CIS 101 PROJECT 1 RESEARCH PAPER

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CIS 101

PROJECT 1 RESEARCH PAPER

CR AFTON H I LLS COLLEGE TOT AL POI NTS : 50

OV ERV I EW

In this project, you will perform research on a type of technology application software, compare

three different products of that application type, and create a research paper that summarizes your

research findings and incorporates appropriate charts. You must use Microsoft Word to create your

research paper and Microsoft Excel to create your charts. Your research paper must use the MLA

documentation style and include citations of all the sources that you use, so be sure to keep track of

your research sources.

You can choose one of the following technology application types as the subject of your

research. The items listed in parentheses are examples of products within the application type. For

example, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn are specific social media products.

1. Social media (e.g. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn)

2. Internet browser (e.g. Google Chrome, Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox)

3. Office suite (e.g. Microsoft Office, OpenOffice, iWork, Google Docs)

4. Antivirus (e.g. Norton Security, Bitdefender Antivirus, McAfee AntiVirus)

5. Photo editing (e.g. Adobe Photoshop, Apple Photos, GIMP)

6. Tax preparation (e.g. TurboTax, CompleteTax, eSmart Tax, H&R Block's TaxCut)

7. Accounting (e.g. QuickBooks, Quicken, Sage 50, Sage DacEasy)

8. Mobile payment (e.g. Google Wallet, Square, PayPal, Apple Pay)

9. CAD (e.g. AutoCAD, SmartDraw, TurboCAD, Visio)

10. Video editing (e.g. Adobe Premier Pro, iMovie, MAGIX Movie Edit Pro, Media Composer)

11. Web authoring (e.g. Adobe Dreamweaver, Microsoft Sharepoint Designer, Website

Creator, Weebly)

12. Media player (e.g. iTunes, Windows Media Player, QuickTime, RealPlayer, Rhapsody)

13. Game (e.g. Angry Birds, Candy Crush, Draw Something, Minecraft, Plants v. Zombies)

14. Mapping (e.g. Apple Maps, Cartographer, Google Maps, Mapquest)

15. Fitness (e.g. Calorific, Couch-to-5K, Endomondo, MapMyFitness, MyFitnessPal)

If you would like to do your research on an application that is not listed above, please email the

subject to your instructor for approval.

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PROJ E CT RE QU IRE M ENT S

Your research paper must include the following components:

1. Use of the MLA documentation style:

a. Place your name and course information in a block at the left margin beginning

one inch from the top of the page.

b. Center the title one double-spaced line below your name and course

information.

c. Use a 12-point Times New Roman or similar font.

d. Double-space text on all pages of the paper using one-inch top, bottom, left,

and right margins. Indent the first word of each paragraph one-half inch from

the left margin.

e. At the right margin of each page, place a page number one-half inch from the

top margin. On each page, precede the page number with your last name.

f. In the text of the paper, place author references in parentheses with the page

number(s) of the referenced information.

2. Introduction

Introduce the application subject of your research. Explain the following:

a. What is the purpose of the application?

b. Who are the typical users of this application?

c. Why is it important?

Connect the introduction paragraph to the rest of the paper by concisely stating what

you will include in this research paper.

3. Three specific products of your application subject

For each of the three products, include the following:

a. Features

b. Capabilities

c. At least one image showing the interface(s) of the application

Here is an example of an image showing the interfaces of Facebook:

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Source: https://www.facebook.com/notes/facebook/timeline-now-available-

worldwide/10150408488962131

4. Comparison of the three products that you describe in the previous section

Briefly compare the three examples of your application subject in terms of numerical

measures, or statistics. You must incorporate appropriate Excel charts that compare at

least two the statistics of the applications (e.g. cost, number of users, performance, user

rating, etc.). The two Excel charts must be present in your research paper Word

document for full credits.

Here is an example of an Excel chart the compares the popularity of three social media

products:

See this page on how to copy a chart from Excel to Word:

https://support.office.com/en-in/article/Copy-Excel-data-or-charts-to-Word-35f668e8-

671a-4b78-b064-7a4ca61250d4#__toc266792951

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100,000,000

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500,000,000

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1,000,000,000

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Popularity

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Based on your comparison, include a brief paragraph that provides your personal

recommendation to someone who is interested in acquiring the application.

5. Alphabetical Works Cited page, including a bibliography of all sources referenced in a

paper. You must have at least three sources. Remember to use MLA format.

6. Use of proper English spelling and grammar

7. Your research paper should be 5 – 8 pages long, including the Excel charts and Works

Cited page.

WHAT YO U NE ED T O SU BM IT F OR TH E PR OJ E CT :

 Your research paper as a Word document, including charts created using Excel