ENGL 1102 Research Proposal Video Companion Document / Student Example Discussion

Abstract:
a) 150-200 word maximum.
b) The abstract is the last section of the proposal that you will write.
c) The abstract does 4 separate things (and only these 4).
a. What is the problem discussed in the proposal?
b. What is the research question?
c. What is the thesis?
d. What is the purpose of the project?
d) The abstract simply summarizes the content of the proposal. It is not a second introduction, nor does it provide any analysis—it just summarizes the content of the proposal.
Section #1 – Statement of the Problem
a) The section starts with identifying the problem that will be researched.
b) The section identifies the first time that the topic was acknowledged as a problem.
c) The section charts and explains the development of the problem over time. Chart the step-by-step over time. Move methodically through the problem’s development.
d) The section should end by identifying where the discussion of the problem is right now.
Section #2 – Definition of Key Terms
a) Select 7 terms from the sources that you gathered for your annotated bibliography.
b) The terms that are selected should be specific to the topic that you are researching.
c) The definitions of the terms should come from the sources that you are using, they should not be from a dictionary or an encyclopedia. Some terms will require that the definitions come from multiple sources.
Section #3 – Research Question and Tentative Thesis
a) The research question is the question that you would like to try to answer over the course of the semester. The question is what you would like to know.
b) The tentative thesis is often the answer to the research question. The thesis is what you would like to argue about the topic. The thesis is tentative at this point because it will be revised twice before you present the final thesis in the presentation assignment.
Section #4 – Statement of Purpose
a) The purpose section explains what the purpose of the research project is.
b) The purpose section is the section where you explain what the connections are between each of the sources that you gathered for the annotated bibliography assignment.
c) Once you have made connections between each of the sources in the section, you make connections between those sources and your research topic.
d) The goal of the section is to make connections between the sources and your research.
e) The section needs to make and discuss connections between all 7 sources that are listed on your bibliography assignment. If the sources are not used in the section, it cannot appear on the bibliography. You must use 7 sources.
Section #5 Bibliography
a) The bibliography should list 7 sources and be in MLA 8 format.
b) The sources can be the same 7 sources from the annotated bibliography.
c) However, the sources can be changed based on the research that you are continuing to do. Therefore, sources can be added/removed based on your current research.
d) The 7 sources on the bibliography are the 7 sources that must be used in the statement purpose section.
e) The 7 sources listed on the bibliography are the 7 sources that you will also be using for your research presentation. Once the research proposal assignment is completed, you cannot change the sources listed on the bibliography.