RESEARCH PAPER (50 POINTS) Approach: Your paper does not have a chance to be substantive unless you have substantive sources. Find at least 5 VARIED (NOT all Internet sites, for example) sources – including professional journal articles and professional publications, Internet sources, and possibly (but not required) an interview. I recommend viewing publications from HIMSS and AHIMA. In addition, please use GALILEO for searching “rich” content. Avoid using “Google” too much. DO NOT INCLUDE WIKIPEDIA AS A SOURCE! This paper should be evidence that you can gather a body of knowledge on a particular subject, narrow it down to a particular focus and show that you can synthesize the information and make some intelligent, insightful observations about the subject. A significant part of the paper should be your interpretation of the information and how your knowledge about the subject has been enriched. I will allow 2 of these sources to be from our “readings” in the course content modules. Your paper should contain these parts: Introduction: Your introductory material should set up your topic for your audience. Briefly summarize your findings on the subject – If the sources disagree about the value of or perspective on the subject, point out the areas of disagreement. Your introduction should not meander around the point of your paper. It may be more than one paragraph in length, but at some point, very early in the paper you then need to start the substance of the paper. Your thesis should come at the end of your introductory material. State your thesis in the form of a sentence or two. It should not be in the form of a question. Your thesis should be a brief statement, in your own words, that points out the major issues about this topic that you discovered in your research. If you can’t articulate in a sentence or two what your main point is then you probably don’t have a good idea of what you will be writing about. Body of Paper: Use subheadings, where appropriate, to separate different aspects of your paper which support your controlling idea (your thesis). The body of your paper should provide supporting evidence to support your thesis, in a logical, fully developed manner. For each new topic which supports your overall thesis, provide a topic sentence or two which is, in effect, the thesis for that sub-topic. If you do not use subheadings, you need to provide transition sentences to move your reader from one paragraph to the next. A writer of a research paper should synthesize the information gained from sources and weave them into a well ordered discourse, using the sources as evidence to support key points. A paper which is just a string of quotes shows that the author made no attempt to come to grips with the subject and is relying on the sources to speak for her or him. Conclusion: Your conclusion should make some “wrap up” statements about what you learned about your chosen topic. Don’t be reluctant to address any issues that aren’t easily resolved or have negative or ambiguous outcomes. Format: Please use the MLA (Modern Language Association) style. If you want to use another one, check with me. There are numerous guides on the Internet on how to use MLA style. Length – minimum 8 double spaced pages of text (not including graphics, cover page, appendices, or reference page). Twelve “rambling” pages is not better than 8 clear, fully developed pages. Font – Times New Roman, Calibri, or Arial style, font size 11 Margins – 1 inch top, bottom, left, right Cover Page – in MLA style (which should include your name, course and section, date, my name. The title should give your audience a good idea of what your paper is about. Pagination: Put page numbers in top right hand corner of each page, including the cover page. Also include your last name and abbreviated title: Smith – Internet 2 Works Cited: – list all resources in MLA style, listed alphabetically. Documentation: Follow the online MLA Style Guide for documenting the sources in your text and your Works Cited page. Use quotes judiciously. Use them only when paraphrasing will make the statement unclear or a kernel of an idea is so perfectly stated that trying to paraphrase in your own words will ruin the impact of the statement. Remember, Turnitin will review your paper for originality.
