Drafting a Research proposal
RHET201
SPR 2011
Functions of a Research Proposal
 The PRIMARY FUNCTIONs of your proposal are to SELL
your research idea, and to prepare yourself to do the
research in a systematic way.
 Introduces your topic and your focus
 Presents the rhetorical stance and thesis that you will
develop
 Explains the significance/importance of the research
 Explains your research methods—how you will approach this
project
Functions of a Research Proposal
 Lists preliminary sources for investigation, including a
bibliography with annotation/explanation
 Gives a detailed timeline for this investigation
 Suggests anticipated difficulties or obstacles and
possible solutions
 Gives a biography of your credentials and your
relationship to this project.
Steps for developing a research
proposal
 What is your topic and how might you state it as a
question? How might you state it as an argument or a
thesis?
 Make a list of possible questions associated with
your topic
 Make a list of possible arguments you might make
about your topic.
Steps for developing your proposal
 2. What do you already know?
 Write down everything that you can think of that you already
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know about your topic and categorize this information in
ways that make sense to you (For example: history, current
issues, personal experience, possible experts, possible
sources, related examples)
Where are the holes in your knowledge?
What are the highest priorities for further investigation?
When will you look to find this information?
What do you need to answer or prove?
Steps for developing your proposal
 What methods will I use to research this topic?
 Be creative in this brainstorming phase—you may eliminate
some methods later.
 List all the possible ways you might research your topic—
under each method list possible sources and the kinds
of information and evidence you might find using
various sources?
Goals & Importance
 List your personal reasons for doing this research
 List all the ways you can think of that this research also might
be important/helpful/interesting to others
 Who are the different individuals, groups,
institutions, etc. that could be interested in this research
and/or benefit from it
 List any ways that you can think of that your research will
contribute to existing conversations (scholarly,
popular, political, etc.) about this topic
 SELL your project!!
Timeline
 List the steps do you have to go through between now
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and the completion of your project.
Envision the time you will need for each step/
Leave yourself some wiggle room
Anticipate obstacles and account for them
Check the class schedule for DEADLINES
Coherence
 Now: Use all of the lists you have made in the brainstorming
process to then write your proposal as a coherent
*narrative*, NOT a series of bullet points.
Sections of the Proposal
1. Overview of the topic you are investigating, it’s
importance, the argument you will make (or the question
you will answer) and the existing conversation around this
topic.
 2. Methods: How will you go about answering your
question or proving your argument with evidence/ What
specific types of evidence will you use?
 3.Sources: Before you provide your annotated bibliography,
give a narrative description of the types of sources you will,
use, why you will use them and how they will help to
support your argument or answer your question.
Sections of the Proposal
 Obstacles: Describe any potential obstacles that you might
encounter and how you will address them if/when they
come up.
 Bio:Your credentials and your relationship to the project.
 Timeline: Break your projects into steps and give yourself
some due dates including the following:
Timeline
 March 27 & 28: First draft conferences on Annotated
Bibliography and research proposal:
Please upload your proposal and bibliography to your
portfolio before you come to your conference AND bring a
hardcopy to your conference. Name the file:
ResProp_AB_Draft1_yrname.doc
Timeline
 April 3 and April 4: Second Draft of Research
proposal and annotated bibliography due in
conferences on Please upload your proposal and
bibliography to your portfolio before you come to your
conference AND bring a hardcopy to your conference.
Name the file: ResProp_AB_Draft2_yrname.doc
 April 10: Final Draft of Research Proposal and
Annotated Bibliography due on your portfolio by
midnight.
 Map out the rest of the semester. I will give you
additional due dates by Wednesday.