Theme #2

Draft due: June 1
Proposal due: June 6

A PROPOSAL FOR YOUR RESEARCH PROJECT
2 - 3 pages

Assignment:

Write a well-organized summary of what you expect your research paper to be. Define the issue you are considering. Present an overview of scholarly research on the subject insofar as you have consulted it. Point out what research you intend to pursue; explain what you expect to get out of it. Summarize your own understanding of the issue or your position on it as it stands at this point in your work.

Strategy:

(The approach in A Writer's Reference pp. 51 - 54 is useful for this paper.)

Focus your topic:

Aim at a question about your topic that you would like to answer.
Think about what you really would like to learn.

Formulate a statement of purpose:

What do you hope to do for your audience in writing this paper?
Why is understanding this issue important? (If it is important enough for you to write, it is important for someone else to read and understand!)

Formulate a tentative thesis:

Frame your most promising and interesting question as a statement. At this point, don't worry if it is two or three statements, though you might try to frame it in a single sentence as well, to be sure it is focused. Make your statement fairly specific, with the subject of the paper as the subject of the sentence.

Do preliminary research:

Drawing on the suggestions in the library class, develop a "starter" list of sources. Determine how you will access these sources. Do not count on researching your whole paper online!) Obtain and skim a few of them. Read through one or two.

Write the first draft:

1)State your purpose in exploring the topic. 2) Overview the problem you plan to explore. 3) Identify two or three sources that you expect to be useful to you, and comment briefly on what you expect to get out of them in writing this paper. 4) Include a "credentials" section in which you indicate background you have that will allow you to pursue this topic.

Be selective. This is a summary. Include a few relevant details and examples in order to clarify your position and the positions of your sources. Avoid developing extended examples or building up a wealth of date in support of your position. Save that for the research paper itself.

Revise the proposal:

Be sure the paper meets the requirements of the assignment, includint a clear statement of purpose, an overview of the problem, a brief discussion of at least two promising sources, and a credentials section.

Edit the proposal, aiming at clear style, correcting any mistakes, especially any that were pointed out to you on your correction record.

Requirements:

Purpose:

The purpose of the project should be clearly stated in the first paragraph. Often it is good to open the proposal with the statement of purpose. Occasionally the statement of purpose works well at the end of the overview of the problem.

Problem:

The proposal should offer a brief overview of the problem the paper will explore and / or solve. You will probably have to draw on preliminary research to identify your concerns in a clear, specific way. Note that the analytic paper conceives the problem as one of understanding. The persuasive paper conceives the problem as one of conviction or action. But all these problems require persuasion in that the writer must convince the reader to take the issue seriously and respond to the need to understand it.

Research:

Two or three promising sources must be identified. The proposal should comment briefly on how each of these sources is expected to contribute to the paper.

When referring to your research, name and date your sources and identify the book, article, experiment, occasion, or whatever that you are drawing on. Do not bother with publication data other than date at this point. You do not need footnotes.

Avoid extended quotations from your sources. A brief quotation (a phra$ sentence) is all right if it states a point in a particularly striking way.

Credentials:

Briefly indicate the background that will allow you to research and write about this topic in depth. For the most part, this section will identify your major along with any relevant courses you have taken and / or papers that you have written that relate to this research project. It may be appropriate to indicate job or family experience if it directly relates to the topic.

Please consult the Theme Requirements handout while writing this paper. Exception: The proposal may, if you wish, be written in single-spaced "business memo" format. If this is done, it may be as short as a page and a half.

The following are NOT needed, though they often appear in proposals:

A "materials and methods" section:

Unless this paper will be a lab report or a field study, the materials and methods will be source materials in the library and on the internet. There is no need to explain that you plan to go to the library, consult indexes and databases, and read the materials published in your topic. That is presumed

A time line:

Because the assignment imposes deadlines on you, you do not have to include a time line in the proposal for this paper.

A budget:

You are not asking for money, alas.

A formal bibliography:

This is a necessity for most proposals, but since I have not had a chance to go over formatting in class, I am not requiring a properly formatted list of references . . . yet. Just clearly identify titles, authors, and dates in the appropriate sections of the proposal.