A research paper proposal is a one-page document that is often assigned to stude
A research paper proposal is a one-page document that is often assigned to students in a course where a research paper will be due. In cases where a research paper proposal is required the course instructor assigns the proposal to make certain that the paper the student plans is appropriate for the course assignment. Thus, the proposal will always be due well before the research paper. Though it is more work, the research paper proposal is actually a very good step because it ensures that students are not working on a failing paper.
Research Proposal Parameters
The research paper proposal should be three paragraphs:
The first paragraph outlines the topic and thesis statement of the research paper. It informs the reader (your professor) of the basic answer to the questions:
What will this research paper be about?
What will this paper argue?
Like most any paragraph, this one should be more than three sentences that provide the instructor the essentials of your topic and thesis. This portion of your proposal should directly reflect the instructions that were given for this assignment. If you do not have instructions that are clear enough to craft a research paper proposal be sure to get in touch with your course instructor for clarity.
The second paragraph should detail your plan for finding the proper sources that are needed to prove the thesis you are drafting or it should list the sources you intend to use if you have already found those sources. This step gives your course instructor an opportunity to provide feedback on the quality of sources. It may also be an opportunity for the instructor to help point you in the right direction to acquire good sources.
For the final paragraph, you can outline your predictions of how your paper will provide an opportunity to expand the readers understanding of the topic overall. This paragraph should argue the importance of the work and demonstrate to the reader the value gained by reading the research paper.
Topics for Research Paper Essay 3
Cybersecurity
Anti-trust Laws
Compensation for College Athletes
Body Dysmorphic Disorder
Censorship of Art and/or Literature
Inadequate University Access
For the first paragraph of the research proposal, you will need the following components:
Introduction: Start with a brief introduction to the topic of the research paper. Give the reader an idea of what the essay will be about and provide some context.
Research Topic: Clearly state the research topic or subject matter the paper will explore. Write a concise and focused statement that captures the paper’s central theme.
Thesis Statement: Present the research paper’s central argument or thesis statement. Your thesis MUST be debatable. Three components of the thesis statement:
Remember, the thesis statement has 3 main parts: the limited subject, the precise opinion, and the blueprint of reasons.
For the second paragraph of your research proposal, you should detail your plan for finding proper sources to support the thesis statement. Find and list the sources you will be using.
These could include academic journals, books, reputable websites, or other scholarly materials.
Peer-Reviewed Articles: Emphasize the importance of using peer-reviewed articles from reputable academic journals. These articles have undergone rigorous review by experts in the field and are generally considered more reliable sources of information.
Website Evaluation: If you use websites as sources, discuss how you plan to evaluate their credibility and reliability. Look for reputable organizations, authors, and sources based on solid evidence and data.
Remember that this paragraph is an opportunity to demonstrate your research planning and critical thinking skills.
For the third paragraph of your research proposal, emphasize your work’s significance and potential impact. This paragraph serves as a conclusion to the introduction. It should give the reader a clear understanding of why your research is essential and how it will contribute to their knowledge of the topic. Here’s how you can structure this paragraph:
Reiterate the Thesis: Restate your thesis statement from the first paragraph. This reaffirms the central argument that your paper will address.
Importance of the Research: Highlight the importance of your research topic and why it matters in the broader context of the field or subject area. Explain how your research addresses a gap in existing knowledge or adds to the existing body of research.
Remember that you are making an argument in Paper 3. You want to have one, singular focus throughout the essay that makes a claim. Every sentence in the paper, then, supports that single claim that you are making.
When you make an argument you need both 1) evidence and 2) explanation to support your position. Students often do well with evidence but struggle with the explanation. In the sample below, evidence is highlighted in blue and explanation is highlighted in green. This argument is on the death penalty:
One of the main problems with the death penalty is the chance of murdering an innocent person. According to Mary H. Cooper, in addition to the five hundred prisoners who were executed, there were also seventy-five innocent men and women who were very nearly the victims of wrongful execution (3).
She adds that “After evidence showed that they had been wrongfully convicted” (Cooper 3), they were released, but these are only the cases where new evidence could be found before the innocent person could be put to death. As Jane Fritsch explains in her article “Evidence of Innocence Can Come Too Late For Freedom,” “judges are loath to reopen cases, and state appeals courts dislike intervening on anything but procedural issues”. She explains that while DNA testing often creates “incontrovertible evidence” that “has forced the release of the unjustly convicted”, other types of evidence, such as new witnesses or even confessions, have been argued away or ignored.
For instance, in the case of David Lemus and Olmado Hidalgo, “who were convicted in the 1990 murder of a bouncer at a Manhattan night club” (Fritsch), their lawyers eventually found out that another man had confessed to the murder several years ago. “Joey Pilot, a member of the Bronx extortion gang, told a federal prosecutor investigating the gang that he and his friend, James Rodriguez, had murdered the bouncer” (Fritsch). The story was enough to convince a prosecutor and police detective that he was the real killer, but Mr. Lemus and Mr. Hidalgo were still refused a new trial.
The fact that evidence as strong as an actual confession from someone who claims to be the real killer is considered so lightly is a perfect example of the way the system is designed more for the purpose of killing inmates and offering victims “closure” than actually finding the guilty party. The fact that Congress “passed a law sharply limiting [… ]appeals in 1996” shows an even more callous attitude toward the task of determining who really committed the crime in any given death penalty case.
The ramifications of this system are obvious. If the courts are so resistant to giving suspects a second trial, or even just a thorough, reliable review of the trial, then it stands to reason that innocent people are being killed within this system. If evidence as strong as a confession from another man that was believed by both a prosecutor and a detective is not strong enough evidence for the court to review it, then what is? However, when the punishment is life imprisonment, rather than death, there is at least some hope that innocent people may one day be freed by new evidence. They will never get back the years they spent in jail, but at least they will have the rest of their lives ahead of them. Death row inmates have no such option.
Notice in the explanation paragraphs, there are very few quotes. Most of the analysis is coming from the writer — which will be you. Really connect your dots. Even when something is as “obvious” as murdering an innocent person, you still have to explain your sub-claim to us (someone innocent could die) and how it relates to your thesis (the death penalty is bad) when you’re writing an academic paper. Notice that even after the author says: “The ramifications of this system are obvious,” we still get 4-5 lines explaining just what those obvious ramifications are.