Why are 3D printers seen as disruptive technology? How does the company Alphabet generate profit? How has Google shaped contemporary search practice? How is decision-making changing in participatory culture?
Focus This 1,250 word investigative report will act as an advanced information gathering exercise for the final research project or negotiated project. The focus of
this assignment is to write a report that draws on information gathered from a range of academic and other reputable sources. Your topic is to be negotiated with your
tutor, and should give you the opportunity to explore one of the issues introduced in this course in greater detail. You must develop an original research topic based
on information trends or ethics (or other negotiated topic) that will frame your search for appropriate academic information. This topic must be posted to the week 7
discussion forum for approval by Sunday September 10th (end of week 7). Reflect on the issues covered in this course, as well as the upcoming topics, in order to
identify a relevant topic of interest to you. Remember, you will be writing both your report (an information gathering exercise) and your final essay (an exercise in
argument development and presentation) or negotiated project (for students who have passed Digital Literacy or have demonstrated equivalent experience) on this topic,
so pick something that you wish to explore in greater detail. Some examples of relevant and appropriate topics include: The implications of Google The future of
libraries Ethical issues in 3D printing Controlling piracy online Copyright in the digital age Social media and socialisation Collective intelligence and the internet
(You may pick one of these topics if desired. You can then shape this into a research question or statement, such as: Why are 3D printers seen as disruptive
technology? How does the company Alphabet generate profit? How has Google shaped contemporary search practice? How is decision-making changing in participatory
culture? How has the internet supported the development of fan communities? Is creativity changing in convergent culture? What is the future of search? How is
information use changing? What is the impact of social media on adolescent mental health in developed nations? ) Please note that the structure of this report is
somewhat different to the previous report. Importantly, it contains sections such as the Method, where you must outline your search strategies. Remember that this
section is your chance to demonstrate your advanced searching techniques, so be sure to describe your use of relevant databases and UniSA Catalogue (not Google),
relevant keywords (not full sentences), boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT, ), and limiters (e.g. date range and publication type). It is acceptable to either write a
paragraph, or dot point list outlining your method and/or use a table in an appendix to support and detail the method section (as discussed in the week 8 lecture). For
sources, you can integrate the detail as shown in the first example, or summarise and evaluate each source separately (as shown in the week 8 lecture). Word Count The
required word count is 1,250. Note that the supplied report template includes a title page, reference list, and space for an appendix (if required). Only the body of
the report will count towards the word count. References You will report on a variety of information sources, relevant to your selected research question. The purpose
of this assignment is to demonstrate your extended information searching skills as applied to a university level research project. You will require a minimum of four
(4) academic resources (peer-reviewed journal articles or scholarly book chapters) and two (2) reputable sources (such as government reports) for this assignment.
Other reputable and/or academic sources may be used in addition to this. This report must be referenced according to UniSAs Harvard Referencing Guide.
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