front if the copyright holder decides to pursue it). And no, you shouldn't pay for stolen work if you can prove it was stolen (keeping in mind that simply using a tool like copyscape does NOT prove stolen content - it doesn't prove legal and unique content by a long shot either).
First of all, if you tell a writer upfront that you are going to run their writing through a plagiarism checker, that would make any professional writer run away. If you already imply that you don't trust them, what self-respecting writer would want to work for you? As Jenn mentioned, Copyscape doesn't actually PROVE that the work was stolen. But if you know beyond a shadow of a doubt the writer plagiarized the work, remove it from your site and refuse to pay.
Denise, we're talking about peanut writers, remember. If I were to hire a quality writer myself, I would obviously not "threaten" him with copyscape. I myself had the same from buyers, but I just let it slide, because I didn't have the portfolio to back me up at that point. It wasn't an issue of self respect, it was an issue of rent.
Even beginning writers can create a portfolio without sacrificing themselves to slave wages or demanding clients. You can create a few mock pieces to demonstrate your abilities and use those pieces to showcase to potential clients. Once you have a few gigs under your belt, you can then add those pieces to the portfolio. That's a lot easier than putting up with clients who demand the world of you and give back very little in return, isn't it? Oh, and please don't misunderstand me Tudi - I do understand the importance of making enough money to pay the bills. We do what we need to do to get by. I just can't help but laugh at those who think simple tools like Copyscape are going to prove something - and that they need to "threaten" writers with it in order to receive original work.
I have not used copyscape, just a simple search in Google for specific terms was sufficient, to find where it was copied from. Anyone else uses this method?
Well you can confront them with it first and see what they have to say. I would let them know you know and provide a link to the material they copied. That's not writing, that's pasting. And you hired a writer not a paster. Decide if you need to remove it. If you do, that is certainly basis for nonpayment.
So you hire a writer to save time but end up wasting your time first verifying the content and then deleting it. Other than finding a honest person , is there any other option available?
Your options are as follows: Write the content yourself OR Hire a reputable, PROFESSIONAL writer with verifiable references and experience to back him/her up. It's not that hard.