INFA 650: Research Paper
You are required to write a 7-10 page research paper, double-spaced, on a current topic within the realm of digital forensics. The topic needs to be approved by the instructor when you submit the Abstract (Week 7). The paper has to be well referenced. This is defined by having at least two “peer reviewed” references cited. For the purposes of this assignment, we will consider any paper published in a conference proceedings or journal as peer reviewed. The following notes are available from the Purdue OWL Writing Lab.
The Analytical Research Paper
You will be writing an analytical research paper, which begins with the student asking a question (a.k.a. a research question) on which he has taken no stance. Such a paper is often an exercise in exploration and evaluation.
For example, perhaps one is interested in Cloud computing…the research question may be “what challenges does Cloud computing pose to the field of Digital Forensics?”
Then, the research will lead to a conclusion of what current Cloud challenges are.
The Paper Writing Process
Once you have identified a topic and research question, you need to do academic research on the topic. For the purposes of a graduate-level research paper, all references must be academically strong, meaning from scholarly journals and published in the last 3-5 years. The best source of research is the UMUC Library.
Once you have enough information to write a 7-10 page paper, the next step is to create an outline. Write a draft report from the outline, proofread and revise to complete the final paper.
The Abstract
The Abstract for your paper is due in Week 7, and should be a brief description of the topic/research question and relevance to the field of Digital Forensics. You should also include a brief annotat