Call for Research Proposals

Deadline for Complete Drafts 16 October.

Read Chapter 43 in TSFH, paying particular attention to section 43b and any additional reading the authors suggest. You may also wish to review the student research proposal posted online a jimhepworth.com by clicking on "mag-zine."

Then prepare a research proposal that outlines your project. Format your prospectus in MLA style for a seven to ten page research paper. Treat the proposal itself as a research paper and be sure to include direct quotations from your sources. Your complete draft must also include an annotated bibliography and a timeline.

• Identify and define your topic or topic area.

1. Make sure you are in control of the topic: that you define it clearly and narrowly enough to thoroughly examine in 2500 words—or less.
2. Tell us what qualifies you to undertake this research? Why did you select this topic? What personally connects you to your subject and how, when, where, and why did you acquire those connections? What personal experience or expertise do you bring to the subject and how did you acquire that experience? (In other words, what do you care about and why do you care about it? Perhaps more importantly, why should we care? What and how will your research and writing add to the discussion?)
3. State clearly and succinctly your hypothesis, research question, or thesis. Discuss your thesis or thesis question in detail and defend its significance, relevance, or appropriateness.
4. Who is your primary audience? Who is your secondary audience? Does your thesis question give us a clear sense of that audience and your purpose for writing and research?
   

• Give us background information and a literature review. Identify the most important books, articles, and other materials you that you have already read and those that you expect to read to gain background information on your subject.
  

1. First, survey the major works others have written or produced in your research area that you have already read. (Be sure to quote directly from these sources in your proposal.) What are the classic (“must-read’) articles and books and who authored them? What makes them special?
2. Second, identify the types of materials you have yet to read and examine for your project and determine their availability: books, articles, newspapers, documents, manuscripts, recordings, videos, artworks, data bases, online sources, and so on. (Remember to list each of these items and briefly comment on them in your annotated bibliography.)
   

• Describe your research methodology and plans for conducting field research.
  

1. Outline the procedures you will follow in your research and justify your choice of methodology.
2. Identify at least one person you will interview and then set up the interview. (At least one recorded interview is required for a future paper. For information about conducting a One-on-One Interview see 44d in TSFH.) Give us some background about the subject of your interview and include at least a few questions you plan to ask. Tell us why you have chosen to interview this person and not some other? Who else would you interview if you had more time?

• Create a project timeline and include it with your proposal.