Comments on v1 and implications for v2

  • Evidence all claims. If you can't, eliminate them or hedge them. If they are central to your argument (i.e. if your argument is fatally flawed if they turn out to be false), then make sure to find evidential support in the research literature.
  • Bibliographic information is about audit trail. You must provide sufficient information so that someone else can check your evidence. This normally includes author name, title of the piece, publisher, journal name, volume, issue, year. Standard bibliographic formats specify what to include for each kind of source, and you are to use one. I suggests APA if you have not yet chosen. Note that there are special rules for electronic resources. Data aggregation sites like Proquest, Lexus/Nexus, Google Scholar are not the publication source!
  • Avoid platitudes and general statements such as "In this modern world ...", especially in the introduction. It is characteristic of journalism, not academic writing. Don't sensationalize.
  • No polemics or speculation.
  • Make sure to reference Winner and or Moor or both. And make sure to address the politics of technology. For instance, stating the "The Internet is essentially democratic" requires both support and also is strengthened by referencing Winner.
  • Provide a title for v2 that foreshadows the problem or policy proposal.
  • v2 should be an argument that shows how your policy proposal solves the problem that you identified.
  • This means that you will need all (or most) of the following, all of which will need evidential support from authoritative research:
    1. Identification of the topic. This topic might be a general one such as pornography, but your focus should be on the special aspects of the topic related to computerization.
    2. Identification of the key problem related to computerization.
    3. Discussion of the status quo policy related to the topic of interest.
    4. Discussion of the technology (if not obvious to your audience).
    5. Presentation of your policy solution, as specifically as you can. Drawing from policy proposals of others is perfectly allowed, best if you can synthesize from multiple proposals.
    6. Demonstration of how your policy will solve the identified problem.