research paper

 

PROJECT 3: RESEARCH PAPER

Objective

The purpose of this project is to demonstrate your understanding of the following course concepts:

1. How companies or organizations and individuals use digital or social media to effectively communicate ideas, information, arguments, and messages to achieve a specific goal.
2. How digital or social media has transformed the communication of an idea, information, and arguments in society.
3. Access, analyze, interpret, and evaluate digital media to foster learning and to guide decision-making.
4. Make responsible choices in the creation and consumption of digital media based on awareness of global, social, ethical, and legal contexts.

Project Description
In this project, you will select a topic discussed in class from the list provided below, conduct additional research on the topic, and share this information in a research paper. 
Project 3 consists of: 

1. Project Requirements (topics and content to cover)
2. Paper Requirements (content organization)
3. Submission Requirements (how to submit your assignment)
4. APA Resources (how to cite and select sources)
5. Due Date Information and Late Policy

Project Requirements
Select one of the 12 research topics below and complete ALL THREE sections: 

RESEARCH TOPICS

Topic 1: Digital Media as a Distraction (Week 1)
Digital Nation: Life on the Virtual Frontier - Chapter 1: Distracted by Everything PBS Online Video Documentary Series – Chapter 1 (00:00 - 08:28 minutes)
Topic 2: Digital Media's Effects on the Brain (Week 1)
Digital Nation: Life on the Virtual Frontier - Chapter 2: What's It Doing to Their Brains? PBS Online Video Documentary Series – Chapter 2 (08:29 - 10:40 minutes)
Topic 3: The Use of Digital and Social Media in Politics (Week 2)
(Smartphone political ads target non-political events to talk directly to voters, one by one (web page)
Topic 4: Cyber Psychology (Week 2)

Cyber psychology and cyber behavior of adolescents-the need of the contemporary era (web page)

Topic 5: Virtual Worlds and Their Impact on Society (Week 3)
Digital Nation: Life on the Virtual Frontier- Chapter 7 Virtual Worlds PBS Online Video Documentary Series – Start the video then Navigate to Chapter 7 (52:05 - 1:01:26)

Topic 6: Fake News (Week 3)
Fake News Vs Real News (PBS Online video) 

Topic 7: Digital Rights Management (DRM) (Week 4)
The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) (web page)

Topic 8: Filter Bubbles (Week 4)
How Filter Bubbles Isolate You (YouTube Video) 
Measuring the Filter Bubble: How Google is measuring what you click.

Topic 9: Data Visualization (Week 5)
“Information is Beautiful" http://www.informationisbeautiful.net/
Big Data Visualization (YouTube Video)

Topic 10: The Digital Divide (Week 6)
Digital Divides 2016 | Pew Research Center  http://www.pewinternet.org/topics/digital-divide/2017
Small towns join forces to bridge the digital divide (YouTube video) 

Topic 11: Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants (Week 6)
Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants (PDF) 

Topic 12: E-commerce (Week 7)
How Amazon Controls E-commerce: Amazon.com the Hidden empire: (online slideshow - 84 slides)

SECTION 1: SELECT ONE TOPIC FROM THE 12 TOPICS LISTED ABOVE
Answer the questions below:
Item 1: Which topic did you select?
Item 2: Why does this topic appeal to you?
NOTE 1: Section 1 should be the shortest section of your paper (10-15%).

SECTION 2: SUMMARIZE THE TOPIC YOU SELECTED USING CLASS RESOURCES
Discuss your topic as presented in class. This is a summary of all the resources used in class relating to the topic including online discussions.
Item 1: Summarize the information on the topic as presented in the class, using the Read & Watch resources AND any classroom discussion (online or f2f) of the topic.
Item 2: Is the topic you selected relevant in a course on digital and social media? Whether you answer yes or no, justify your answer.
Section 2 Sources: Include the source(s) as an in-paper citation and on your References page.
NOTE 2: Section 2 should comprise (30-40%) of your paper.

SECTION 3: CONDUCT ADDITIONAL RESEARCH ON THE TOPIC
Provide additional information on the topic you selected by locating TWO or MORE new resources (in addition to the resources provided in class) to expand your knowledge of the topic.
Item 1: What additional sources did you find on the topic you selected (list at least 2)?
Item 2: Why is EACH resource you found (a) relevant, (b) credible, (c) accurate, and (d) unbiased based on what you learned from the What is a Credible Source? How to Evaluate Web Resources? Address a-d in your answer.
Item 3: What new information do the two new resources contribute to the topic as presented in class?
Section 3 Sources: Include at least TWO SOURCES related to your topic that are NOT presented, discussed, or posted in the weekly Read & Watch in class or posted in the 15 topic list above. Include these sources as in-paper citations and list them on your References page.
NOTE 3: Section 3 should comprise the majority of your paper (45-60%). This is where your primary focus should be.

Paper Requirements
1. Your paper must follow APA format guidelines throughout.
(A sample APA template for you to use is attached to the bottom of this page. It contains Latin placeholder text. Replace the text with your content).

a. Double-spaced
b. 1-inch Margins
c. 12-point size professional font (e.g. Times New Roman)
d. Header
e. Automatic Page numbers
f. Title page
g. Reference page

2. Length: Minimum of 1,500
(Title page, Reference page, and direct quotes do not count toward the total word count). 
NOTE 4: Going over 1,500 words is fine, but if you are under 1,500 you will be penalized based on the following scale:  

One letter grade (10%) for every 500 words you are under the word count minimum.

3. Title Page 

Your title page must be APA formatted and include the following:
a. Project Name
b. Your Name
c. Course Name and Section Number
d. Semester
e. Instructor’s Name
f. Title of Research Paper Topic

4. References Page
Your References page must be APA formatted.

5. Sources: Include the source(s) from Section 2 and at least TWO (2) sources in Section 3.

Clarification: Please do not use unprofessional sources such as Wikipedia, About.com, Answers.com, Dictionary.com, How.com, or anything remotely similar.  Examples of scholarly sources include textbooks, articles, academic journals, and conference proceedings. Scholarly resources are written by experts in their fields, grounded in research, and often refereed (reviewed and edited by researchers in the field). Examples of professional sources include trade journals or magazines. Professional sources are written for a specific audience that works in a certain field. They are not research-based. You can also use our course content (e.g. Read & Watch resources) as a source as well. UMGC has a top-notch, extensive online library. You can find many scholarly and professional sources there.

NOTE 5: You can also use social media (e.g. Twitter posts, blogs, YouTube) sources as well as this is a paper about the use of digital and social media.

6. Setup & Organization
Your paper must include the following pages and Level 1 Headings:

a. Cover Page
b. Topic Introduction (Section 1)
c. Topic Discussion (Section 2)
d. Additional Research (Section 3)
e. Reference Page

APA Resources
UMGC’s Effective Writing Center offers several resources for APA formatting and citation style.

APA 6th Manuscript Formatting
http://polaris.umuc.edu/ewc/apa6th/apa6th.html

All About APA - Complete Guide
http://polaris.umuc.edu/ewc/web/all_about_apa.html

CiteFast Citation Maker for APA
http://www.citefast.com/?s=APA

 Submission Requirements
Please submit the following to your Assignments Folder in our CMST 301 LEO Classroom by the specified due date:
Submit the completed paper in Microsoft Word (.DOCX) format.

Due Date
Five (5) Day Late Period: The Assignments Folder will remain open 5 days after the due date for late submissions. There will be a 10% (or 2 point) reduction each day (24-hour period) the assignment is late.  After 5 days, late assignments will not be accepted or graded. The Assignments Folder will be closed at this point as well and you will not be able to physically submit the assignment.

Exceptions may be allowed, on a case-by-case basis, for life situations (military deployment, medical illness, death in the family, etc). In all cases, timely notification of a "life situation" is critical to the approval of any extensions. All exceptions must be accompanied by official documentation, which is subject to inspection and approval. Workload, course load, vacations, or bad memory are not acceptable excuses.

Running Close to the Deadline?: Please do not wait until the last minute to submit your assignment. Give yourself at least a 5-hour window to account for any technical difficulties that might arise. If you experience technical difficulties beyond your control that do not allow you to successfully complete the assignment, immediately follow the steps below:

Step 1: Contact UMGC 360 Help and Support. Inform them off the problem you are having. Get a problem ticket number from them to document the situation.
Step 2: E-mail me ASAP and include (a) your class and section, (b) description of the problem you are having, (c) your problem ticket number from 360 Help and Support, and (d) your name, so I can investigate the situation.
Step 3: Attempt to attach your assignment to a message to me inside of LEO.
Step 4: E-mail the assignment to me. 

Grade Value
This project is worth 100 points or 20% of your total grade for the course. 
Grade Reductions
You will lose points for issues such as: not following directions, not submitting your work on time, and failure to include all required elements. Each omission will result in a partial point deduction.
Submitting Your Assignment
To complete this project and receive full credit, you must submit your completed presentation to your Assignments Folder unless you encounter problems--discussed above).
CYA (Copy Your Assignment)
Please make sure you keep a copy of your project stored on your computer. Technical difficulties do happen--you may need to resubmit your assignment for a number of reasons. It is always a good policy to CYA!
Having Problems?
Please contact me in advance if you are having problems understanding what is required of you.
Do Your Own Work
UMGC has strict policies regarding turning in work that is not 100% your own creation. I will enforce these policies.
Verify Your Assignment Has Been Posted ( ** Very Important ** )
It is your responsibility to make sure you have posted your assignment CORRECTLY! Once you have posted your assignment, immediately attempt to view it, just to make sure your post was accepted by LEO, that it is formatted correctly, and you have posted the correct file.

NOTE 6: You will be held responsible for posting your assignments correctly.

Due DateNov 10, 2020 11:59 PMAttachmentsCMST 301 Project 3 Research Paper TEMPLATE V1.docx (32.98 KB)Download All FilesHide Rubrics

Rubric Name: Project 3 (Research Paper)

This table lists criteria and criteria group name in the first column. The first row lists level names and includes scores if the rubric uses a numeric scoring method.Section 1: Topic IntroductionExcellentVery GoodGoodNeeds WorkNo SubmissionCriterion ScoreTwo (2) Question Items: 10 Points Total {5 points per question}10 points

The answers to the two Question Items were excellent.

8.5 points

The answers to the two Question Items were very good overall.

7 points

The answers to the two Question Items were good overall, but could have been substantially better or one question may not have been answered.

6 points

The answers to the two Question Items were not very good or one question may not have been answered.

0 points

No questions were answered successfully or no questions were attempted.

/ 10This table lists criteria and criteria group name in the first column. The first row lists level names and includes scores if the rubric uses a numeric scoring method.Section 2: Topic DiscussionExcellentVery GoodGoodNeeds WorkNo SubmissionCriterion ScoreTwo (2) Question Items: 20 points total {5 points for topic resource summary, 5 points for summary of related class discussions, 5 points topic relevancy, 5 points for justification}20 points

The answers to the two Question Items were excellent.

15 points

The answers to the two Question Items were very good overall.

10 points

The answers to the two Question Items were good overall, but could have been substantially better or one question may not have been answered.

5 points

The answers to the two Question Items were not very good or one question may not have been answered.

0 points

No questions were answered successfully or no questions were attempted.

/ 20This table lists criteria and criteria group name in the first column. The first row lists level names and includes scores if the rubric uses a numeric scoring method.Section 3: Additional ResourcesExcellentVery GoodGoodNeeds WorkNo SubmissionCriterion ScoreThree (3) Question Items: 55 points total {2.5 points for each additional resource, 5 points each for discussion of relevancy, credibility, accuracy, and unbiased resources, 5 points for discussion of how each resource contributes to the topic}55 points

The answers to the three or four Question Items, as appropriate, were excellent.

50 points

The answers to the three or four Question Items, as appropriate, were very good, but not excellent.

45 points

The answers to the three or four Question Items, as appropriate, were good, but could use some improvement.

40 points

The answers to the three or four Question Items, as appropriate, needs work. Some may be missing entirely.

0 points

No questions were answered successfully or no questions were attempted.

/ 55This table lists criteria and criteria group name in the first column. The first row lists level names and includes scores if the rubric uses a numeric scoring method.APA (In-Paper Citations and Reference Page)ExcellentVery GoodGoodNeeds WorkNo SubmissionCriterion ScoreSection 2 and 3 Sources {5 points per section}10 points

In-Paper Citations:
Present and in excellent APA format for each source included in Sections 2 and 3.

References:
Present on the References page and in excellent APA format for each source included in Sections 2 and 3.

8.5 points

In-Paper Citations:
Present and in very good APA format for each source included in Sections 2 and 3.

References:
Present on the References page and in very good APA format for each source included in Sections 2 and 3.

7 points

In-Paper Citations:
Present and in good APA format for each source included in Sections 2 and 3.

References:
Present on the References page and in good APA format for each source included in Sections 2 and 3.

6 points

In-Paper Citations:
Present and in unsatisfactory APA format for each source included in Sections 2 and 3.

References:
Present on the References page and in unsatisfactory APA format for each source included in Sections 2 and 3.

0 points

No sources were included in the body of the paper or the sources were not appropriate.

/ 10Paper Requirements5 points

Paper follows APA guidelines throughout:

Double-spaced
1-inch Margins
12-point size professional font (e.g. Times New Roman).
Header
Automatic Page numbers
Title page
Reference page

4.5 points

Paper is missing only ONE of the requirements

4 points

Paper is missing TWO of the requirements

3 points

Paper is missing more than TWO of the requirements

0 points

None of the paper requirements are satisfied.

/ 5Rubric Total ScoreTotal/ 100

Overall Score

Overall Score

Excellent95 points minimum

Very Good85 points minimum

Good75 points minimum

Needs Work60 points minimum

No Submission0 points minimum

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