College computer research papers take two forms – computer research papers on a computer-related topic and computer research papers for which students use their computers to research a given topic. A computer research paper for which a student uses computer or internet sources to gather research is designed to test students’ awareness and skill with computers and the web. Computers are integral to most businesses and students should be prepared to use them once they graduate.
A computer research paper which requires students to complete all or most of their research online also helps students get a feel for how to perform research and how to tell a credible internet reference from a bad reference. A computer research paper can also be about computers or a computer-related topic. These papers are often assigned as part of a specific computer or business course whereas computer research papers which test a students’ ability to use the computer to perform research might be assigned for a grade in virtually any course.
Regardless of whether the computer research paper is about a computer-related topic or uses computers to gather research, it should follow the standard format for writing academic papers. All academic reports should have an introduction, a paper body, and a conclusion. The introduction to a computer report should give a basic overview of the topic and should contain a solid hypothesis statement. The body of the document should be at least three paragraphs long. Some instructors will inform students exactly how they want the body formatted and others will leave the presentation of the information up to the individual pupil.
Either way, learners can use one of two methods to format body paragraphs. Many students prefer to present only one topic per paragraph, others like to blend multiple, related, topics in each paragraph. Either way, the body paragraphs should contain facts and information which supports the thesis statement contained in the introduction paragraph. Each computer report should also contain a conclusion. The conclusion should restate the thesis and should tie all of the information presented within the report together.
A conclusion should be rather brief. A one-page computer report should dedicate no more than one paragraph to the conclusion. Nearly all computer reports should be double-spaced with one inch margins. Some students believe that paper formatting is random, but it actually has a very specific purpose. Formatting is designed to make the report easier to read. It also makes a paper easier to grade for instructors. Wide margins and double spacing are intended to leave room for instructors to make comments and suggestions while grading the document.
