Assignment: Research Paper Using Word

This assignment has two goals: 1) have students increase their understanding of the concept of Protecting Personal Information (PPI) and other ethical issues related to the use of information technology through research, and 2) learn to correctly use the tools and techniques within Word to format a research paper, including use of available References and citation tools. These skills will be valuable throughout a student's academic career. The paper will require a title page, NO abstract, three to four full pages of content with incorporation of a minimum of 3 external resources from credible sources and a Works Cited/References page. Wikipedia and similar general information sites, blogs or discussion groups are not considered creditable sources for a research project. No more than 10% of the paper may be in the form of a direct citation from an external source.

A list of topics from which students can choose is provided below.

Topics for Research Paper

Explore ethical issues that may surround the use of information technology in the implementation or development of one of these topics

1. Genetic Engineering - crops and humans
2. Biometrics - various implementations and the ethical and privacy issues related to the use of biometrics
3. Development of artificial intelligence and intelligent agents (such as Siri, Cortana, and so on)
4. Development of robots as intelligent as humans; smart machines and the IOT.
5. Genome-based treatments for curing diseases
6. Family, eldercare, and parenting issues with technology and information systems
7. The pros and cons of using computer-assisted education in the elementary school classroom
8. Issues facing the IT Manager or Security professional (e.g., privacy, ownership, control, accuracy, security)
9. Ethical issues in defense information systems in this era of Edward Snowden, Chelsea Manning, Wikileaks, etc.

If there is another topic that addresses ethical issues as related to information technology that is of special interest to you but one that is not in the list above, request permission from your instructor before selecting this alternate topic.

Writing Quality for the Research Paper

* All Grammar, Verb Tenses, Pronouns, Spelling, Punctuation, and Writing Competency should be without error.

* Be particularly careful about mis-matching a noun and pronoun. For example, if you say "A person does this..." then do not use "their" or "they" when referring to that person. "Person" is singular; "their" or "they" is plural.

* Remember: there is not their, your is not you're, its is not it's, too is not to or two, site is not cite, and who should be used after an individual, not that. For example, "the person WHO made the speech" not "the person THAT made the speech."

* In a professional paper one does not use contractions (doesn't, don't, etc.) and one does not use the personal I, you or your. Use the impersonal as in the previous sentence. It is more business-like to say "In a professional paper one should not use contractions," rather than saying, "In a professional paper you don't use contractions."

*Remember: spell-check, then proofread. Better yet, have a friend or colleague read it before submitting it. Read it out loud to yourself. Read it as if you are submitting it to your boss.

You can find instructions on how to use the References tool in Word on a PC or on a Mac in the separate file attached here.

Complete rubrics for this paper are found in the table on the next page.