This work sought to address gaps in the literature regarding perceived student acceptance of
certain types of cheating in higher education and the potential relationships to social media use
and the digital academic services, called contract cheating websites (Rowland et al., 2018) or
study helper websites (Harrison et al., 2021). In detail, the core of the study was the analysis of
social media and contract cheating website use and how it related to judgments of cheating
strategies by current and past postsecondary students. Through an online survey, participants (n
= 47) were asked to indicate demographic features; report the time spent on specific social media
sites and contract cheating websites (Chegg, Course Hero, and Quizlet); and indicate their
judgments of seven academic dilemma scenarios depicting cheating. Spearman correlations
revealed a moderate relationship between the time spent on social media and contract cheating
websites (rs = .438, p = .003). Although no links emerged between dilemma judgments and
social media in the overall sample, when separated into groups, contract cheating website users
(n = 17) indicated greater time spent on social media than non-users, t(42) = 2.847, p = .003,
along with correlations to certain cheating scenario and strategy judgments. These findings
highlight the need to investigate the underlying connections students may have to social media,
contract cheating services, and their perceptions of academic integrity to inform remedial
strategies for cheating in higher education
