Each group will hand in a written report that is at least 15 pages in length. The sources for this paper should include on-line as well as off-line scholarly sources. The general layout of the paper should include: an short explanation of the problem that you were dealing with & why it is important to study (intro), a more detailed explanation of the problem and the research questions that your were trying to answer, your methodology (how you went about answering the research question - be able to justify your decisions - why did you answer the question in the way that you did), your findings (what was the answer to the question that you raised), and your conclusions (what is important about what you found, what would you have done differently, what would you suggest to other people interested in the topic, how could this project be taken up in the future). Due Date: 5/6/97

INTRODUCTION

In the introduction you want to alert the reader to the topic of your paper, the general issues that you will discuss, and why it is important. Your introduction should act as a roadmap for the paper so that your audience knows what to expect

• short introduction of the issue that you will be exploring in the paper
• introduction of the question that you are trying to answer
• an explanation of why this question is important (Some examples: why is this an important topic in general, how could answering this question help in the future, argue that this is an issue that has not been explored enough or in the correct way)
• a brief synopsis of the issues that will be discussed in the paper (Ex. three issues will be explored in this paper including X, Y, Z or the first section will talk about X, the second section will talk about Y).

LITERATURE REVIEW

This section should discuss what other people have found in exploring the topic that you are interested in. It should also identify key issues that are important if a reader is to really understand your topic. This section should be organized around ideas rather than people. You are trying to identify the kind of information that is relevant for the next section of the paper when you conduct an Internet search and put together your web site.

• Define the area that you are studying. (Ex. if you are studying on-line dating practices, what does this mean, what types of behaviors are included or excluded, etc.)
• Identify the key topics that are important if we are going to understand the topic you are exploring.You should do all of your reading and break down the topic into smaller parts that make sense.Don't just rely on the way one person in one article broke the topic down. Read a lot of articles and make sure that you identify all the important parts.
• Fully explain each of the key topics that you have identified. You want to include any articles that you found that relate to this topic in your explanation. Be critical and think about what the author/authors did not include or if an explanation does not seem sufficient.

RESEARCH QUESTION

• What is the question or questoins that you are trying to answer? This should be based on your review of the literature.

METHODOLOGY

In this section you want to explain the question that you are trying to answer and the way that you have tried to answer the question.

• What methods did you perform to try to answer your question. In your literature review you have established the type of information that is relevant. In this section you should discuss your search strategies (how did you conduct your internet search, what terms did you use, which search engines did you use, what other on-line sources did you use, how did you conduct your off-line search)
• In terms of putting your web site together, why did you organize it the way that you did. Answer the questions raised by Decemberin Web Development: Processes
• Why was this the best way to answer the questions that your posed.
• Please note that a survey or classmates or other people that you know should not be used to answer your question.

FINDINGS

• What is the answer to your question/questions
• What evidence are you basing your findings on

CONCLUSION

• Short Review of the focus of the paper and your findings
• A discussion of why your findings are significant (to the Internet community, to the audience that you are directing your paper towards, issues that have policy implications)
• A recommendation section - what have you learned. What would you do different if you did the paper again. If other people were to do this project what would you suggest that they do to extend your work.

REFERENCES

• Choose a style and be consistent. Common formats for the reference section are MLA or APA.

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