My major/Discipline: Information Technology (IT)

My major/Discipline: Information Technology (IT)

Part I: Exploratory Essay: 650+ words

You have been thinking about several issues related to your discipline, major, or career. Now chose one issue within your field or within a business/organization to complete the research sequence and your Argument Research paper.

At the beginning of your essay, explain why you are interested in this problem/issue and why you think it is significant. Explain the problem, who is most affected, and what may be causing this problem.

Then, write a first-person, chronologically organized narrative account of your thinking process as well as your research process:explain & describe how you investigate your problem through research, talking with others, and doing your own reflective thinking. Include details about key wordsor search termsused within your research. Explain how many “hits” you got from those terms. How did you alter your researchto find the most helpful information? How did you determine what were the best resources?

Your goal is to examine your question, problem, or issue from a variety of perspectives, assessing the strengths and weaknesses of different positions and points of view. Your goal is to report on the process of research and discovery: how you located, identified, and evaluated your issue through various perspectives and sources.

For your research, be sure to use libraries and their databases. You may also use web sources, government documents, experts in the field, Google scholar, etc. Consider various genres.

*In this essay, you must describe how you are researching and the successes or struggles you are experiencing. I am your audience.

Important: Be sure to include in-text citations & reference (works cited) page—not part of the word count. *Please note there is a big difference between a reference page & an annotated bibliography; If done correctly, your exploratory essay should need a reference page.

Part II. Annotated Bibliography:Six Sources: full citation and two paragraphs for each

Six+ sources*—at least one from an opposing viewpoint/argument different from the one you plan to make. Each source needs a proper APA citation as well as a summary and evaluation annotation. Each source entry needs to include genre/rhetorical context, summary of the content, and an evaluationof the source (What makes this source reliable? How is it regarded in your field? How will it strengthen your argument?).

Each source entry should include a proper full citation, followed by twoparagraphs:

The first paragraph should summarize the source (and must include the genre context—identify and discuss genre) and the second should evaluate the source as well as explain how it is helping you in your research or how will help your argument. (Paragraphs should be approx. 5-9 sentences each)**