Methods of Critical Reasoning

Research Proposal Assignment

The basic purpose of the research proposal is informative:  you want to give me concrete information on the scope and organization of your topic.  However, it's also speculative in the sense that you're trying out ideas, exploring possible directions of inquiry, and asking questions of yourself and me.  This speculation also suggests another important fact: your proposed research plan is subject to change and revision. If need be, you can modify the ideas and plan you propose here, as long as you discuss those changes with me beforehand.  In a nutshell, the proposal addresses two major questions:  (1) Where are you in the research process at this time? (2) Where will you go from here?

Your proposal should be in memo format, addressed to me, and be three to four single-spaced pages long (be sure to put an extra space between sections as well as between headings and text). Use 12-point font size and 1-inch margins.  Proposals should be thorough (in terms of content), well-organized, clearly-written, and neat.

The major sections, along with some questions to get you going, are as follows.  Note: you don't necessarily have to answer the questions in this exact order; also, be aware that some questions overlap.  They're intended to get your mind working and in "proposal mode."  To see how past students have tackled the proposal assignment, see the copies I distributed in class (note that while these are good proposals, they're not perfect and thus not meant to serve as strict models for the assignment; they are, however, quite thorough).

Introduction

• Describe the purpose and scope of your project, and identify the controversy or set of questions you're investigating.  What are the key questions you want to investigate?  In what sense will your research address a problem?  Does it have practical applications?
• Discuss any relevant background information (contextualize the controversy/issue).  What do I need to know to put your topic choice into perspective?
• If you have an argument in mind, spell it out as clearly as you can.  If you're unsure, articulate the possibilities or put forth a hypothesis.  Either way, give me an idea of an argument that could work.
• Explain why this project relevant to you and/or your field of interest.  Does this resemble the kinds of research your major field requires?  Is your project related to a research assignment or opportunity at work?
• Discuss your qualifications for this investigation:  Have you done prior research?  Do you have particular expertise or personal experience that would be relevant in some way?

Tentative Outline

Provide a fairly detailed, parallel, properly formatted outline of your project (see your writer's handbook for information on formatting outlines).  This will facilitate us discussing your work in terms of organization, and will help you in focusing your topic.

Discussion

This is a catch-all section where you can discuss issues or ask questions of me which don't neatly fit into the other sections of your progress report.  Consider this list of questions as a starting point for reflection:

• What types of information are you gathering (primary and/or secondary)?
• What research methods (besides library research) do you envision using (such as a survey or interviews)?  What is your strategy for carrying out these methods?
• If you plan to use the WWW for research, what kinds of sources do you hope to find?
• If you've already done some reading about your topic, what key issues or problems seem significant?  Which will you pursue?
• What questions do you have for me?  How can I help you in this process?

Working Bibliography

List key sources you have identified and/or gathered thus far, using MLA (preferred) or APA citation style (see your writing handbook for proper formatting guidelines).  List sources even if you've been unable to review them thoroughly-some you may use, others you may not.  Four to five varied sources is a good minimum to shoot for at this point.

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Last updated 05/18/05