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Research Project
IST 203
General Description
Students will research and present a current global event. Completion of this research project requires
the use of Word, Excel and PowerPoint. Data tables and charts will be included to support the response
to a research question. PowerPoint will be used to summarize the points and to present the findings.
The topic is to be selected by the student and must be submitted for approval by the instructor. A brief
statement of the topic (Research Project Proposal) is to be submitted at the beginning of class on the
fifth week of classes along with a sentence or two describing what you intend to do. For example:
“Global Warming and Human Activity” is a title. The research question might be something like, “What
role does human activity play in the current global warming trend?” or “What human activities have the
greatest impact on the current global warming trend?” The Research Project is due at the beginning of
class on the last day of classes.
Requirements
The topic should be fairly recent: nothing from before January 2016.
The research must be in response to some sort of a research question.
The research question, response and supporting materials are in a “term paper” type format. Be
sure to include an introduction, the body of the paper and a conclusion.
The paper should be at least 5 pages, double-spaced
A data table and at least three charts must be included
A minimum of four outside sources must be consulted and cited
All citations must follow either MLA, APA or Chicago formatting style
Visual images and typed research, and all information will be organized and clear.
The PowerPoint presentation must include at least 10 slides and should summarize the major
points in the research paper
Deliverables
a printed copy of the report
a printed copy of the PowerPoint slides
submit through the MyITLab dropbox electronic documents of report and PowerPoint slides
Grading
The research project grade is an aggregate of several components:
15% research activity, including relevant articles from reputable published sources cited within
paper where applicable with full bibliography at the end of the paper
20% coherence and logic of discussion and explanation in Word
20% Excel data tables and at least 3 charts
10% meaningful and relevant selection of chart formats and presentation of the findings
20% professional presentation of key findings in the PowerPoint presentation
15% professional appearance: structure, grammar and spelling
Deadlines
Proposal – end of the fifth week of classes (week ending Friday, September 29th)
Rough Draft – end of the tenth week of classes (week ending Friday, November 3rd)
Final Submission – beginning of class on the last day of classes (week ending Friday, December 8th)
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Guidance on Structuring, Writing, and Formatting your Report
1. Locate a topic:
a. Browse one or more of the magazines or news sites listed in the last section of this
document OR conduct an e-library search on a topic of interest to you.
b. Note: your topic may be about any topic of your choosing. As suggestions, in case helpful,
consider a topic related to business, career, technology, culture, health, science, or social
issues.
c. What is the topic? _________________________________________
2. Search and learn more about your topic:
a. Do a library or Google search to locate additional articles on your topic.
b. Aim for reputable magazines or news sites.
c. Look for recent articles (preferably dated within past 2 years)
3. Refine your topic to something specific to study:
What do you want to know about this topic? In other words, what do you want to study
about this topic? _________________________________
4. Based on the results of #1-3 above, identify and read a minimum of 4 articles on your specific topic
5. Write your paper, beginning with a Cover Page and a Report Summary (abstract) using the following
structure:
a. Create a cover page for your paper that includes the report title, your first and last name,
date.
Choose a template in Word to make it professional or creative.
Format the font size
Add any additional formatting of your choice
b. On the first page of your report, Write a summary (aka ‘report abstract’) of the entire
paper:
Note: Write this summary (abstract) “after” you’ve written a completed draft of
your paper. That way, you’ll know what to summarize! (1/2 page max in length)
i. In the opening paragraph of your paper, include one of the following sentences
(depending on which makes most sense for your paper):
1. “The purpose of this paper is to inform the reader of …..”
2. “The purpose of this paper is to persuade the reader of ….”
3. “The purpose of this paper is to study ……”
ii. Choose and include one of these statements:
1. “This is an interesting question (or topic or subject) to study, because
…..”
2. “The particular problem we are studying is …”
iii. “Consider the most important or most interesting of the things you read.
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It’s a good idea think about what you’ve each read; what you found
interesting; what you want to study more and have as a part of the
paper
iv. Choose the 3 most significant things (i.e., key takeaways) you discovered from
your research
For each of the 3 key takeaways, summarize the main point in two
sentences per key takeaway. Number each of the 3 key takeaways (e.g.,
“First, …” “Second, …”, “Third, …”) so that the reader can tell the
beginning and end of your write-up on each takeaway.
v. In one or two sentences, briefly state why the key takeaways you discovered
matter. This is basically a summarizing final statement on what your paper
discussed.
6. Beginning on a new, blank page, write the body of your report (3.5-4 pages max)
The reading of your paper should have a logic flow from paragraph to paragraph. That is,
each paragraph builds on the previous.
Decide where in your report would it be help to include a figure or table to crystalize or
summarize some aspect of the information in your report
Cite each of your references within the body of your report wherever you learned a fact or
statement or description of something you included in your paper.
7. At the end of your report, include a section called “References” or “Bibliography”
Include the authors’ names, article title, magazine (or web site) title, date, URL
Sort list of references by last name.
8. Proofread and edit your paper:
a. Use spell check. (Select all text, then manually run Spell Check.)
b. Print your paper and read it. Make edits on the paper.
c. Edit your report document.
d. Revise/update the report summary (abstract) to ensure it is in sync with your final report
body.
9. Create your PowerPoint presentation (up to 10 slides) of the main points from your paper.
a. The first slide is a title slide and does not count toward the 10 slides)
b. Format your slides. Choose background theme.
c. Consider what tables or other visual aids can convey key points from your report?
i. It is acceptable to use figures and tables from your report
ii. You are also required to create a new table or figure in PowerPoint
10. Submit your report and PowerPoint presentation on Blackboard.
Print a copy of the report and PowerPoint presentation and give to instructor
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Magazines by Category
Below is a list of popular magazines by category. You are not restricted to this list. However,
please ensure that your chosen news sources are reputable.
General Business
Bloomberg – https://www.bloomberg.com/
Fortune – http://fortune.com/
Inc. – http://www.inc.com/
CNN Money – http://money.cnn.com/
Accounting and Finance
New Accountant – browse these menu options on the New Accountant site:
o High school edition: http://newaccountantusa.com/HighSchoolEdition.html
o Featured articles: http://newaccountantusa.com/newsfeat.html
Accounting Today – http://www.accountingtoday.com
Strategic Finance – http://sfmagazine.com/
CFO – http://ww2.cfo.com/ (CFO stands for Chief Financial Officer)
Information Technology / Information Security
Naked Security – http://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/
Wired – https://www.wired.com/category/security/ (security section)
Dark Reading – http://www.darkreading.com/
The Register – http://www.theregister.co.uk/security/
Information Security Newspaper – http://www.securitynewspaper.com/
Brian Krebs on Security – http://krebsonsecurity.com/
Ars Technica – http://arstechnica.com/
Tech Dirt – http://www.techdirt.com/
Mashable – http://mashable.com/
The Guardian – https://www.theguardian.com/us/technology
Marketing
Adweek – http://www.adweek.com/
Direct Marketing News – http://www.dmnews.com/
Digital Marketing Magazine – http://digitalmarketingmagazine.co.uk/
Marketing Week – https://www.marketingweek.com/
Target Marketing – http://www.targetmarketingmag.com/
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Management / Human Resources / Labor
Risk Management Magazine – http://www.rmmagazine.com/
Workforce – http://www.workforce.com/
Science and Discovery
National Geographic – http://www.nationalgeographic.com/
Science – http://www.sciencemag.org/
Discover – http://discovermagazine.com/
The Ecologist – http://www.theecologist.org/
Politics
Politico – http://www.politico.com/ (left leaning)
Mother Jones – http://www.motherjones.com/ (left leaning)
The Nation – https://www.thenation.com/ (left leaning)
Slate – http://www.slate.com/ (left leaning)
Reason – https://reason.com/ (right leaning; Libertarian)
Real Clear Politics – http://www.realclearpolitics.com/ (articles from both left and
right)
Red State – http://www.redstate.com/ (right leaning)
The Weekly Standard – http://www.weeklystandard.com/ (right leaning)
Miscellaneous National and World News
The Economist – http://www.economist.com/
Time – http://time.com/
Newsweek – http://www.newsweek.com/
Newspapers
Examples of newspapers to potentially consider:
Cleveland Plain Dealer; Washington Post; New York Times; Wall Street Journal
CNN; NBCnews.com; CBSnews.com; BBC – http://www.bbc.com/news#corenavigation
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Miscellaneous Topics
Below is a list of topics as examples for brainstorming. You are not restricted to this list.
The proliferation, sources, and implications of “fake news”
Online behavioral tracking; online privacy; digital surveillance
The role of social media in civic activism
Populism or nationalism
Ransomware
Electronic voting security
