Research Paper
In this assignment, you will select a topic related to interactive media, identify or formulate an argument about it, find supporting evidence for your argument, and write a 5-7 page paper on the topic.
Overview
Here are some examples of the types of arguments you could make:
- “Photoshop is the most important tool for interactive designers to learn.”
- “[Book/Movie Title] was hugely influential in the development of XXX media.”
- “[Technology Type] will be the next big thing in interactive media.”
- “[Technology Type] is an overhyped topic in interactive media.”
Be sure to select an appropriate topic; one where you can find sufficient resources–online and/or offline–and, ideally, one with some originality. (That means VR/AR are probably not a good choice, for instance, since I’ve gotten so many papers on that in the past two years!) If you’re having trouble thinking of a suitable topic, feel free to contact me for help. The reason I ask you to submit your topic to me early is so that I can help you expand or narrow it as needed.
Write the paper in your own words. Any external sources that you use should be clearly attributed. If you plagiarize any of the paper, you will fail not only this assignment, but the entire course. We’ll be talking about what does and does not constitute plagiarism in class. Be creative, and (despite what you may have been told in high school) don’t be afraid to be personal. You do not need to write a highly formal paper. Writing in the first person is encouraged. Explain why you chose this topic–what meaning and importance does it have for you? What did you find out in doing your research that you didn’t know before? Don’t just summarize the facts that you find...that increases your risk of plagiarism, and decreases your chances of a high grade. Instead, do the research, then put the books and printouts away, and think about how you’d explain to your best friend or your parent what’s important or compelling about the topic you’ve chosen. A good paper will make me care about the topic!
You must, however, support your opinions and ideas with citations to valid external sources. You should provide the source for any quotations or factual information (even if it’s not a quotation) that you include in your paper. Your bibliography must include a minimum of eight sources, with at least four of those sources being edited, high-quality sources (books, journals, magazines, newspapers, well-edited websites). You may not use reference/tertiary sources (such as encyclopedias or dictionaries)--while it’s fine to use them for your research, you should check the original sources they draw from, and use those for your citations. When in doubt about a source, ask me! You will also need to provide a brief (no more than one paragraph) annotation for each reference, explaining how it was useful for your paper.
Resources
Here are some resources that may be helpful as you work on your paper:
Deliverables
There are several separate deliverables for this paper, because I want to make sure you don't wait to start it until the night before it's due!
Topic Idea: Uploaded to myCourses Dropbox by 8am on Tuesday, September 4th
A very basic statement of your topic and a brief description or outline of your approach to the paper need to be turned in by 8am om Tuesday, 9/4. This is not a graded assignment, but if you do not turn it in, you’ll lose 10% off your final paper grade. I will review your topic to be sure that it’s appropriate and manageable, and will provide feedback by Thursday 9/6.
First Draft: Uploaded to Google Drive by 8am on Wednesday, September 12th
By 8am Wednesday 9/12, put a copy of your first draft in your group’s Google Docs folder. At a minimum, the draft should include an introductory paragraph, and a full outline of your intended content. The more you include, however, the more useful the feedback you get will be. You must review and comment on all of your group members’ drafts before Friday afternoon. This is a good way to see examples of other students’ approaches to the assignment, as well as to get peer feedback before turning in your final paper. Again, while the assignment will not be graded, if you don’t upload a draft and participate in the peer review you’ll lose 10% of your final paper grade.
Second Draft (optional): Uploaded to myCourses dropbox by 8am on Sunday, September 16th
If you would like feedback from me on your draft, incorporate the feedback received from your group and submit a revised draft to the Paper Draft dropbox in myCourses by 8am on Sunday (9/16). (I will check Google Docs for evidence that you have incorporated your group’s feedback.)
Final Paper: Uploaded to myCourses Dropbox by 8am on Monday, September 24th
Upload an electronic copy of the paper in the myCourses dropbox. It must be in Word (.doc, .docx), rich text format (.rtf), PDF (.pdf), or Open Office (.odf). Please do not submit it in Apple Pages or any other non-standard format, and do not simply submit a link to a Google Doc. Most word processing programs (including Google Docs and Apple Pages) will allow you to save a file in PDF or RTF format.
Content & Formatting Requirements
Here are the content and formatting requirements for the paper:
- The minimum length for the body of the paper (not including the title page, abstract, or bibliographic references) is five full pages. A page must have at least 275 words on it to count as a full page, which means that the paper should have no fewer than 1375 words. There is not a maximum length cutoff, but I would prefer that the paper not exceed 3,000 words.
- You must use a style manual to format your paper, footnotes/endnotes, and bibliography. You can use whichever standard style you’d like--APA, MLA, Chicago, Turabian, etc. For more information on style manuals and citing sources, consult the RIT Library style guide references at http://infoguides.rit.edu/citationguide, come to my office hours, or talk to a librarian at the Wallace Library. - Include a bibliography of all articles, books, and online resources you use to research your topic. This bibliography should include any reference that you cite in your paper. Use your chosen style manual’s format for your bibliographic references.
- You must include at least eight references in your bibliography, and a minimum of four of those references should be to high-quality edited sources–books, magazine or journal articles, or newspaper articles, all properly cited. The other four sources can be (but do not have to be) more informal web-based sources. You may not count reference books or websites such as encyclopedias or dictionaries (tertiary sources) towards your eight references.
- All bibliography entries should include a brief annotation describing the nature of the work and how it was relevant to your paper.
- Proofread and edit your writing. Spelling and grammatical errors will count against your grade.
Final Paper Grading Rubric
Criteria
3 points
2 points
1 point
0 points
Topic Choice
n/a
Topic has clear relevance to interactive media, and is stated in the form of a supportable argument.
Connection to interactive media is unclear, or is not stated in the form of a supportable argument.
Topic is not connected to interactive games and/or media, and/or is not stated as an argument.
Writing Mechanics
n/a
The writing is free or almost free of grammatical, syntactical, and spelling errors. Word choice is consistently precise and accurate. Sentences are well-phrased and varied in length and structure; they flow smoothly from one to another.
The writing has many grammatical, syntactical, and spelling errors, and the reader is distracted by them.Word choice is merely adequate, and the range of words is limited. Some words are used inappropriately. Some sentences are awkwardly constructed so that the reader is occasionally distracted.
There are so many grammatical, syntactical, and spelling errors that meaning is obscured.The reader is confused and stops reading. Many words are used inappropriately, confusing the reader. Errors in sentence structure are frequent enough to be a major distraction to the reader.
Content Quality
Balanced presentation of relevant and legitimate information that clearly supports a central purpose or argument and shows a thoughtful, in-depth analysis of a significant topic. Reader gains important insights.
The ideas are arranged logically to support the purpose or argument.They flow smoothly from one to another and are clearly linked to each other.The reader can follow the line of reasoning.
The writing is compelling. It hooks the reader and sustains interest throughout.
Information provides reasonable support for a central purpose or argument and displays evidence of a basic analysis of a significant topic. Reader gains some insights.
The ideas are arranged logically to support the central purpose or argument.They are usually clearly linked to each other. For the most part, the reader can follow the line of reasoning.
The writing is generally engaging, but has some dry spots. In general, it is focused and keeps the reader’s attention.
Information supports a central purpose or argument at times. Analysis is basic or general. Reader gains few insights.
In general, the writing is arranged logically, although occasionally ideas fail to make sense together.The reader is fairly clear about what writer intends.
The writing is unengaging. Though the paper has some interesting parts, the reader finds it difficult to maintain interest.
Central purpose or argument is not clearly identified, or is inaccurate or misleading in its claim(s). Analysis and support for the argument is vague, inaccurate, or not evident.
The writing is not logically organized, resulting in confusion for the reader. The reader cannot identify a line of reasoning and loses interest.
The writing has little personality. The reader quickly loses interest.
Sources
Includes at least eight acceptable primary or secondary sources, of which at least four are from high-quality edited sources. Each source should include a brief annotation explaining how you used it in your research.
All information in the paper (facts, quotations, images) is properly sourced in the text and included in the bibliography.
All in-text citations and bibliography entries are properly formatted, using a standard style manual.
Includes at least eight acceptable primary or secondary sources, of which at least four are from high-quality edited sources.
Some annotations are missing or poorly-written.
Most information in the paper is properly sourced in the text and included in the bibliography; some in-text citations may be missing.
Most in-text citations and bibliography entries are properly formatted; minor errors in formatting may be present.
Includes fewer than eight acceptable primary or secondary sources, or has fewer than four citations to high-quality edited sources.
Most annotations are missing or poorly-written.
Many pieces of information in the paper are not properly sourced in the text or included in the bibliography.
In-text citations and bibliography entries are not properly formatted, using a standard style manual.
Bibliography is missing or well under the required number of citations. There are very few, if any, references to high-quality edited sources.
Annotations are not provided.
Information in the paper (facts, quotations, images) is not properly sourced in the text, and/or sources are not included in the bibliography.
In-text citations and bibliography entries are not properly formatted, and are missing critical information.