FRAMEWORK FOR THE RESEARCH PROPOSAL

FRAMEWORK FOR THE RESEARCH PROPOSAL

Introduction

1. Announce your topic upfront.
2. Explain your topic (how much of an issue it is, whether at the local or national level; and whether it is widespread or not).

• Justify it (in terms of why you chose it).

1. Tell us its significance (whether at the personal level or community/national/global level).
2. Tell us what your interest in it is (whether for personal reasons because the issues affect you personally, the society, or whatever else).
3. Conclude the introduction by re-affirming the significance of your topic and its relevance to scholarship, professional quests, etc.

Literature Review

1. Tell us what already exists in the publications about your topic (Who has done any research on it and published findings)?
2. Tell us about diverse views on your topic (whether there are supporters or opponents of whatever your topic entails)

• At this early stage in the research process, if you don’t have any literature on your topic to cite in this part of the research proposal, you can say so and give a firm indication that you are making efforts to locate such literature to review in the next draft of your research proposal.

Research Question

1. You can frame a research question on your research agenda in many ways, but not one that gives a “Yes” or “No” answer.
2. One technique is to turn the research topic around to frame the research question out of. For example:

Research topic: The significanceof travel and travel writing
Research question: What is the significance (political, economic, social, cultural, and ideological) of travel and travel writing?

Methods to gather information

This aspect of the proposal is simple and straightforward.

Conclusion

This part is equally simple:

1. Confirm that you have a good topic
2. Prove that you have resources to help you do the research

• Confirm that you have the ability to do the research

1. Ask permission to begin the research (looking for data/information on your topic that will lead you to the stage, where you will begin drafting your research essay (the literature review essay).

Annotated Bibliography

1. Open a new page
2. Cite the sources for your research project in full (authors, titles of publications, etc., according to the MLA style (Detailed publication information).

• Summarize each source cited.

1. Reflect on each source cited.
2. Reflect on each source cited.

REMEMBER:

This paper must satisfy the requirements of the MLA style, including page numbering, Times New Roman font (12 points only), indentation of paragraphs, and proper docume