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Research
Paper Proposal and Outline
Planning
and Organizing
Thus far
this semester we have
focused
on the general format of American academic writing, on the paragraph
and
the essay level. We have also worked on developing research
skills
using the university library system. Now it is time to "get down
to business." You need to make a plan for writing, revising, and
editing your research paper. This is the purpose of this
assignment.
On Thursday, March
23, 2006 you will turn in
a proposal
of the paper you plan to write and complete by Tuesday, May 2,
2006.
The proposal should be two to three pages long
and have three specific parts:
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The
first part includes three paragraphs.
- In the first paragraph
you should identify
your topic and explain why you chose this topic. Be sure to write this
in the main idea-support pattern we have discussed, using plenty of
details
to explain your choice.
- In the second paragraph,
you should
identify your working thesis and explain why you want to use it.
Additionally,
this second paragraph should present reasons/ideas why you think your
working
thesis is true or valid.
- In the third paragraph,
you should also tell me about a
source you have found and read related to your topic. After introducing
this source by telling me it's title, author, date of publication and
type of source (book, chapter in a book, periodical article), you need
to give a brief
summary
of the information available in it that will help you write your
research paper.
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2
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The second part of
proposal is an outline of the ideas you plan to present in your
research paper. Write this
outline using
the ideas and material you have now; as you work to gather more
information
and develop your ideas, the outline will probably change, but I want to
see what you have planned now based on the material you have collected
so far...or plan to collect.
- Be prepared to make an informal, in-class
presentation of this outline on
Thursday, March 23, 2006.
- You need to be able to tell us (no PowerPoint or
handouts needed: simply talk)
- your working thesis and
- the main ideas you plan to present in the body of
your paper
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The
third part of the
proposal is a schedule of the work you will do this for the
research
paper and when you will do it. You must include information about when
you will conduct research (find sources in the library/on the Web),
read
your sources, take notes, begin writing your outline. Refer
to
the following list for specific information that must be included
(you need to set specific dates for completion of each task).
TASK
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WORK DATES
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Do research
- find sources
- read sources
- take notes
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| Write first draft -- quotes not needed |
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| Do more research |
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| Write second draft -- must include quotes |
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| Write final draft |
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