According to Moran and Henderson, “a research proposal announces the essay’s topic, purpose, and research sources” – essentially, a document that informs your instructor of your intended research, your pre-existing knowledge on the subject, and your particular interest in the subject (224).
The Research Paper Proposal is the first in a series of assignments that will lead to and help with your final research paper. In this assignment, you will choose from the following topics for your final research paper, and you will develop a research question you wish to explore.
Choose one of the following topics:
Student life (such as tuition, sleep deprivation, study habits, etc.), video games, or technology.
o You may use the same topic from your critical analysis assignment if you would like.
• Choose one article that may be of use to your research.
Your proposal should answer the following questions:
1. What is my proposed topic?
2. What is my research question about my topic?
a. Is it original?
b. Is it narrow and focused?
i. Can I still find research on this topic?
3. Do I provide background information on my topic?
a. Have I used proper citations if I have used information that is not common knowledge?
4. Do I identify my intended goal or purpose?
a. What do I hope to prove or disprove with my research?
b. How am I going to do this?
5. Have I included an article that might be useful to my research?
a. Do I identify how the article might be useful?
6. Why am I interested in the topic?
7. Does my conclusion identify the following:
a. Why the research should be done?
b. What are the potential implications that might emerge from your study?
c. Do I reflect on potential gaps in current literature and how my research/analysis will advance current knowledge on the subject?
d. How does my research fit into broader scholarship on the topic?
e. How is my research unique?