Assignment # 1. Topic & Research Proposal

The first part of the process of writing a research paper is a proposal. This section discusses the topic you have selected to research. It consists of six sections:

1. Hook: This part is optional. You start the paper trying to capture the reader’s attention. You can do it by either using a quote, asking a question, describing an event or using statistics. Your hook must be related to your topic.
2. Broad Description of Topic: You write a paragraph explain your topic with a broad overview.
3. Thesis: You establish the purpose of your paper by writing a strong thesis statement. The thesis statement explains the position you are taking in the paper, and it should be at the end of your overview.
4. Description of your topic: In this section, you define (explain) and describe your topic. This section should have at least four full paragraphs. 
5. Research Questions: You must include three to five research questions that are related to your thesis statement. These research questions will guide you through your review of the literature, which is the main section of your paper.
6. Literature Review:  You must use at least six sources in this section, which three must be from academic sources. In other words, you are going to write an overview of what other people have written about your topic, and you must cite the sources in the body of your paper using APA format. This section should have at least eight paragraphs.
7. References: You must include a Reference List for the sources you used in the introduction. The reference list must follow APA format.

The research paper must be written in standard English, and students should use proper punctuation and capitalization. Also, students should use academic language as much as possible. Like plagiarism (copy/pasting), Google Translate is not permitted, and students who use it will receive a 0/F mark.

Late assignments will be penalized five points per day. Assignments will not be accepted after five days.