The Informative Research Paper 

Outcomes addressed in this activity: 

Unit Outcomes: 

• Construct a viable academic outline.
• Prepare deductive-style writing.
• Compose a paper abstract.
• Create APA-standard document formatting.
• Examine technology vocabulary skills.
• Synthesize content into a meaningful, informational paper on a technology topic 

Course Outcome: 

IT513-3: Develop academic research, idea organization, writing, and formatting standards for a professionally written outcome on an information technology topic 

Purpose 

Last week, you prepared an annotated bibliography on a technology topic; this week, you will use those sources to write an informative (expository) paper. APA formatting and referencing will be applied. Complete the Unit 5 Reading before beginning work. 

If you have not yet completed the Unit 4 Assignment, it is recommended to do it as soon as possible. At the very least, you will need to use the same kinds of sources: two (2) peer-reviewed professional journal articles from the online University library, one (1) authored and dated web article, and one (1) book. 

Assignment Instructions and Requirements

• Writing:

  Keep in mind that this paper’s intent should be to inform the reader about a technology topic.
  Your reading audience understands quite a bit about technology but is not an expert in your specific topic. (This statement is provided so you understand the depth and kind of vocabulary that are appropriate to use.)
  The body of the paper must be at least 800 words in length. Do not write more than 1000 words.
  Write completely in your own words; no quotes are allowed.
  Your work must be presented in essay/paragraph form, without lists, tables, or images.
  Your writing must follow the rules for formal writing style as explained in the Unit 1 reading. 

• Important: You are permitted to reuse some of the wording from your annotated bibliography, with the following stipulations:

  Wording copied from your bibliography must be highlighted using Word’s highlighting tool. See the unit Reading to understand what might be considered “copied.”
  No more than 20% of the wording of your paper body can come directly from your bibliography.
  Failure to meet both of these stipulations will result in point loss.

• Organization:

  An abstract is required (check the reading for how to write and format this).
  Your introductory paragraph must include your topic sentence.
  Use subheadings to show the paper’s organization (minimum three subheadings).
  Use deductive paragraphing (main idea and then details).
  Recommended: Use the outline you prepared for the Discussion #1 initial post this week to organize your ideas.
  You may like to review the Unit 3 Reading about how to write appropriate introductions and conclusions.

• Sources:

  Use all four sources at some point in the paper. You may include one additional source if you find that the original four did not contain the ideas you need, but do not add more than one new source.
  All sources used must be cited within the body of the paper and included on the reference page.

• Formatting:

  Create APA formatting on your own, without the use of a template. Include the following:

  Cover
  Abstract of 100–250 words (keywords not required)
  Body pages
  References (without annotations)

  Do not use a ready-made template for this Assignment.

Directions for Submitting Your Assignment 

• Name your Word® document with the following convention: IT513-Unit5-LastName-FirstName (using your own name).
• Make sure you read all instructions carefully and review the rubric before submitting to the Dropbox for Unit 5. 

Reminders

• Proofread your work for grammar, spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and formality.
• Ensure that your work is not copied from sources. Copying does not prove an understanding of the material, and plagiarism will not be tolerated. In accordance with the University’s Academic Integrity policy, your assignment will be automatically submitted to TurnItIn.