Research

Writing a research proposal

R-6

One effective way to manage your research project and focus your thinking is to write a research proposal. A proposal serves many functions. It gives you an opportunity to look back—to remind yourself why you decided to enter a specific research conversation—and to look forward—to predict any difficulties or obstacles that might arise as you develop your project.

Your objective is to make a case for the question you’ll be exploring, the sources you’ll be using, and the feasibility of the project, given the time and resources available. Your instructor may assign a proposal as part of the overall project, or you may prepare one on your own and ask your instructor and classmates to comment on it.

The following format will help you organize your proposal.

Research question. What question will you be exploring? Why does this question need to be asked? What do you hope to learn from the project?
Research purpose. What goals do you have for the project? What do you hope to accomplish? Why are these goals important—to you or to other people? Do you hope to persuade a specific audience, or to change a policy, or to solve a problem?
Research conversation. What have you learned so far about the debate or the specific research conversation you will enter? What entry point have you found to offer your own insights and ideas?
Search strategy. What kinds of sources will you use to explore your question? What sources have you found most useful, and why? How will you locate a variety of sources (print and online, written and visual, primary and secondary, and so on)?
Questions you are asking. What challenges, if any, do you anticipate? What questions are you asking about the project?

Thinking like a researcher

Writing a research proposal

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