ENG 202 - Research Writing – Fall 2005

         Everyday Research Proposal

 
Sherwood@iup.edu  
Office: Sutton 340 | Hours

T/Th 8am | Sec.028: CRN 13221
T/Th 9:45 | Sec. 030: CRN-13223 

  

Please begin each section on a new page in your final, paper copy.  Number pages.  (You may blog it as one stream of text.)  A good research proposal should contain the following elements:

  1. Title Page - Working Title, Name, Class information.
  2. Abstract - Summary of the project, specifying: topic, relevant conversation, and research question.  (Max. 200 words)
  3. Introduction - Identifies topic, conversation(s), and research question. Explains the research question in terms of: your interest, OR its importance, OR relation to ongoing conversations.  The introduction also addresses how your purpose relates to the theme of the everyday (eg. discovering the unfamiliar aspect of something familiar).
  4. Fieldwork Statement - Propose the specific activity you will pursue as your primary research. Make clear what information you seek, from whom, and how you will obtain it.  The purpose and the "nuts & bolts" should be clear.
  5. Review of Literature - Briefly overviews "key and ideas and information in the sources you've collected so far."  This should not read like a bibliography so much as a picture of the kinds/types of resources you intend to work with. You should organize it in terms of conversations (perspectives).  Use the guidelines for evaluating sources to help make the appropriateness or contribution of each type to your RQ evident.
  6. Search Plan  - Sketch out the process steps your specific project will require. You may list steps you've taken already, but should also be explicit about what you still need to uncover or understand.
  7. Working Bibliography - Conclude with a list of sources that you have uncovered thus far and intend to incorporate into your final paper; you may choose to list them alphabetically by author or, if helpful, grouping them into kinds of information (eg. history, personal stories, academic studies, etc.).

The descriptions above are adapted from The Bedford Researcher, Mike Palmquist. See Bedford, Ch 4d for further guidance. You may choose to use the textbook website and CD-Rom to aid you in this activity. A number of Worksheets are available at the textbook website.

 		    
       
       
   

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Last Updated: 09 December, 2008