Research Paper Proposal

In this assignment, your aim is to explore the issue you’ve chosen, to identify the  tentative solutions you have found in the research, and to lay out a blueprint for developing the final project. Please note even though parts of this paper may end up rewritten and in your final draft, this paper is NOT intended to be the first draft of your final research paper. It is intended to set out a plan as to how you will proceed through the research. This paper should be double-spaced, at least 2 FULL pages long (should probably be more but must end at the very bottom line of page 2 so that if you press return, you are on p. 3), and provide me with proof that you have done some important preliminary research already.  Please look at the model before you begin.

MODEL

Your paper should address the following:

1. A well-defined problem

You could include the following (for example):

Explanation of the problem

Anecdotes – stories that dramatize the problem you are addressing

Statistics – help to show how widespread and serious the problem is

Authoritative sources – help to lend credibility to your claims

Don't include the actual information in this paper, just what you plan to include.

So you wouldn't say, "4 out of 5 teenagers have experimented with sex before they were 16."  Instead, you would write "I will include statistics about how widespread the problem of sexual activity among teenagers is."

 

2. Two or three tentative solutions

How do you intend to present the solutions? What solutions have been proposed in the research? By whom?  At this point in your research, you should've found three solutions as proposed by the experts.  However, these might change as you research this topic more and that's okay.

 

3. Identify your audience

Because you are proposing solutions and perhaps calling people to action, you need to have a sense of whom you’re calling. Once you know your audience, you can determine both your tone and, more importantly, what sort of arguments would be most convincing. To assess your audience, try to identify your audience’s values, beliefs, and assumptions as they relate to your topic.  Are these people taxpayers, all Americans, all pet owners, all students and potential students,  all retirees????? This depends on the topic and what your purpose is.

 

4. Possible rhetorical strategies
 :  what types of writing modes will you use:  narration, argument (which kind--see below), cause and effect (how), definition (of problem), compare/contrast (if you're comparing, for instance the DUI driving penalties in one state to another), all of the above, some of the above--explain each strategy and how you're using it

Although this is not an argument essay (not PRO/CON--rather PROBLEM/SOLUTION), you are, in a certain way, trying to convince your audience that 1.  the problem is real, serious and must be solved soon, and 2.  that solutions you have found in your research and that you'll include in your research paper are FEASIBLE (they'll work)

Refer to what you learned for argumentation in English 101.

Argument by principle. You will argue that a particular action should be taken or solution attempted because doing so is right according to some value, assumption, principle, or belief that you share with your audience.

For example, you might argue that we should create publicly financed jobs for poor people because doing so is both charitable and just.

We should (should not) do (this action) because (this action) is……

Argument from consequence. Using this strategy, you argue that a particular action should (should not) be taken because doing so will lead to consequences that you and your audience believe are good (bad). For example, you might say we should create publicly financed jobs for poor people because doing so will provide them money for food and housing, promote a work ethic, and produce needed goods and services.

We should (should not) do (this action) because (this action) will lead to these good (bad) consequences: ______, ______, and _________.

An argument by analogy or precedent. Using a precedent strategy, you argue that a particular action should (should not) be taken because doing so is similar to what was done in another case, which proved to be successful (unsuccessful). For example, you might say we should create publicly financed jobs for poor people because doing so will alleviate poverty in this country just as a similar program has helped poor people in Upper Latvia. Using an analogy strategy, you compare the proposed action or solution with a similar one that your audience already accepts as good or bad. For example, we should create publicly financed jobs for poor people because doing so is like teaching the poor how to fish rather than giving them fish.

 

5. Likely areas for research.

Be very specific as to what sources you intend to seek, and describe the kind of information you hope to gather from each source.  You cannot say the library, books, magazine articles, the Internet, the GCC online library databases.  You must name the titles of the books, the names of the specific magazines (and hopefully journals which are more reliable and academic), the specific web sites (and more importantly data bases from the GCC ONLINE library site:  http://www.gc.maricopa.edu/lmc)

 

6. Provisional Objective