Essay Assignment 2: Research Proposal
Purpose
As you completed your first assignment and we began discussing your second, we spent some time
working on how to narrow a broad issue into a specific research question. We also discussed various
research sources and methods. This assignment requires you to apply those discussions by creating a
research proposal. Specifically, for this assignment you should frame your chosen issue into a
specific research question, and then develop a plan for researching that question.
Some Specifics
When grading this assignment, I will pay close attention to your organization and how responsive
your proposal is to the elements we discussed in class. As a reminder, here is a brief list of some of
those elements:
• The professional or social origin(s) of your chosen question
• Why the question is important to you, to those in your field, and/or a segment of society
• Specific indications of the types of research sources and methods you will draw upon (both
primary and secondary)
• Note any key sources you will be heavily relying on
• Include a tentative schedule of research activities
Other Expectations
• Your proposal should be a minimum of three pages
• You should include (on the last page) a list of preliminary sources (four minimum). These
should be scholarly or professional in nature. This page will not count toward the page length
requirement.
Format
Follow the MLA and class guidelines we used for the first assignment (double-spacing, assignment
block, page #s, proper documentation, etc.).Essay Assignment 2: Research Proposal
Purpose
As you completed your first assignment and we began discussing your second, we spent some time
working on how to narrow a broad issue into a specific research question. We also discussed various
research sources and methods. This assignment requires you to apply those discussions by creating a
research proposal. Specifically, for this assignment you should frame your chosen issue into a
specific research question, and then develop a plan for researching that question.
Some Specifics
When grading this assignment, I will pay close attention to your organization and how responsive
your proposal is to the elements we discussed in class. As a reminder, here is a brief list of some of
those elements:
• The professional or social origin(s) of your chosen question
• Why the question is important to you, to those in your field, and/or a segment of society
• Specific indications of the types of research sources and methods you will draw upon (both
primary and secondary)
• Note any key sources you will be heavily relying on
• Include a tentative schedule of research activities
Other Expectations
• Your proposal should be a minimum of three pages
• You should include (on the last page) a list of preliminary sources (four minimum). These
should be scholarly or professional in nature. This page will not count toward the page length
requirement.
Format
Follow the MLA and class guidelines we used for the first assignment (double-spacing, assignment
block, page #s, proper documentation, etc.).
