The final research project will be placed online.  It should consist of 2500-3000 words, use at least eight sources with proper documentation and citation, and use a screen-based construction.

Keep scrolling to a minimum; although the paragragh is the basic unit of page-based texts, pages themselves are not very important. Authors don't have much control over page breaks, which occur whenever a predetermined place is reached.  Screens, on the other hand, are always created purposefully.  HTML editors will never automatically create a "screen break."  So you need to pay as much attention to your screens as you do to your paragraphs.

Consider your audience for this assignment to be other interested students and researchers.  Since this project will be placed online, the 'bots will find it and it will be available to others (via Google and other search engines) within a few days of posting. Consider the following questions:

• Who would be interested in this topic (that is, who would be searching for it)?
  
• Why would they be interested in this topic?
  
• What can you tell them that they don't aleady know (that is, why should they read your research project)?
  
• Also consider your purpose.  What are you trying to get across to this audience?  Are you trying to inform? To persuade?

Putting your topic together with your audience and purpose brings you to a preliminary thesis:

• "This topic is important to this group for these reasons."