Acceptable Use Policy
Why we decide against a job and why we are selective with the explanations, even with briefs we would charge for. For employment briefs, our strategy is selective and consistent. In the briefs, we would prefer to charge for, we decline them.
What the Articled Acceptable Use Policy Covers
A brief outline of the vast majority of our policy briefs is that they are straight forward and thus, easy to take and approve. Since time is of the essence, we have formalized a policy so that when intense exceptions of the rare and complex briefs do come along, a refusal is a formal application of a rule, rather than an editor’s subjective value judgment.
The most obvious category is assessed academic work. We write model essays, worked examples, plans, structural guides, and editing and study guides, and we tell our clients about these services on the respective pages. We do not write work to be submitted for assessment under a student’s own name. This is the extent of our academic offerings, and we do not blur this distinction, however the brief says it will be used.
The second type is content designed to deceive. This includes disinformation, fabricated or fake news, fake reviews or testimonials, made up expert endorsements, impersonation, and artificially constructed content to artificially manipulate a market. All the examples share the concern that the end user will come to incorrectly believe in something untrue about the content author, speaker, or what actually was said, done, or occurred.
- Assessed academic work for submission under a student’s name
- Disinformation, fabricated news or invented events
- Fake reviews, testimonials or endorsements presented as real
- Impersonation of a real person, brand or public body
- Harassment, incitement, or content targeting a private individual
- Anything unlawful in the jurisdiction it will be published in
How the Articled Acceptable Use Policy Works
How it is applied. Every briefing is screened by a human editor before it is assigned to a writer. Refusals due to policy violations will be communicated to clients prior to payment. We will provide an explanation as to why we are refusing the briefing as opposed to just sending a brief refusal response.
Ambiguous lines. Many briefs reside near the line but don’t cross it: a comparison page that is not very flattering to the competition, an essay that is persuasive but arguing a point of view that is unpopular, a pseudonymous byline. Most cases can be considered fine. We usually ask what the piece is for, and the issue is resolved in a sentence.
If something is discovered later. If a brief has misrepresented its purpose, there are two things that happen. First, we stop working. Second, we decide whether to refund based on a few factors. It primarily depends on what has already been written and how deliberate the misrepresentation was. We will not continue working on a commission once we discover the true purpose.
The writer’s veto. Any writer may turn down any commission with no repercussions. No one is compelled to write something objectionable to them in order to obtain commissions.
The rule we get asked about most
We will not write anything on the condition that we conceal a human wrote it — or that we pretend a model did. Both misrepresent the work, and the second is a stranger request than you would expect.
When the Articled Acceptable Use Policy Applies
The policy is applied uniformly to client orders, formats, and all sizes. We do not waive the policy for large accounts. It is not acceptable to breach the policy, regardless of the total client spend.
Writers are obligated to comply with some of the same rules. In this case, the concerned rules are the no-AI rules. Writers are not allowed to use AI to draft, edit, outline, research, or translate. They are also not allowed to utilize AI humanizers. If a writer violates these prohibitions, they have misrepresented the work to us and to you by extension.
This also concerns the content we write for approved organizations under our public standard. An organization that demonstrated the badge and published deceitful content elsewhere would be purged from the directory. Otherwise, the badge wouldn’t have any value.
Articled Acceptable Use Policy FAQs
The agreement unites us all as clients, writers, and approved organizations. It means we won’t even take a client’s payment to write in disregard of the agreement.
Email hello@articled.org with details of the article. We are happier addressing your questions while you place the order rather than declining a brief afterwards, and we do this very quickly.
Our learning resources include model essays, sample essays, plans, outlines, study notes and editing support, which are all clearly distinguishable. We will not write work for you to submit; that line will not be crossed.
Yes. Ghostwriting is legitimate and common, and the ownership policy ensures that the work is indeed yours. We will never create a person that does not exist and attribute them expertise.
Absolutely. We write comparison and alternative pages regularly. Inaccurate claims that are actually insults and digs will not be published about competitors on our pages. This should provide you with protection as well. Yes, we do this regularly. We will not publish information that can be considered an insult or an inaccurate quote so as to protect competitors as much as you.
Please provide the context. Sometimes editors get it wrong. We understand that something that looks bad in a form field may have a valid explanation once it is explained verbally. A second editor will read it.
This policy is quite brief because it has to be in order to be practical. When a list of prohibitions is lengthy, the operator is motivated to find a reason to deny service; when a list is brief, it is to the advantage of everyone. This is not legal advice and operators must confirm it with their own lawyers before posting. As a general rule, “freedom from” is broader than “freedom to,” which is why the former should be avoided and the latter utilized.
Content a person actually wrote
$10 per 100 words, and the writer keeps all of it. Our 1% sits on top, 0.5% goes to trees, and no generated text appears anywhere in the process.