Research Papers

Research Papers

COMS 161 – Spring 2005

Two research papers will be due this semester. They should each be a minimum of four double-spaced pages long. Do NOT include the references in the page count. The papers must be typed and handed in at the start of class on 02/18/05 and on 03/21/05.

In writing these papers, use good style such as you would for a paper in an English or History class. Use at least four references other than the textbook for each paper. Do not just cut and paste – summarize, analyze and synthesize the information in your own words. You may quote your sources to support your points; however, this should occur occasionally when necessary to best present your research. You should not depend on quotations to take place of your own ideas and inferences. Be sure to evaluate the quality and credibility of your sources before you use them to support your arguments. It is very difficult to summarize a two-page article in a three-page paper, therefore, you should look for sources that are significantly longer than the paper that you are writing.

These assignments are to produce a research paper, not an opinion piece. While many potential topics have significant emotional, political, and/or sociological aspects to them, your paper should present a balanced analysis of the available sources concerning the topic you choose. You may form your own opinion about the topic, and your paper may present that opinion, but it should be presented in the context of a research paper. Such opinions should be presented as the logical conclusion of the data, with all aspects of the topic fairly analyzed.

Be sure to evaluate the quality and credibility of your sources before you use them to support your arguments. Your paper grade will take into account the quality and credibility of the sources used. Be sure also to provide citations for your sources. You should reference these in the text by name or number, and list the complete citations on a separate page at the end of your paper.

Providing references to web sites can be a little difficult because the author and date of writing are not always apparent, but get as much information as you can. If the article does not have an obvious title, use the title that appears in your browser’s title bar. If the article is on a web site belonging to a company or an organization, give that name, as you would for an article that appears in a journal. It is best to provide a live link to Internet sources in the reference (which you can do in Word by using the Hyperlink command on the Insert menu). A reference to a web page might look something like this:

1.  Tillman, H.N. “Evaluating Quality on the Net.” http://www.hopetillman.com/findqual.html (2000).

Grading of the research papers will be based on three equally weighted criteria:

·  Research – research quality and thoroughness; significance and credibility of sources

·  Persuasion – thesis and arguments presented clearly; sources used effectively; points well-justified

·  Style – grammar and spelling; organization; presentation

The topics of the papers are your choice, but should be focused on social themes, ethics, legal, etc. surrounding computer and network use. You can get ideas from the “Social Themes” sections in your textbook, the topics listed below, your friends, the media, and other relevant sources. Be creative.

Procedures for topic selection and approval will be announced in class.

·  Security of data on the net, including both wired and wireless

·  Taxation of Internet commerce

·  Computer-assisted learning techniques

·  Economic trends resulting from the expansion of Internet commerce

·  Economic impact and legal issues of computer viruses

·  Privacy issues on the net, identity theft

·  Data communications and information exchange in the post 9/11 era

·  Effects of the USA_Patriot Act on technology and society

·  Spam, spyware, pop-up windows and other Internet-facilitated advertising methods

·  Digital image, sound, and video editing and the media

·  Censorship and filtering of web pages; the Communications Decency Act of 1996 (CDA)

·  Copyright issues; the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998 (DMCA)

·  Software piracy and data theft on the internet

·  Licensing of Computer Professionals (similar to accountants, doctors, hairdressers, etc)

·  Codes of ethics for software and hardware professionals

·  Risks and protections for “whistle blowers”

·  Liabilities and responsibilities of software creators

·  Patenting of software and algorithms

·  Free software and open source software (Linux, the Gnu Project, the Free Software Foundation)

·  Sharing of commercial software via P2P (peer-to-peer) file sharing networks

·  Bugging, wiretapping, eavesdropping or other monitoring of electronic communications

·  Data mining, cookies and consumer profiling

·  Data encryption: privacy and free speech vs. national security

·  Employee and employer rights with respect to privacy of email, web browsing histories, etc.

·  The advantages/risks of electronic or internet voting

·  International differences in law and custom (e.g. some countries censor incoming Internet traffic they consider objectionable, although it may be perfectly acceptable in its source country)

·  The Next Big Breakthrough in software or hardware (this should be something radically new)

Of course, these topics are just suggestions, and many of the topics overlap. Check with me if you have a question about the acceptability of a topic.

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