The document provides guidance on writing a research paper proposal for an English class. It explains that the purpose of the proposal is to develop argumentative skills by allowing students to explore ideas to prove their thesis. It provides dos and don'ts for choosing a topic, such as choosing a specific, narrow topic that guarantees opposing views. The proposal must be at least 500 words and in MLA format. It should introduce the topic of interest in the first paragraph and discuss what is known and what needs to be learned in the second paragraph. The third paragraph should determine guideline questions for research. The proposal is due on April 4th.

1. Cierra Jones
ENGL 4640
March 24, 2014
Assignment 3: Research Paper Proposal
As you all are aware, ENGL 1102 is a research-based class. With this idea in
mind, it should come as no surprise that your research paper is the most
important assignment you will have to complete for this class. Before you
begin your research journey, it is important that you determine your topic,
organize your thoughts and ideas, and find information that is both relevant
and significant in completing your research process.
Purpose
The purposeof a research paper proposalis to provide a basic idea of what
you will be discussing in your research paper. The purposeof this paper is to
develop your argumentative skills by allowing you to explore a vast array of
ideas that can help prove your thesis and persuade others to follow your
reasoning. The topic of this proposal should be specific and narrow. The
topic should also be interesting and original. The thesis statement you
develop should be indicative of the stance that you will take on that topic. It
must be argumentative in order to thoroughly meet the requirements of this
assignment.
Research ProposalDos and Don’ts
 Do NOT use topics that are commonplace or conventional (i.e.
abortion, gun laws, illegal immigration, etc.).
 Do NOT use broad topics (i.e. World War I, dining hall food, or
parenting); instead, your goal is to determine the intricate details of
such a broad topic. These details examine questions that explore how
and why these broad topics have an affect on whomever or whatever
they impact.
 Do NOT topics that simply cannot be researched (i.e. “I like ice cream
because it’s cold” or “There’s a rockin my shoe”)
 DO use topics that guarantee opposing views (i.e. playing classical
music in nurseries has an affect on newborn babies).
 DO examine the pros, cons, and nuances of a topic before deciding to
chooseit for your research paper. Remember, you must take a stance

2. on your opinion of a subject; however, it is also beneficial to evaluate
all possible perceptions prior to arguing for or against a topic.
If you have any questions concerning the appropriateness of your
research topic, please feel free to contact me. My information is on the
syllabus and I will also provide it down below.
Guidelines
1. Start your proposalwith a paragraph that introduces your topic and
why it is of interest to you. Paragraph 1 should answer the following
question: what is your topic and why are you interested in it?
2. After your first paragraph, briefly describe in another paragraph the
things you know, don’tknow and want to learn about your topic.
3. After you discuss your knowledge of your topic in the second
paragraph, you will then write a third paragraph in which you
determine guideline questions that will assist you in your research
process.
Requirements
 Research proposalmust be in properMLA format. (15%)
 Minimum of 500 words. (20%)
 Topic must be appropriate for research and must not be demonstrative
of any example found within the “do NOT” category. (30%)
 Guideline questions must be answered in the proposal. (30%)
 Your proposalshould also include the title you will use for your actual
research paper. (5%)
This assignment will be due during class time on Friday, April 4, 2014.
Assignments that are turned in after a week’s time will not receive credit.
Contact info
Email: cierjones@valdosta.edu
Phone: (678) 521- 3965
Office hours: M-W 2:00-2:50 PM
Good Luck!

3. I wanted to go ahead and give credit to the websites that I based some of my ideas off of
on this page.
http://www.cayuga-cc.edu/pdf/academics/writingassistance/rsrch_proposal.pdf
http://www.cayuga-cc.edu/pdf/academics/writingassistance/rsrch_proposal.pdf