15-290 / 19-211 Computers and Society

Research and Communication Skills

While many courses in the SCS and CIT emphasize programming, problem solving, or theorem proving skills, this course focuses on research and communication skills. Students will find these skills quite valuable in their careers after they graduate. For students pursuing undergraduate research projects or taking project-oriented courses, these skills are essential. However, they are not taught formally in most of the courses that students take prior to taking this one. The topic of this course is computers and society, but in the process of learning about this topic students will also learn about selecting research topics, finding and citing relevant literature, writing papers, and preparing and delivering presentations. Short presentations about these skills will be included in lectures throughout the semester, and homework assignments will include opportunities for students to practice these skills and receive feedback.

This page includes notes and resources related to each of the research and communication skills that will be discussed this semester. Additional notes and resources may be added prior to each lecture.

Selecting a research topic

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Finding information with search engines

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Creating a bibliography and citing sources

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Using library resources

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Writing a literature review

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Writing skills

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Evaluating information sources

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Creating figures, tables, and graphs

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Organizing a research paper

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Preparing a short presentation

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Creating slides for a presentation

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Creating a poster presentation

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