Research Proposal

The research proposal will help you develop and solidify your topic and questions, working claim, and researchmaterials. As Nancy Sommers explains in A Writer’s Reference: “Your objective is to make a case for thequestion you plan to explore, the sources you plan to use, and the feasibility of the project, given the time andresources available” (340). Research proposals are meant to be both informative and persuasive, and theyshould communicate to your reader what you propose to do, how you propose to do it, and why it is important.As you work on your research proposal, remember that you should not assume that you know the definitiveanswer to your research question(s). Your research should inform the development of your ideas.

Assignment: Write a proposal by addressing, in order, the following questions posed in section R1-f of AWR.The draft is a minimum of 4 FULL PAGES to a maximum of 5 full pages:

• “Research question. What question[s] will you be exploring? Why does this question need to beasked? What do you hope to learn from the project?” (341). First, introduce the reader to your topic andcase study or example. Provide your research question(s) and explain the scholarly significance ofwhat you propose. Remember to indicate any sources (primary or otherwise) anchoring your project.

• “Research conversation. What have you learned so far about the debate or the specific researchconversation you will enter? What entry point have you found to offer your own insights andideas?” (341). What is the scholarly context of the issue or research problem you have identified?—(inother words, offer a detailed explanation of the existing arguments about your topic). Introduce anddefend your source selections. Indicate plans for key sources. What is your method or strategy forsynthesizing different kinds of source material? What is your working claim (or best response thus far toyour research question)? What will your argument add to the discourse on your topic?

• “Search strategy. What kinds of sources will you use to explore your question? What sources haveyou found most useful, and why? How will you locate a variety of sources (print and visual, primary andsecondary, for example)?” (341). How would you characterize the scholarship you plan to use? Whereand how have you found your sources? Moving forward, what are your plans to locate needed sourcematerial? BE SPECIFIC because “I’m using JStor and Google Scholar” is not a sufficient indication.

• “Project challenges. What challenges, if any, do you anticipate (locating sufficient sources, managingthe project, finding a position to take)? What resources are available to help you meet thesechallenges?” (341). Remember that this section is not intended for you to air your grievances aboutresearching; rather, focus on further demonstrating your knowledge of the topic by breaking down bothpractical and conceptual challenges specific to your proposed project. What are some of the problemsyou have encountered with the case studies, discourses, source material, and/or methods you plan touse? If there are none, you need to revise your topic, question(s), and/or claim!

Keep in mind that you need to:

• Include a works cited page (additional to the required page length) for any sources you mention or citein the proposal.

• Use appropriate reference to your sources. For proposals you should generally limit your use of directquotations and paraphrasing. Avoid plagiarism by correctly citing the thoughts, ideas, conclusions andwords of authors and researchers in your paper. For help, see MLA-2 and MLA-3 in AWR. Forquestions about academic misconduct consult the syllabus, course reader appendix, instructor,university online tutorial, or the Academic Integrity Office website.

• Use MLA citation style, Times New Roman 12-point font, double-spacing, and 1 inch margins.