1. Drafting a Research Proposal

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Chapter 4 (113-120)
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1. Drafting a Research Proposal
Some teachers will ask you to draft a research
proposal. Just as most travelers would not begin
a trip without a clear sense of their itinerary
and destination, so many successful writers begin
their projects with a detailed road map for the
journey through the research process (Alfano
113-14).
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What is included in this proposal?

• There is a good list on page 114 in the At A
  Glance box. In general, here are some others
• 1. Background.
• 2. Methods.
• 3. Timeline.
• 4. Ultimate goal.

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How important is a timeline?
In the proposal itself, you need to explain your
interest in your chosen subject and establish a
set of questions to guide your inquiry. You also
need to delineate the timeline for your research
and writing process. Although this part may seem
obvious, it is crucial for time management in
order to help shape the scope and range of your
research (Alfano 114).
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2. Shaping Your Research Hypothesis

• form a thesisperhaps it would be better to
  call it a hypothesis educated guessas early as
  possible, and then be prepared to change it as
  often as an honest interpretation of the data
  demands (Alfano 115).

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Due to the nature of research, your topic will be
reconfigured or honed many times. This is a
natural part of finding out new information and
adjusting your hypothesis to formulate a
finalized thesis. That is, there is a process to
cementing ideas in an essay based upon research.
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3. Drafting the Hypothesis

• There is a good example of this process on pages
  116-117.
• Open with what you know about the topic.
• Try to specify an argument.
• Create a hypothesis for what to explore.

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4. Asserting the Significance of Your Project

• perhaps the most important step in launching
  your own research inquiry is to address the issue
  of the significance of your project or, as some
  writing instructors call it, the So What? part
  of the project (Alfano 118).
• Examine the bullet points at the bottom of page
  118.

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5. Constructing Your Persona as a Researcher

• establishes your credibility and authority for
  the project. Usually, this takes the form of a
  one-paragraph description biography of the
  writers credentials, interests, and motivations
  for engaging in such work (Alfano 119).
• There is a weblink to review listed on page 119
  for a sample of this bio.