RESEARCH PAPER: TOPIC PROPOSAL AND OUTLINE INSTRUCTIONS:
Topic: IT Security Policy Framework
The easiest approach for selecting a topic for your paper might be to review the various subject areas covered in the course readings (i.e., search the bibliographies of the textbooks). Although the chosen topic must relate directly to the general subject area of this course, you are not limited to the concepts, techniques, and technologies specifically covered in this course.

Each Topic Outline must include the following 3 items:

1. A brief (at least 3“4 bullets with 1“2 sentences per bullet) overview of the research topics of your paper “ you will need to address these in the actual paper. This will be titled Research Objectives.
2. A list of at least 3 questions (in a numbered list) you intend your research to ask and hopefully answer. These must be questions that will require you to draw conclusions from your research. These must not be questions to answer your research objectives. This section will be titled Questions
3. At least 3 initial research sources, 1 of which is an academic journal or other peer reviewed source. These should match 7th APA formatting of sources.

Example formats for Topic Outlines (an example, not a template):

Research Objectives
¢ Briefly describe the overall concept of system integration.
¢ Discuss the traditional approach of big-bang integration including the major advantages and disadvantages of this approach.
¢ Discuss the traditional approaches of top-down and bottom-up integration and their major advantages and disadvantages.
¢ Discuss the traditional approach of mixed integration, combining the desirable advantages from the top-down and bottom-up integration approaches.

Questions
1. Why is system integration an important step in the software development process?
2. Why has big-bang integration not survived as a useful testing method?
3. Why have top-down and bottom-up integration not been replaced by more modern methods?
4. Why would you use mixed integration all the time rather than sometimes using top-down and bottom-up integration exclusively?

References
1. Herath, T. , & Rao, H. (2012). Encouraging information security behaviors in the best organizations: Role of penalties, pressures, and potential effectiveness. Decision Support Systems, 47(2), 154-165.
2. Testing Computer Software, 2nd Edition, by Cem Kaner
3. Anderson, R. (2008). Security Engineering: A Guide to Building Dependable Distributed Systems (2nd ed.). Cambridge, MA: Wiley.

During your research, if any substantial changes to your objective(s) are necessary, or a topic change is required, communicate with your instructor via email.

The Technology Research Paper: Topic Proposal and Outline is due by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Sunday of Module/Week 5.