Length
- 1,500–2,000 words (about 5–6 pages of body text)
- 5–7 annotated references related to your topic (here’s a sample annotation Download sample annotationI have done)
- Length excludes title page, abstract, and annotated references (the entire project will be about 8–10 pages)
Research Project Proposal[1]
A research proposal should clearly and briefly describe what you want to study and how you’ll do so. Your goal is to demonstrate that your project is worth doing and feasible given the time and resources you have available. The proposal will ask that you explore the project in as much detail as possible so that you can conduct a smooth study given the context and scope of ENGL 102.
Your proposal should include the following:
- Discussion of the topic
- Indication of your specific focus
- Research plan, including method analysis
- Practical approach
Discussion of the topic
Explain what your topic is and give any necessary background information. Give some sense of any controversies you want to investigate. Finally, say why the topic matters. Help readers to understand why they should take interest in the topic.
An indication of your specific focus
This is where you discuss your research focus, including the research question you plan to pursue. Also, note what you don’t know yet but intend to discover through your research.
Research plan, including method analysis
Explain how you plan to investigate your research questions and your research methods. This is where you will include the method analysis portion of the project that overviews your chosen method(s) of inquiry that you plan to use in your researched project. This discusses how your selected method(s) work with your project and how they will address your research question(s). The method overview will lead to your practical plan, including an annotated bibliography of potential sources.
Practical approach
The practical plan is where you will outline who/what/when/how you plan on answering your research questions. The idea of this portion of the project is that you begin making arrangements to follow your chosen research method and that you have sufficient time to conduct your research.
Annotated bibliography
The annotated bibliography should include 5–7 (potential) sources you will use as supporting evidence in your research project. Annotations should consist of three to four sentences summarizing the source and one or two sentences discussing the source’s significance with critique. The annotated bibliography will serve as the reference page for this project.
Because you are not yet answering your research questions, you do not need to incorporate any annotated references into the main body of the paper. The only in-text citation in your paper should be one or two readings that discuss your chosen method(s) if applicable. If your chosen method is not one you found described in your readings, then you do not need to include in-text citations in your paper.
A Successful Project
- Is APA 7 formatted
- Addresses each of the above topics
- Includes 5–7 annotated references
- Incorporates one or two sources (can be from our class reading list) that specifically address your chosen method(s) (included in your 5–7 references)