Q Since this is an eight-week course, it is critically important that you begin to think now about the final paper you will write. The intervening module assignments will allow you to build a number of resources and portions of the project so that when you are near the end of the course you will not be writing an 5-6 page paper from scratch in one week, but building on your previous work with added insights, analysis and an overall synthesis of ideas, themes and theories into a cohesive whole. The final project will pull together all the previous module topics which are focused on the learning outcomes for this course. The module learning outcome addressed in this activity is: • Select a research paper topic and develop an abstract (CO #5) Write a 150-word topic proposal for your final project. See guidelines below. Your topic needs to focus on a critical challenge in cybersecurity facing National Security Professionals. This challenge can come from technology, policy, international relations, economics, or any of the fields where the digital world brings its effects to bear. Think about recent cybersecurity incidents and events. What research question comes to mind when you think of cybersecurity challenges? You will want to go to the library and do a little research prior to deciding what issue you want to examine. Your topic proposals need to be clear and precise. Use bulleted points to clearly state the topic and address the parameters in at least one or two sentences. You will not be able to solve all of the dilemmas in cybersecurity in 5-6 pages, so pick one that interests you and binds the problem. For assistance with your writing projects, visit the Excelsior College Library (Links to an external site.). It is important to cite your sources properly when you are writing a research paper and using someone else’s ideas. By citing sources, you will avoid plagiarism and give credit to the originator of an idea. There are many writing style guides, such as APA and MLA, used in different disciplines. For this course, you will use the APA style guide (Links to an external site.) for your papers. Use the EC Library resources for research assistance and to properly cite your work: • Military Leadership Research Guide (Links to an external site.) • National Security Research Guide (Links to an external site.) • Plagiarism & Copyright (Links to an external site.) • Excelsior Library Writing Help (Links to an external site.) • APA Citation Help (Links to an external site.) • Excelsior College Online Writing Lab (OWL) (Links to an external site.) Additionally, I recommend Smarthinking, a free writing tutorial service available to you from your course toolbar. If you elect to use this service, please be sure to submit your work to the service early in the week or you may not receive feedback in time to make an on-time submission of this assignment. Your Research Paper Topic Proposal is due by the end of this module. You have until Sunday at 11:59 p.m. Eastern time to submit your work via the assignment drop box. Compose your work in a .doc or .docx file type using a word processor (such as Microsoft Word, etc.) and save it frequently to your computer. For those assignments that are not written essays and require uploading images or PowerPoint slides, please follow uploading guidelines provided by your instructor. Check your work and correct any spelling or grammatical errors. When you are ready to submit your work, click “Submit Assignment” in the upper right corner. Click on “Browse,” browse your computer, and select your file. Click “Open” and verify the correct file name has appeared next to the Browse button. Enter your comments, if any, in the Comments area. Click on “Submit Assignment.” Evaluation This assignment will be graded using the SPS Default Topic Proposal Rubric, displayed below. Please review this rubric prior to beginning your work. You can also access the rubric on the Course Rubrics page within the Start Here module. This assignment is worth 5% of your final course grade.