CMN 432: COMMUNICATION IN THE

ENGINEERING PROFESSIONS

MAJOR
RESEARCH
PROJECT
Winter 2012

CMN 432 Major Research Project

Overview
The major research project consists of four linked assignments worth 40% of your grade. This document will
explain the relations between the four assignments and provide details about each.
The four components are:
Assignment #2.1 (5%): Research Report Proposal Collaborative
Assignment #2.2 (10%): Research Progress Report Individual
Assignment #3 (10%): Oral Presentation Collaborative (5%) and Individual (5%)
Assignment #4 (15%): Recommendation Report Collaborative
Please note:

Your workshop professor will grade all of these assignments. If you have questions
about these assignments, or if you feel these instructions require further explanation or
interpretation, consult your workshop professor because he or she will be able to provide the
clearest and most accurate explanation of expectations for the assignment. There will be an
opportunity to resubmit Assignment #2.2, which the GAs will remark.

Process
You will work in groups of five to six people. All members of the group must come from the same workshop
section. In Week 5 of your workshop, you will form your group and select a topic. Topics are listed below.
Assignments #2.1 and #4 are based on the topic selected by the group. Assignments #2.2 and #3 are based on
the perspective you select as an individual within the group.
Each team will write a research report proposal (#2.1) and each individual will write a research progress
report (#2.2). The group will deliver an informative oral presentation (#3) about the topic with individuals
discussing the different perspectives. Information from all the assignments will be compiled and analysed to
create Assignment #4, the final recommendation report.
Each group must pick a different topic within each workshop. Make sure your workshop professor knows who
is in your group and what topic you have selected.

Assignment Scenario/Audience
Your team works for an organization closely related to your chosen topic. Management has asked your team
for a report that examines how a variety of issues are likely to affect operations over the next 5-10 years. The
organization wants to make sure it is ready to take advantage of any opportunities and is able to address any
threats it may face. These opportunities and threats emerge in the constantly changing landscape of the
industry and the wider economy (due to new technologies, changing practices, new products, different
processes, social pressures, environmental concerns, et al.).
Management has asked you to research these issues and then provide a recommendation report (Assignment #4)
that analyses how these factors are likely to affect the industry and the organization. The management team
expects you to identify these opportunities and threats and make recommendations about how to prepare for
and respond to them.
The first three assignments help you prepare for your final collaborative report.

CMN 432 Major Research Project

Possible Topics (chosen by groups)

These topics are meant to help prime the pump. You will need to narrow and refine these as you develop
your topic. Make the topic your own! You may choose one of these topics or create a topic yourself. If you
create a topic, it must be approved by your workshop professor.

Sustainable energy improvements in

structures (commercial, industrial, or
residential)
High-speed transportation systems
Medical imaging technology and
applications
Waste management/containment/recycling
(hospital, wastewater, nuclear)
Battery technologies (industrial,
commercial, or transportation)
Artificial intelligence advancements and
applications
Smart material applications and
developments
Surveillance and/or data compilation and
management technologies
Visual recognition technologies and
opportunities
Nanotechnology and nanomachine
applications and developments
Disaster resistant (earthquake, tsunami,
tornado, et al.) structures (commercial,
industrial, or residential)
Future of server farms

Cloud Computing and Data Security Systems

Space propulsion systems
Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD)
technology and applications
Ocean thermal energy technologies
Thermoacoustic heating and refrigeration
Robotics applications
Simulation technology advancements and
opportunities (flight, spacecraft, industrial,
health care, et al.)
Water well or geothermal energy
technologies and applications
Urban cycling
Composite materials developments and
applications
GIS advances and applications
Noise cancellation technologies
Customization and application of new
touchscreen technology
Bacteria fuel cells development and
applications
Vertical farming
Cellular technologies and applications
Hydraulic fracturing or hydrofracking

Perspectives (chosen by individuals within the group)

Once your team has chosen a topic, each person must choose a different perspective to research.
Assignment #2.1 (Research Report Proposal) is written by the team. Assignment #2.2 (Research Progress
Report) is written individually and based on the perspective you choose to research.
Before you agree on a topic, make sure you have an idea of the perspective you will address and that you
have a starting point for your research. Possible perspectives include:
Business impacts
Political impacts
Environmental impacts
Societal impacts
Ethical impacts
Technology impacts
Implementation impacts
Public relations impacts
You may choose another perspective if you like, but it must be approved by your workshop professor.

CMN 432 Major Research Project

Assignment Details for #2.1, #2.2, #3 and #4

Assignment #2.1: Research Report Proposal
Due Date/Time:

Value:
Length:
Assignment type:

Start of Week 7 Workshop (submit on Turnitin)

If you do not receive a Digital Receipt or Document ID, you have not submitted the
assignment properly.
5%
1 pages max. (11 or 12 point type; single space)
Group

In Assignment #2.1, your group will propose the research that will form the basis for your final group
Recommendation Report (Assignment #4).
Your proposal will identify:
1. The topic of your final collaborative report.
2. The audience for your report (you will provide a realistic, thorough and specific account of your
audience and their needs).
3. The purpose of your final report, including a problem statement.
4. The impacts or perspectives the final report will consider and which group member will research
which perspective.
5. Samples of the proposed sources (ONE source for each perspective), which will be used to write your
report.
In the Week 6 workshop, you will be provided with a template you can use to write this report.
Only one assignment per group should be submitted. The names of all group members must be on the
assignment. See Course Management policies on corrupt files.
This assignment must be submitted as a Word document to Turnitin, using the link in Blackboard, by the
beginning of your Workshop in Week 7.
Example: If your workshop begins at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, then your Research Report Proposal will be
due by 9 a.m. on February 29.
Do not assume that the date as posted in the Turnitin link is the submission date for your assignment.

CMN 432 Major Research Project

Assignment #2.2: Research Progress Report

Due Date/Time:

Value:
Length:
Assignment Type:

Start of Week 9 Workshop (submit on Turnitin)

If you do not receive a Digital Receipt or Document ID, you have not submitted the
assignment properly.
10%
1-1 pages plus References (12 point type, see note below)
Individual

In individual Assignment #2.2, you will summarize progress you have made in your research on the perspective
you have chosen for your teams Collaborative Recommendation Report (Assignment #4).
Since this is a research progress report, you must use credible, research-based sources such as scholarly,
peer-reviewed articles and unbiased studies, as well as other reliable trade and government publications
to determine what experts and industry professionals see as the impacts of your perspective on your topic.
Find scholarly and authoritative sources related to your broad topic using the Ryerson library portal. You may
have some difficulty finding sources that address your perspective on the topic precisely. However, you may
find sources that address a similar topic or perspective, and you can extrapolate from them to analyse your
own topic.
Your report is a progress report for your management team summarizing your progress gathering, assessing
and synthesizing the research for your perspective. You will later use these research findings (including
themes, issues and trends) as the basis for your oral presentation (Assignment #3) and to justify the
recommendations you make in your final collaborative recommendation report (Assignment #4).
Example: Your group decides on the topic RFID technology in consumer goods, and your individual
task is to write about the ethical impacts of this technology. You may discuss the serious privacy
concerns that exist in tracking consumers purchases. You could look at the effect privacy concerns
may have on the adoption of the technology. If you were assessing the political impacts, you may
examine regulations and laws regarding privacy but also regulation and laws regarding food security or
other product security issues that could affect the adoption of the technology. If you were looking at
the technology itself, you may assess the leading edge innovations in the area of RFID. You could also
look at the weaknesses of the current technology to project (using reasoning) what improvements to
the technology are likely.
Once you have narrowed your research and identified main themes, issues or ideas, you will briefly describe
them in your Research Progress Report, backing up claims you make and issues you identify with evidence from
the sources you have read. This paper is an objective summary of what you have found about the current
views on the chosen area of research as well as an honest assessment of the status of your project. Your report
will be informative rather than persuasive. The final recommendation report will take this information and use
it to make recommendations. A sample progress report will be posted on Blackboard.

CMN 432 Major Research Project

You will document your sources using proper in-text citations and provide a full reference list in APA style.
Your report must:
1. Be formatted as a letter or memo addressed to
the management team. Follow a standard
organizational pattern for progress reports,
with section headings/subheadings.
2. Include an introduction (purpose, scope,
background) and sections describing work
completed, future work, problems, and a
conclusion providing a progress update or
overall assessment.

3. Support main points or claims with evidence

paraphrased or summarized from research
sources.
4. Be written in an acceptable 11 or 12 point font
(Calibri, Cambria or Times New Roman).
5. Provide at least five sources, two of which
must be peer-reviewed, documented in APA
style with in-text citations and a full References
list.

Please see the Course Management Policies regarding Turnitin, Corrupt Files and Late Assignments.

Assignment #3: Oral Presentation

Presentation Dates:
Value:
Length:
Assignment Type:

Week 10, 11 or 12 Workshop (sign up in advance)

Individual 5% + Group 5% = 10% total
Individual 4-5 minutes. Group 30 minutes maximum!
Blended individual and group

In this assignment your group will summarize its findings regarding the various perspectives on the larger
group assignment. By the end of your presentation, the audience should have a good idea of the importance
of your topic, the challenges and opportunities associated with your topic, and key findings regarding each of
the perspectives. Why should they care about your topic? How or why is it important? Give them reasons to
be interested.
Your group must make a determined effort to tailor the material to the audience in the classroom so it is
relevant and engaging for them. Team cohesion is important and your presentation delivery should be smooth
and well rehearsed.
Individual presentation portion (5%)
Each individual will have 4-5 minutes to summarize key findings regarding the perspective he
or she has researched.
Individuals will be evaluated based on vocal delivery, platform manner, and the clarity and
suitability of the material presented. The individual evaluation sheet will be posted on
Blackboard for you to review before you deliver your presentation.

CMN 432 Major Research Project

Group presentation portion (5%)

The group presentation must be no longer than 30 minutes and no shorter than 20 minutes
(unless the group has fewer than 5 members). Marks will be deducted for not meeting the
time limits. Each individual in the group will take on an equivalent speaking role during the
presentation.
The group as a whole will be evaluated based on a number of factors:
o Providing an effective introduction and conclusion
o Tailoring material to the audience
o Ensuring content is unified and coherent
o Providing sufficient explanatory detail
o Providing effective and consistent visual aids
o Citing sources carefully
The group evaluation sheet will be posted on Blackboard for you to review before you deliver your
presentation. You must incorporate visual aids into your presentation. For most groups, this will mean using
PowerPoint to enhance and support your presentation. Avoid overloading your presentation slides with
content and text.
Your group will create one PowerPoint presentation containing all the speakers slides. These slides will be
uploaded to Blackboard before the workshop in which you present. Videos may only be used in the
presentation if 1) they are less than 90 seconds long and 2) the video achieves something that you cannot.
Presentations will be delivered in Weeks 10, 11, and 12 of the workshops. Your group will sign up for its
presentation in advance.
Your group should:
Draw on reputable secondary sources from the
research reports such as credible
(industry/government) websites, peer-reviewed
or scholarly journal articles, trade journals etc.
Document sources by including a References
slide at the end of your presentation. On the
day of the presentation, provide your professor
with a hardcopy of these references prepared in
APA style.
Incorporate clear transitions to help the
audience follow the structure of your discussion.

Engage your audience and carefully tailor the

information to them.
Be poised and speak confidently and naturally.
While you may use note cards, do not rely too
heavily on them or read directly from them.
Speak naturally and maintain eye contact.
Prepare to complete speech evaluations for
selected members/groups in your class. Your
peers will, in turn, evaluate your presentation.
Completing the speech evaluations forms a
portion of your participation grade.

CMN 432 Major Research Project

Assignment #4: Recommendation Report

Due Date/Time:

Value:
Length:

Assignment Type:

Start of Week 13 Workshop (submit on Turnitin)

Your workshop professor may also require a hardcopy.
If you do not receive a Digital Receipt or Document ID, you have not submitted the
assignment properly.
15%
5-7 single-spaced pages of written material (11 or 12 point-type) including
title page, table of contents, list of figures, graphics and tables. You may
exceed this page limit if you have many visual elements. References are not included
in the 5-7-page limit.
Collaborative

Assignment #4 is addressed to the audience identified in Assignment #2.1. This recommendation report to
the management team explains the impact the issues considered in Assignment #2.2 will have on the
companys business.
Review the assignment scenario. Because you have been asked to make recommendations, this report must be
persuasive. Use the rhetorical techniques discussed in the lectures and workshops to create a compelling
argument supported by evidence. To do this, analyse the research completed in Assignment #2.2 and draw
conclusions and make recommendations.
Example: From a business perspective, one course of action may make sense. However, from an
environmental perspective, that option may seem inadvisable. You will need to debate the merits of
various strategies and actions, weigh competing demands, and make convincing recommendations
about what the company should do.
Your report should be written in a formal style and include a title page, table of contents, list of figures,
executive summary, list of references and other appropriate appendices. The report will be single-spaced. The
body of the report should be roughly 5-7 pages of written material. The report will incorporate tables, charts,
images and other graphics that support your ideas. These graphics are not included as part of the 5-7 pages of
written material.
This is a research-based report so references and in-text citations are required. You will use APA style for
referencing and in-text citations. In addition to the informative material you gathered for your research
reports, you may also use sources such as trade or industry journals that discuss how other companies have
been affected or to how they have reacted to the various factors you have explored.
Your report must be uploaded to Turnitin through the link in Blackboard. Only one person on the team
should submit the report. In addition, hand in a hard copy of your report to your workshop professor. The
report is due at the beginning of the Week 13 workshop.
Please see the Course Management policies regarding Turnitin, Corrupt Files and Late Assignments.

CMN 432 Major Research Project

Assignment Components and Design

1) Front Section
a) Title Page with paper title, student names and numbers, course name and number, instructor
name and date of submission
b) Table of Contents
c) List of Tables
These elements are NOT included in the 5-7-page limit. Excellent papers will also have a page header or
footer and other finishing touches to make the paper look professional enough to submit to a real
management team.
2) Executive Summary (1 page)
This summarizes highlights of the recommendation report. This must be written in sentence/paragraph
format and is included in the 5-7-page limit.
3) Introduction/Overview ( to 1 page)
In this section, you introduce the topic and why it is important. This should culminate with your
thesis/topic statement and a brief outline of the organization of your paper that serves as a roadmap
to the report.
4) Arguments (2 to 3 pages)
This is the most important part of your report. Your report will construct an argument about how the
factors you researched in your research reports will affect the companys business and what
actions the company should take. These arguments must be supported with strong evidence, including
data, tables, and material from peer-reviewed, scholarly journals and other appropriate literature.
You will use the information from the research report assignments to make your arguments. You
should NOT, however, simply cut and paste the research reports into a single document.
Remember, the research reports were informative documents; this report is persuasive. You will need
to restructure/reorganize information and create a persuasive argument from the objective
information you found in the research reports.
You need to analyse the information in the research reports to create a compelling argument that will
support your recommendations. All sources must be cited including any data sources. This section must
be extremely well written and carefully organized with no fluff or filler.
5) Conclusion and Recommendations ( to 1 page)
In this section, you revisit your thesis statement and review the points you have raised in your
arguments that support your position. At the end you answer the so what? question as your
conclusion. What are the implications of these findings? What conclusions can be drawn? Are there any
limitations/weakness to the research? What next steps should be taken? How should the company
respond to these issues to ensure it can remain competitive?
6) References
In this section, list in alphabetical order all sources (journals and data) cited in the paper, including
websites. Use APA format when listing your sources. It may be helpful to use Refworks to do your
citations and reference list. The reference section is NOT included in the 5-7-page limit.
See the Librarys website for information about how to use Refworks and scheduled training sessions.
Another helpful site is Owl Purdue: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/.

CMN 432 Major Research Project

Frequently Asked Questions:

What is a scholarly journal?
To ensure you have a scholarly peer-reviewed reference, check off these options when specifying your search
parameters in the librarys electronic databases. Then all the references that come up are appropriate.
Scholarly journals usually have the name journal or quarterly in the title. If a reference comes up in your
search that is less than 3 pages or has no author, it is probably not a scholarly reference.
What kinds of references are not acceptable?
It is NOT acceptable to rely only on textbooks, magazines, company/industry websites, trade journals
(e.g., Marketing News), or newspapers (e.g., Globe & Mail) as sources. These sources often contain a
specific (biased) viewpoint and the content has not been peer reviewed in the way scholarly journals have. One
minor exception might be referencing up-to-date numbers (e.g., crime statistics for the GTA) from newspapers
or magazines. You may use them to support ideas in Assignment #4, the collaborative recommendation report,
since sources such as trade or industry journals may provide information or evidence on how other companies
are responding to certain issues.
How do we use these references?
There should be only limited use of direct quotations (i.e., phrases, sentences or paragraphs in quotation
marks) in your paper. The point of a paper is not to have a list of connected quotes from other sources but
rather to have you read all the material written on a topic to come up with your own view of the factors that
are important and to put these ideas into a coherent argument that represents your view of how things fit
together. Some of your ideas will be the same as those who have previously written on the topic. These
ideas must be cited. However, to present an idea that was someone elses, paraphrase it and be sure to
reference the original source(s). It is possible to have more than one reference for an idea, and all that you
have read on the topic should be cited for the one idea (if applicable).
Example: Several researchers have documented the relationship between eye colour and type of
vehicle preferred (Atherton, 2001; Mayberry & Spivak, 2000; Warden, 2005).
How many government and/or scholarly references do we need?
The short answer is as many as it takes to do the job. The long answer is probably no fewer than 3 and no
more than 6 references. All references should come from credible sources. This applies to any newspapers,
trade journals and magazines you use over and above the required scholarly sources. The use of Wikipedia is
discouraged and will disappoint and depress your professor.
Can we just cut and paste the tables we use from the original document?
You should not do this because they will take up too much space and probably have too much data. Data tables
you find will likely contain much more data than you need. You want to focus your audiences attention on the
data that is important for this paper. To do this, you will adapt from the original source. Remember to
source all tables (e.g., Source: full reference or Adapted from: full reference).
Should we use sub-headings?
Sub-headings reinforce organization and enhance readability and are usually an element of a well-written
report.
How do we know we are analysing and not just describing?
This is the key differentiator between an excellent and a so-so paper. A paper that focuses on analysis answers
the question why? or so what?, whereas a paper that focuses on description answers the question what?.

CMN 432 Major Research Project

Example: If we were to suggest that post-secondary education is a good investment and our proof is
that those with this level of education earn more money, we are simply describing. However, if we
want to move up to analysis, we focus on why society values post-secondary education (and thus pays
more for jobs requiring that level of education) and discuss issues such as the movement to a
knowledge economy (ideas not things), globalization (increasing competition) and the impact of
technology (process shifts).

How does a student get a good mark in this assignment?

Start early. These papers cannot be thrown together at the last minute. The report requires thinking
and researching, drafting and re-drafting AND proper use of in-text citations and referencing.
Excellent papers usually go through 3 or more complete drafts.
Seek writing assistance if writing is not your strength. This paper, more than any of the other
assignments, focuses on your writing ability. If you know your writing is weak, then go for help and
go early! For on-campus assistance, visit the GAs, the Writing Centre or the English Language Support
Centre.
Keep asking yourself the questions: why? or so what? When your answers to these questions no
longer lead to another why? question, that signals that you have incorporated analysis rather than
the descriptive level of discussion.
Spend a lot of time in the electronic databases. For every 50 references you uncover, you will be
fortunate if more than one or two are suitable for your paper. A good strategy is to look at the
bibliographies of the papers that are useful and follow-up on these. In addition, sometimes a particular
journal is good and it may be useful to simply go through it issue by issue to identify other relevant
articles.
Do not have dense tables. It is important to summarize and simplify any large data tables into
something that a reader can understand readily. Be sure they have a meaningful title and are properly
labelled and cited.
Do not exceed the page limits. If you exceed the limits, you will lose marks.

It is easier to write more than less because you dont have to be precise or choose your words wisely when
you have unlimited space. Your job is to present compelling arguments concisely and convincingly.
Take this as an opportunity to research, prepare and present a professional, comprehensive project with your
group. This is a chance to practice and apply core communication skills you will use in your specialized fields of
engineering. Good luck!