Research the speculations on where the state-of-the-art will be in the near future for one of the following technologies. Your paper should include a description of the state-of-the-art in your technology, a discussion of where the sources that you read believe the technology is heading in the near future, and a discussion of how this technology will affect the choices you would make if you were making purchase recommendations for a client. Although there is room for personal opinion in your paper, you must justify your conclusions. Network Administration Best Practices Networking Certifications and Careers Server Technologies IP Networking Network Hardware Network Management Software and Tools Network Performance Management Network Security Monitoring Mobile network technologies Firewall policies and methodologies Intrusion Detection and Prevention Routing protocols Wireless network quality of services Compare layer 2 wireless network with layer 2 wired-line network Comparing transport layer protocols more than TCP and UDP Network virtualization Video and Voice over Internet (VVoIP) or Voice over Internet (VoIP) Cellular network infrastructure Cloud Networking The Internet of Everything (IoE) IPv6 Network management Disaster Recovery Quality of Services (QoS) at different layers Most of the listed topics are very broad, so you should narrow your research to some specific technical aspects related to the subject. The different types of research can be classified as , , and . Theoretical research is focused on explaining phenomena through the logical analysis and synthesis of theories, principles, and the results of other forms of research such as empirical studies. Empirical research is focused on testing conclusions related to theories. Evaluation research is focused on a particular program, product or method, usually in an applied setting, for the purpose of describing, improving, or estimating its effectiveness and worth. Research methods are broadly classified as and . You, as an adult learner, bring a wealth of expertise to your studies. This knowledge and skills should be used to formulate a research paper that raises new questions, new possibilities, and regards existing problems from a new angle. Effective research compares, contrasts, analyzes, evaluates, synthesizes, and integrates information rather than simply reports it. It should contains references to and examples of various theorists, theories, ideas, philosophies, being compared and contrasted as well as synthesized and integrated within your work. The research paper must demonstrate scholarly treatment of the material that the student has selected for further study. It goes without saying that the research paper must be free of spelling and grammatical errors. References must be cited correctly using APA style. Research studies must include a and components. In the Breadth component, you should demonstrate familiarity with broad theoretical and conceptual topic area and provide an overview of major theories, theorists, and schools of thought. The Depth section should promote understanding of latest research and build on theory presented in the Breadth section; it should be designed to foster greater depth, development and detail in examination of one or more aspects that has already been introduced. While developing the Research Paper, the following questions should be used as a checklist: Length and Style: The body of an analytic research paper should be 10 pages in length and typed using the APA Guide. Student projects distill fundamental issues, discuss the various available solutions, discuss the benefits and limitations of the available solutions, and provide a new solution and justification. Student papers must state a thesis, and based on the research, attempt to prove or disprove that thesis. An adequate literature search will include a few books and journal articles (or other relevant documents). A search of Internet documentation is required. Students should develop a conclusion which synthesizes the literature in such a way as to demonstrate new knowledge. Guidelines for the format of the paper are as follows: Due Date: The finalized Research Paper is due for submission at the end of Week 8. Evaluation Criteria and Feedback: The litmus test of a good research project is: Does my research project provide the professor with new insight on my topic? An e-mail evaluation of the paper will be provided along with the final grade. The grade for your paper will be determined using the Individual Research Paper rubric. (See Content > Rubrics) Standards for Papers: (Repeated from the UMUC Policies Entry.) Effective managers and leaders are also effective communicators. Written communication is an important element of the total communication process. The Graduate School recognizes and expects exemplary writing to be the norm for course work. All individual and group papers must demonstrate graduate level writing ability and comply with the format requirements of the Publications Manual of the American Psychological Association (6th edition). Careful attention should be given to source citations, proper listing of references, and the presentation of tables and graphs. Format and graphics, however, are not always transmitted well over the Internet: there are dozens of ways in which hardware, software and networks may be incompatible. A student may mail an additional copy of his/ her research paper to the professor by Postal Service when graphics present a problem. Policy and Academic Integrity (Plagiarism): (Repeated from the UMUC Policies Entry.) Plagiarism is the intentional or unintentional presentation of another persons idea or product as ones own. Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to the following: copying verbatim all or part of anothers written work; using phrases, charts, figures, illustrations, or mathematical or scientific solutions without citing the source; and paraphrasing ideas, conclusions, or research without citing the source. Students can avoid unintentional plagiarism by carefully accepted scholarly practices. Notes taken for papers and research projects should accurately record sources of material to be cited, quoted, paraphrased, or summarized, and papers should acknowledge these sources in footnotes. The penalties on plagiarism include a zero or a grade F on the work in question, a grade F in the course, suspension with a file letter, suspension with a transcript notation, or expulsion. As we all know, plagiarism occurs when an author copies or paraphrases someone elses work and presents it as their own without citing the original author. Most accidental cases of plagiarism encountered at UMUC arise when: (1) a student forgets to include a reference for source material; (2) a student loses track of sources and forgets to cite a reference or two (or cites the reference incorrectly); (3) a student pastes information from the Internet directly into a paper thinking that since there is no author, the source does not need to be cited. All of these cases more often than not occur when a student gets into a time crunch and gets sloppy or desperate. So plan ahead and be careful as you prepare your paper. Remember that penalties for plagiarism can be quite severe ranging up to dismissal from the program. Also be aware that the resources available to instructors for detecting cases of plagiarism are growing quite sophisticated. Additional information on UMUC policies in this area is available under Academic Policies in our course Syllabus.
