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Guidelines for a Prospectus
Hist 6350, Prof. Berkhofer
The prospectus should clearly explain the topic, historical interest, method, and sources for the
research project. It should include all of the sections listed below and should be as complete as
possible for the chosen topic.
I.
The Prospectus is a formal statement about your chosen topic of research. It
should contain an explanation of the larger historical concerns, which make your
topic worth doing. You should be able to present questions you will be asking of
your sources. Also, it asks you to present some tentative approaches and a thesis. The
narrative portion of the text should be typed and double-spaced, 10 to 15 pages in
length, and contain the following components:
A. A discussion of the general topic. Describe your subject briefly, place it in a
historical context, and state its significance to larger historical issue(s).
B. A definition of the “problem” that you are confronting, including questions
that you will ask in an attempt to help you solve the problem. You present a
thesis statement and approaches to the problem and perhaps even expected
findings, even though the research is not yet completed. State clearly and
concisely how you presently conceive of this problem and how you suppose it can
be resolved. Keep in mind that any conclusions and or/thesis you propose are
tentative at this point and may have to be radically revised or even discarded as
you proceed with research.
C. Historiographical Context. What work has, and has not, been done in this field
and on this problem? Discuss the relevant scholarship critically. You need not
belabor specific failings, simply show what you understand to be the merits and
limitations of relevant works. You should explain how and why your research will
contribute to the existing body of scholarship. Does it fill a gap? Does it add a
new perspective? If so, what exactly?
D. Method and Theory. Outline an approach to your problem. If your conception
has theoretical aspects, discuss them critically. Think carefully about method and
theory, even if you decide not to engage much with external perspectives. I
neither encourage nor discourage such engagement, but caution that original
historical research should not merely be illustrating the ideas of others.
E. A discussion of your sources. Give a description of the sources for your subject
that have be identified so far. Stress primary sources. What difficulties do they
present? This discussion should be specific and should note significant patterns in
sources, their availability (in print or manuscript), their accessibility (identify
principal libraries and repositories), and what you hope to learn from them. Some
of this information may be related in the annotated bibliography section as well.
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II.
A Working Annotated Bibliography including primary sources and secondary
works. This should bibliography explain those which you have in your possession or
have immediate access to here and those which you have not yet obtained but intend
to use and can get relatively easily (in no more than a few days off of campus). This
bibliography should be complete for the subject chosen.
A. For sources/works in your possession: Divide the bibliography into primary
sources and secondary works but stress primary sources. Provide complete
bibliographic information for each entry and follow standard form (Chicago
Manual of Style). Remember to alphabetize by author’s last name or the
appropriate title word. For each entry, or group of entries, briefly annotate the
sources. Such annotations may have to be short paragraphs for source collections,
archival ranges, or by types of source and should be concise and specific.
B. For sources/works which you have not yet obtained but intend to use: Do
exactly the same as part A except that you do not have to annotate the entries.
However, give some indication of the availability and likely access of the sources
you intend to consult, especially archival sources.
III.
A tentative schedule. This should include the number of weeks or months you
expect each stage of the research project to take. Allow appropriate times for
research, travel to collections, writing, and revision. You may wish to project, if
possible, a chapter outline (see below, part VI). Such timetables are often required
when submitting grant applications for research funding and it should specify where
you must go and how long you must spend there in realistic terms.
IV.
A one paragraph summary or abstract (maximum 100 words).
V.
A cover page with: 1) a proposed title, 2) your name, 3) the abstract and (optionally)
4) the list of possible supervisors.
VI.
OPTIONAL: A preliminary outline of the written work that will come from the
project envisioned. Follow traditional outline form, being careful not to be too
detailed but including general sections and sub-sections of the work. This should be
done with the understanding that prospective titles, chapters, and topics may change
as you work. Although you may not submit this with the prospectus, it may help to
do this to clarify the parts of the project.
ADVICE: For a different but related formulation of what a thesis prospectus must contain, see
the Graduate Handbook of the Department of History, which gives a short narrative description
of the essential components. Prof. Berkhofer’s description is the one to use in Hist 6350.