English Question (10 Credits)
Here is my assignment:
"Introduction: Introduce your topic under study. Explain its importance, and where it is useful. Limit to 1–3 pages.
How it works: Describe how it works/or its impact in technology. Use diagrams, tables, and examples as required. Limit to 4–6 pages.
Competing technologies: Are there any other similar technologies?
How does this technology compare to the competing technologies?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of using this technology? Limit to 1–2 pages.
Conclusion: Your conclusion on this term paper. Limit to 1 page.
References: All references used in this paper. Limit to 1 page.
Appendix: Include anything else you think is important to this topic. Limit to 5 pages."
I need help getting started. Where's a good place to begin? I want to write a good paper! Obviously I don't want you to write it for me, just give me some guidance!
Answer
This should help you get started.
Introduction: First, you need a short introduction, such as a short paragraph defining online banking (for example, personal banking to pay bills) and a thesis statement. I suggest a sentence or two indicating that online banking is good and three reasons why. For example online banking is good because it is faster than regular mail; you can schedule future payments, including recurring monthly payments, so you are less likely to forget to make a payment; and with online banking, you do not have to pay for postage stamps, and the chances of payments getting lost in the mail are reduced.
One consideration when crafting the introduction and thesis statement is to keep in mind alternative arguments. For instance, online banking might be vulnerable to hacking and identity theft.
Then, you need to address the three main points, in the same sequence as the thesis statement. First, discuss how online banking can be done in seconds, rather than days, at a credit card company's Web site, or scheduled two or three days in advance at the bank's online banking Web site. The advantage is speed and knowing that the payment is going to the right place. As a counter-argument, some banks charge for online banking, and some payees, such as CitiBank, charge for making an online payment at their Web site.
Competing technologies include online payment services such as PayPal and a payee's Web site. For example, you can pay your credit card bills online at the credit card's Web site. An argument against using these technologies is that PayPal can be subject to hackers, as can individual credit card company Web sites.
Second, address how you can schedule payments in the future. One advantage is that when a store offers a special sale with no payments or interest for a year, you can schedule the payment exactly when you want it a year in the future. The advantages are that the chances of you losing track of or missing the deadline are greatly reduced, and you can keep track of it as the deadline approaches and modify it if necessary.
Third, you do not have to pay postage to send online banking payments. And, because a payment never enters the USPS mail stream, there is less chance of the payment becoming lost or destroyed, as in a flood or plane crash.
Then, you need a conclusion. In writing, a typical conclusion is the "circular" conclusion, where you recap the arguments and show how they prove your thesis statement.
As for references, you might want to go to a bank Web site and use some of the sites information about its online banking. Here is a URL that provides about all the information you need for creating a graphic and references:
http://www.usbank.com/cgi_w/cfm/faq/internet_banking/general.cfm
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