Term Paper Assignment: CS 1590, Spring 2013

See the text's topic suggestions for a long list of possible topics.

Guidelines/specifications for the paper (modified from GoF)

Investigate the topic. Use articles and/or books, etc., for background. Your project must include some background research, with citations to at least 10 sources besides the text.

As with the prior writing assignments, don't just report. Discuss pros and cons. Evaluate. Use your own words. Quote where appropriate. Give citations for facts and quotes. Discuss how your topic relates to material covered in the text and/or in class discussions.

The paper should be approximately 4000 words.

Outline for the paper (roughly)

Cover page with title and your name
Introduction/overview of topic and issues to be discussed
Background, description, and/or history of the issue
Issues, various points of view
Description of at least one technology solution to the problem you are discussing, written from a CS perspective
• Note that this technical aspect was not part of the prior papers
Your comments or evaluation
Summary
List of references, using IEEE format

Do not turn in a paper done earlier for another course or for your job.

Additional comments

Remember what this course is about. Do not hand in papers that are purely factual or historic (e.g., a history of the Internet, a summary of computer technology used in the military). Such papers will not get high scores. You must include discussion of issues.

One of the most common problems with papers is poor organization. Write an outline. Organize your thoughts. You may use section headings to indicate the topic or purpose of sections of the paper.

Use a variety of sources for information and arguments. Remember that there's a lot of junk and unsupported opinion on the Web. Pay attention to quality of your sources. (If your topic is covered in the text, do not use the text as a main source. Report in more depth and/or on newer or other aspects of the topic.)

Now and then, a student hands in a paper he or she did not write at all or in which large segments are copied from other sources. Please don't do this. It is dishonest, unfair to your fellow students, and unpleasant for both you and the instructor. Plagiarism is usually reported to the appropriate university discipline office. Write in your own words.

Grading criteria include: background or history, presentation of issues and various points of view, presentation of the computer science underlying a technical solution, quality of argument and analysis (principles, examples, counterexamples), structure/organization, clarity of writing, sufficient references, sufficient length, and originality. You should define terms where necessary. Be sure to read and edit your final copy before handing it in.