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 UMGC 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 annotated bibliography of 1-2 of your references.
Resources:
Purdue OWL Writing Resources: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/658/1/
UMUC Digital Library: https://sites.umgc.edu/library/index.cfm
UMUC Writing Center: https://www.umgc.edu/current-students/learning-
resources/writing-center/index.cfm
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/658/1/
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/658/1/
https://sites.umgc.edu/library/index.cfm
https://sites.umgc.edu/library/index.cfm
https://www.umgc.edu/current-students/learning-resources/writing-center/index.cfm
https://www.umgc.edu/current-students/learning-resources/writing-center/index.cfm
https://www.umgc.edu/current-students/learning-resources/writing-center/index.cfm
https://www.umgc.edu/current-students/learning-resources/writing-center/index.cfm
