(Short) Research Proposal
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proposal_assignment_sheet.docx
Writing Assignment 3: (Short) Research Proposal
The research proposal is your request for approval of your final major assignment: Proposing a Solution. Many academic disciplines and programs ask students to write research proposals before they launch a research project – a study or paper. Research proposals are also quite common in professional or corporate environments where supervisors may ask an employee to write up a project proposal before that project is launched. This assignment will give you practice in preparing this important document.
Assignment
Write a 1-2 page Research Proposal where you present your final project to your instructors and classmates. In it, you must clearly describe what you plan to accomplish with your final project (your purpose); you must explain how you plan to achieve your purpose, and you must persuade your academic audience that your project is significant, problematic, interesting, and manageable.
Your research proposals should include these essential 7 ingredients:
1. Description of the local/community problem you will attempt to solve in your final project. 20 pts.
What is the problem? What background information is necessary in order for readers to understand the problem? What is currently being done to solve this? How is this problem significant?
2. Analysis of the rhetorical purpose of your final project (as rhetorical aim, see page 17). 10 pts.
What is your aim – to change your audience’s view of what? What – specifically – do you want your target audience to do?
3. Audience analysis for your final project. 20 pts.
Who is your audience? (Include the name of the person with the power to influence the change you will propose)? What are their values, interests and beliefs? How will you shape your proposal to appeal to your target audience (refer to ethos, logos, and/or pathos)? 20 pts.
4. Your initial hypothesis (tentative proposal for a solution). 10 pts.
What do you believe is the best possible solution? What must be done to solve the problem? Be as detailed as possible.
5. Short Literature Review, which summarizes the research you have conducted so far and the results of that research (with at least 4 sources). 20 pts.
6. Questions that Remain. 10 pts.
During the research for the Exploratory Essay, you found a lot of useful information for your project, but some questions and/or concerns may remain. Maybe there are some aspects of the problem you don’t understand; maybe there are some feasibility issues; maybe there are some areas in which you are stuck. List those here.
7. Research Plan. 10 pts.
Based on what you have learned from the research you have conducted for the Exploratory Essay, what remains to be done? What specific steps will you take from this point forward?
Requirements
· 1-2 pages, single-spaced
· Use size 12, Times New Roman Font
· MLA format for headings, style, and citations (but you do not need to include a Works Cited page)
· Cite at least 4 different sources in your Literature Review
· Include the 7 “ingredients” above
Summary of Grading Criteria
I will be looking for proposals that:
· Persuade the target audience that this project is significant and worth pursuing.
· Clearly present the problem in all its complexity and significance.
· Analyze the rhetorical context for the final project (purpose and audience).
· Clearly state the student writer’s rhetorical purpose and rationale for the project.
· Demonstrate rhetorical knowledge (by making appropriate choices about structure, style, voice, document design, and by using at least one of the 3 rhetorical appeals (ethos, logos, and/or pathos).
Submission Directions
1) Proposals must be submitted onto Turnitin as a Word document by the due date (March 28).
