Research Paper
Investigate and report on an issue related to the course material that involves controversy–a social, legal, or ethical aspect of computers or computing technology. Do not use the text as the main source. The research paper should thoroughly support your opinion on the topic based on your thesis statement.
The thesis statement is the first part of the research paper. The point of submitting a thesis statement is to give your instructor a good idea of what you plan to write for your research report, and to provide feedback on your chosen topic. If you need help developing a thesis statement, see the “Developing a Thesis Statement” section on this page.
Thesis Statement
A thesis statement is the single, specific claim that supports the essay. A good thesis statement is not simply an observation, a question, or a promise. It includes a topic, a precise opinion, and reasoning. Remember that the focus of this course is on social, legal, and ethical issues. Don’t provide only technical descriptions or material that is purely factual or historic. On the other hand, be sure to provide enough facts to support your opinions.
Be specific: a topic like “Children and the Internet” is too broad–there is far too much material to cover in one paper. On the other hand, avoid being too specific: a topic like “Applying to Universities via Online Applications” may be too specific to find reliable and sufficient references. You can find ideas for topics by looking through the text. Please be sure to choose a topic that has more than one point of view.
•Write the thesis statement in a Word document
•Place your name in the header
•Below the thesis statement list at least two resources that you have already found on your topic; at least one of these should be scholarly in nature–this lets the instructor know that you are on the right track
•Name the file Thesis-your name
After submission, the instructor will respond with one of the following:
•Approval – if your topic is approved, you may begin to develop your paper immediately.
•Needs clarification – if you are asked for clarity or there are questions about your thesis, contact your instructor by email to refine/clarify points before beginning. You must respond within five days. Failure to provide full feedback results in 10% off your research paper, and you are taking a risk that whatever your research paper covers may not be accepted. In that event, a grade of 0 is recorded. Please keep in mind that you are only allowed one extra submittal if your first thesis has clarification issues.
•Not approved – if your topic is not approved, you must submit another thesis within five days to the same drop box.
Failure to submit and receive approval of a thesis statement will result in a zero grade on your research paper.
Research Paper
State a personal opinion in the first sentence. In the remainder of the paper, defend that opinion with good logic and supporting evidence.
•Use APA style
•Body of paper should be a minimum of 5 pages, not including title and reference pages
•1-inch margins
•Double-spaced
•12 point Times New Roman font
•Proper citations and references
•Minimum of 5 references not more than 2 years old from a variety of sources; at least one of these should be scholarly in nature
Submit the paper to turnitin.com and to the drop box in Week 10. Do not turn in a paper written earlier for another course or for your job. If you are writing a paper on the same topic for another class this term, you must secure approval ahead of time. Your paper may check out as being plagiarized if you submit it in more than one class.
