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 incorporate citations and references in APA format. Students may use the tools and techniques within Word to format the research paper, including use of the 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
1. Social Engineering – what it is, how it is used, and potential positive and negative impacts on individuals and on society2. Employee Monitoring – why and  how it is used, the legal issues surrounding its use, and impacts on employer and employee3. Biometrics – various implementations and the ethical and privacy issues related to the use of biometrics4. Use of Cookies – what they are, how they are used, and potential positive and negative impacts5. What are the privacy laws related to Information Technology use and how do they impact you personally?6. Intellectual Property Rights; issues related to copyright, fair use, copyright infringement, and the potential personal and financial impacts7. The Edward Snowden case – the dilemma between the “Official Secrets Act” versus a perceived duty to share versus the damage it may do to national security. 8. The Apple vs. FBI controversy over unlocking the iPhone  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.

Rubric Name: Research Paper Criteria Level 4 Level 3 Level 2 Level 1#1-Paper format and font 0.5 points
4 elementsPaper is double spacedMargins are set at 1″12 point Arial is used
Headings (if used) are in Bold, 12 point Arial. 0.3 points
1 element in errorPaper is not double spacedORMargins are not set to 1″OR12 point Arial is not usedORHeadings (if used) are not Bold OR are not 12-point Aria 0.1 points
2 elements are in errorPaper is not double spacedORMargins are not set to 1″OR12 point Arial is not usedORHeadings (if used) are not Bold OR are not 12-point Arial  0 points
More and 2 elements in errorPaper is not double spacedORMargins are not set to 1″OR12 point Arial is not usedORHeadings (if used) are not Bold OR are not 12-point Arial#2-Paper length. Body of the paper is at least three full pages and does not exceed five typed, double-spaced pages. 0.5 points
Body of paper is 3-5 pages in length. 0.3 points
Paper is too long 0 points 0 points
Paper is too short#3-Title Page Title Page which shows title of the paper and the author’s (student’s) name. Title and author’s name centered horizontally and vertically on the title page (it is in the center of the page) 0.5 points
Title page reflects topic of the paperTitle page includes author’s nameTitle and author’s name centered on the title page. 0.3 points
Title page does not reflect topic of the paperORTitle page does not include author’s nameORTitle and author’s name NOT centered on the title page. 0.1 points
Title page does not reflect topic of the paperANDTitle page does not include author’s nameinclude author’s nameORTitle and author’s name NOT centered on the title page. 0 points
Title page does not reflect topic of the paperANDTitle page does not include author’s nameANDTitle and author’s name NOT centered on the title page#4-APA in-text citations At least three (3) APA formatted in-text citations. 2 points
At least three citations in correct APA format 1.5 points
At least three citations included but 1 or more are  not in correct APA format 1 point
Fewer than three citations ORNone of the citations are in correct APA format 0 points
No citations included in the paper.#5-Two informational footnotes 1 point
At least two (2) correctly constructed informational footnotes included. 0.5 points
Only one (1) correctly constructed informational footnote included. Other footnotes might contain references. 0.1 points
All footnotes contain references instead of information. 0 points
No footnotes included#6-APA References List. Reference Page included (separate page) 1 point
References page included (separate from the body of the paper) and sources are listed in correct APA format 0.5 points
Not all sources listed are cited in the body of the paperORNot all citations are linked to sources in the References list ORReferences page positioned at end of the body of the paper and not on a separate page. 0.25 points
[Not all sources listed are cited in the body of the paperORNot all citations are linked to sources in the References list ]ANDReferences page positioned at end of the body of the paper and not on a separate page. 0 points
No References listedORSources not in APA format#7-Describe the topic and ethical issue. Describe the topic and ethical issue as it relates to the use of Information Technology 2 points
Topic is clearly described AND
-the relationship to information technology is clearly defined
AND-ethical issues are clearly defined 1 point
One (1)1 of the three criteria is missing (topic, ethical issues, relationship to IT)Topic is not well describedOREthical issues are not identifiedORRelationship to IT not identifiedy 0.5 points
Two (2) of the three criteria are missing (topic, ethical issues, and relationship to IT) 0 points
All three (3) elements are not described or defined.#8-Discuss trends and impacts 2 points
-Trends related to the topic are identified-Impacts on individual or organizations are identified-Actions being taken by individuals or organizations to address the issue(s) are identified 1 point
Trends related to the topic are identified but not well definedORImpacts are identified but not well definedORActions are not identified or well defined 0.5 points
Trends related to the topic are not identifiedORImpacts are not identified ORActions are not identified 0 points
Trends, impacts and actions are not identified or addressed.#9-Paper organization 1 point
Paper is well organized and easy to readStyle of writing is appropriate to college level work 0.6 points
Concepts in the paper are presented in an organized fashionBUTStyle of writing is not appropriate to college level work 0.3 points
Concepts in the paper are presented in a disorganizedfashion making it difficult to follow.Style of writing is not appropriate to college level work. 0 points
Concepts poorly defined; topics repeated in more than one area#10-Mechanics. Grammar, Spelling, proper use of direct quotes 1.5 points
There are no grammatical, punctuation or spelling errorsDirect quotations are less than 10% of total paper content 1 point
There are fewer than 5 errors in grammar, punctuation and spelling Direct quotations are less than 10% of the total paper content 0.5 points
There are 5-7 errors in grammar, punctuation, or spellingORDirect quotations account for 10% ormore of the total paper content 0 points
There are more than 7 errors in grammar, punctuation, or spellingANDDirect quotations account for  10% or more of the total paper contentOverall Score Level 310.2 or more Level 28.4 or more Level 10 or more
Element # Requirement Points Allocated Comments01 Paper should be – double-spaced, – margins are set to 1” (left, right, top bottom),- 12 point Arial type is used for all text- headings, if used, are bold but in 12 point Arial type 0.5 This is the font in normal paragraphs.  Heading and title fonts may be in bold, but should remain in 12 point font.02 Body of the paper is at least three full pages and does not exceed five typed, double-spaced pages. The 3- 5 pages does not include the title and reference pages and these are not included in the page count of the body of the paper. 0.5 Charts and other graphical information are not included in the page count.  03 Title Page which shows title of the paper and the author’s (student’s) name. The title and author’s name should be centered horizontally and vertically on the title page. The title and author’s name should appear in the center of the page. 0.5 Title must be appropriate for content04 At least three (3) APA formatted in-text citations.
If you are not familiar with APA format, it is recommended that you use the References feature in Word for your citations and Reference List or refer to the “Citing and Writing” option under the Resources/Library/Get Help area in the LEO classroom.
It is important to review the final format for APA-style correctness even if generated by Word. 2 These can be anywhere in the document, but the citations must be relevant to what is being referenced and the APA format is used correctly.05 At least two (2) informational footnotes.
(Note:  APA Style does not use footnotes for citations; however, APA style does allow for the incorporation of informational footnotes)
Footnotes are not used to list a reference! Footnotes contain information about the topic to which the footnote has been attached. 1.0 These can be anywhere in the document, but the informational footnotes must be relevant to the associated text.  The purpose of this requirement is to effectively incorporate the information and demonstrate that you can use the MS Word footnoting functionality.06 References Page using APA format for references. The References must be on a separate page from the body of the paper.
If you are not familiar with APA format, it is recommended that you use the References feature in Word for your citations and Reference List or refer to the “Citing and Writing” option under the Resources/Library/Get Help area in the LEO classroom.
It is important to review the final format for APA-style correctness even if generated by Word. 1.0 All works listed must be incorporated within the writing of your paper as specified in APA style
07 Describe the topic and ethical issue as it relates to the use of Information Technology 2 08 Discuss the trends and ways individuals and/or organizations are impacted by the issue or are working to prevent the impact. 2 09 Paper must be well-organized, clearly written in a style appropriate for college level work.   1 10 Paper should be grammatically correct and contain no spelling errors.   1.5 Although you should use the Spell Check and Grammar Check function in Word, this will not catch all errors – you are ultimately responsible for proofreading.  Direct citations should not exceed 10% of total words (use Word’s ‘word count’ function)TOTAL: 12