Industrial and Systems Engineering 5 page Research paper due 4/24/19

Exploration of the ISE Field

Spring 2019

(Version 1)

Objective

Industrial and Systems Engineering is a broad and fascinating field that offers many educational and career opportunities for Lehigh students. In this course, you have begun exploring the various areas of ISE so that you can make informed choices as you continue at Lehigh and work toward a successful and gratifying career in engineering. ISE 131 has a project for achieving this goal.

Project Description

This project is an individual effort. You will explore two contemporary areas of ISE that have become popular in the last ten years or will likely be popular in the near future. Then you will write a paper to describe the two areas. The purpose is for you to learn more about areas you might explore further in your degree program or work experiences. ISE is a broad field so feel free to push the limits of what ISEs are able to do.

Research

Look for sources of research to help you understand how the field of ISE has evolved over the past fifty years. The evolution will help you understand areas that are new to ISE. Choose two of these areas and perform a deeper dive. Archival sources that are peer reviewed will help you understand the details of your chosen areas. You can supplement the archival sources with more general sources. Research your chosen areas so that you understand the problems, the general methods used to solve them, and possibilities for the future.

Reference Requirements

Your paper must include references to back up your research. Different types of sources are required. You must have at least seven sources. Four of the sources must be archival in nature and two of the archival sources must be peer reviewed. Webpages are generally not archival, nor peer reviewed. Archival sources could be found on the web, such as conference proceedings, journal articles or books that are made available via the web. They can also be from physical journals or books in the library or faculty offices, etc. Archival sources are meant to be around for many years into the future. If someone cannot find an archival source using your citation, it is not archival. Peer review refers to the process of having several experts review the material prior to publication to make sure it is accurate, well-explained and contains no errors. Usually, several revisions must be performed in order to publish a peer reviewed paper. Most journals are peer reviewed. Some conference proceedings are peer reviewed. You must check the guidelines of the journal to be sure. Finally, Wikipedia does not count as one of the seven sources, although you can use it in addition to the seven sources if you wish. If you use Wikipedia, make sure to cite it. Also, seven sources is the minimum. You may have more than seven sources. Finally, you can use any citation system as long as you are consistent. Different journals have different requirements, so flexibility in writing papers and reading papers is required.

Drafting the Paper (The Writing Process)

Begin by selecting the best information from the sources you have chosen. Organize it in an outline for maximum effect on your audience. Then write a draft of your paper that uses the kind of specific details that describe the two areas by painting a clear and interesting picture of problems that are encountered and how they are solved. Include an introduction to the fields you have researched. You should document written and internet sources with a standard citation technique that you choose. If direct quotes are used or small amounts of material are copied, be sure to footnote or endnote properly.

Audience

Write for an audience of people who are interested in the ISE field but who have not had the opportunity to learn much about it. Imagine that your paper could be an assignment they read to learn more about your areas. Providing proper citations will insure they can find these sources on their own for even more information.

Deliverables

A report is required that has a five page maximum limit in double spaced PDF format. Citations and sources do not count as part of the five page limit. Your report must contain an introduction that is an executive summary of the paper. The introduction should summarize the findings in the paper. The executive summary is not part of the five page limit, either. Note that the page limit is just that. The paper could be shorter than five pages if you can successfully convey the information. As part of the writing process, you will read the draft papers of two classmates and provide constructive criticism of how to improve the papers. You will also receive two critiques of your paper that will allow you to write a better paper.

Due Dates

Initial draft of your paper due: March 27

Peer Reviews of two classmate drafts April 10

due (details forthcoming)

Final paper due: April 24

Grading

Introduction: 5 points

Content and organization: 25 points

Grammar and style: 20 points

Sources and Citations: 15 points

Peer reviews: 15 points

Total 80 points