English 1302-1302

 Research Proposal Guidelines

Your final research project will have several components.

1. The Research Proposal
2. The annotated bibliography
3. Research project presentation
4. The final research paper submission

Instructions

Write your proposal in essay format. The purpose of this proposal is to explain the context of your paper and describe why your topic is important. Approach writing this assignment with the thought that you can’t assume your readers will know as much about the research as you do. Note that this section is not an essay going over everything you have or will learn about the topic; instead, you must choose what is most relevant in explaining the aims of your research. In that explanation, discuss why you chose to research this topic, and who or what population is impacted most as it relates to your subject. Because many of these research topics were broad, explain how you plan to narrow your topic and what specifically you plan to address

Purpose of Writing a Research Paper

Purpose

Focus on a problem or issue, make a logical argument and assert a position. You do not simply want to describe a topic, but critically give thoughts and opinions about it. Clearly state your paper’s thesis—the main idea put forth. While drawing on ideas and theories from others in the field who have written about the topic, the purpose should revolve around giving new perspective.

Features

The introduction must alert the reader to the topic. Your thesis should describe an idea, pose a question or outline key issues. In the body of the paper, provide an overview of your key arguments. The conclusion should bring it all together. The goal is not to repeat the introduction. The paper should creatively summarize the thesis and present the reader with a response, or point to gaps in the literature.

Things to Consider

Use Mla format. In order to avoid accusations of plagiarism, you must cite external sources. Finally, always place the works cited or bibliography list for references at the end of the paper.

Misconceptions

Do not write a research paper as a collection of your opinions. For example, a paper about how much you love television is a personal essay rather than a research paper. Instead, after researching the literature on television, you could write a paper on its social impact. A research paper starts with extensive reading, not a casual browsing of literature. If you do not read, you will not know your topic.