Research Proposal
The proposal includes three (3) parts:
1. Research Paper Organizer: Fill this out completely, paying special attention to your Essential Question and your 10 supporting questions. Supporting questions should require more than one-word answers. Include mostly convergent, divergent, and evaluative questions.
2. A paragraph or two addressing these issues: Why do you want to research this topic? Is there enough information available to generate at least 1000 words of writing without repeating the same information over and over? What three "areas of focus" will you divide your paper into? Will you be able to provide logical and ethical support for your argument? At this point, what is the answer to your essential question? (The answer to your essetial question is going to become your thesis statement. It may change as you continue your research, but what is it at this point?)
3. Preliminary Works Cited Page: This should include a properly-formatted list of the sources you are using to begin your research. (See proper formatting for works cited entries here and here.) You need a minimum of five sources, at least two of which are Internet and/or electronic media. You may use no more than one encyclopedia. This part of the proposal takes the place of source cards, so it is very important that you do a good job on the preliminary works cited page.
Staple these items together in a neat stack and submit them on the due date. They will be returned to you so you can continue your research, but you should not lose them. They will be turned in again as part of the completed research project.
