Proposal and Annotated Bibliography Notes:

Proposal

Title

– Introduction with underlined thesis position

– What do you know (Off the top of your head)?

• Research questions (4-6 major questions you need answers to – to guide your research)

• Research methods (4-6 ways you will research this project)

• Timeline (what you will do from week 8-16/17)

– Why did you select this topic? What is it important? What are your goals?

– Means paragraph

• A bullet point is a section of bulleted answers

Annotated bibliography

-You must have exactly 8 sources (you may have more for your final due at the end of the semester).

Sources are in alphabetical order. Do NOT number your sources. Bibliographic information uses hanging

indents (all lines after the first are indented). Each source will have:

1. Bibliographic information (author’s last names, titles, etc…) and will use hanging indents

2. 3-4 sentence summary

3. 1-2 sentence plan-of-use

You need to vary your sources (have at least 3 different types of sources). You may consider finding

sources for opposition now. This is not a requirement for this project, but it will be a requirement for

your final research paper in this class.

All bibliographic material needs to use hanging indents – all lines after the first are indented. In Word,

highlight the bibliographic information and press CTRL (for a PC) or COMMAND (for a Mac) and the

letter “T” simultaneously. If you are using something outside of Word, Google search how to create

Hanging Indents in that program.

Remember: make sure that you keep ALL of my comments in when you submit your final version via

email.

English Composition II

Final Due: Thursday, March 9th

Rough Draft Due: Thursday, March 2nd

30 Points

Research Proposal Purpose: The research proposal is designed to orient you to your research focus by asking you to articulate a topic for investigation; it also introduces you to the genre of proposal writing and establishes the relationship between sophisticated use of sources and strong research writing. Subject: You are free to choose your own topic for this research project (excluding those previously restricted), and it should be one that interests you or appeals to you in some way. The proposal is a promise of sorts, for you’ll develop this topic into your major research-based argument. Realize, however, as you work on your topic, that the specifics of your research may cause you to modify your topic. This is perfectly acceptable and, in fact, normal. Research and writing are processes of discovery. What is a research Proposal: Research proposals are commonly used in a wide variety of disciplines and professions as a means of developing agendas for research communities, securing funding for a study, publicizing plans for inquiry and field research, and testing the interest of potential audience in a given project. Therefore, the genre, organization, and contents of the research proposal differ in many important ways from other kinds of popular and academic writing. 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 to time management and in helping to shape the scope and range of your research. Format and Length: For the actual research proposal, please compose a 2 page document to propose your research paper idea. The proposal should be double spaced, 12-point Times New Roman font, spell-checked and proofread. Be sure that your proposal is more polished than a stream-of-consciousness free-write. As you can tell, this assignment asks you to try out real-world standards for the length, format, and contents of the research proposal so you will have mastered this genre to use in future academic and professional contexts. Content and Process: After completing your brainstorming using the research sketch and the other suggestions for getting started, complete the questions below to help you structure this genre of writing. Create a plan for your research and include the following components. Keep any prewriting and research you do for this proposal in your research log.

• Come up with an intriguing title for your research proposal. This title will be different from the one for the research paper, and in the spirit of inquiry should appear in your choice of a title.

• Craft an effective introduction to engage the audience’s interest. Proposals will be shared in class, so your audience is your fellow peers as well as your instructor.

• Identify and underline your tentative thesis. This will greatly help your time management and navigation of resources. As Douglas Hunt stated:

Develop hypotheses early…Objectivity seems to demand that you form no thesis before your research is complete. But if you have no thesis, you have no way of formulating questions for interviews or evaluating the importance of what you read. A better approach id to form a thesis—perhaps it would be better to call it a hypothesis—as early as possible, and then be prepared to change it as often as an honest interpretation of the data demands. (419)

• Give some background on the topic, or what you know so far. Acknowledging how little you know can be an effective rhetorical move, for it shows you what you need to research.

• Identify a series of questions that will inform your research and explain them in your proposal.

• Delineate the methods you will use to conduct your research. Will there be library investigation of primary and secondary sources? Interviews with experts on campus or in the community? Field research with students or community populations? Be specific as possible, providing the names of key sources and potential interviewees as well as the rationale for why these methods will serve your needs. Also, be creative, and think “outside the box” on how you can make this fun.

• Set up a timeline for your research. You can use the syllabus to help you in this endeavor; be sure to identify the steps of the process. This aspect is the one common denominator in all research proposals, no matter what the disciplinary or professional field.

• Determine and articulate the purpose or goal of this research: Why are you researching this particular topic? Why do you feel compelled to study this topic further? Whom do you hope to persuade? What is the significance of this work? This last aspect is the most crucial one, and it often makes or breaks the decision of a governing board, financial establishment, or other evaluative audience when judging various proposals of their merit, feasibility, and contribution to the field. You might decide to use this aspect for your conclusion.

Assignment Description: Annotated Bibliography

An annotated bibliography is a list providing all relevant bibliographic information as well as a brief

descriptive and evaluative summary of each source you will use for your final research essay. The

annotated bibliography must include 8 sources (NO WIKIPEDIA SOURCES). You need to have a title.

Sources are listed in alphabetical order! Be sure to do the following three things in compiling your

annotated bibliography:

1) Provide the bibliographic information for each work in proper MLA or APA format.

2) Provide a short summary of the main argument or point presented in the source material (3-4

sentences).

3) Explain why the argument is strong and how it applies to your final research essay (i.e. how you

will use it).

An annotated bibliography serves four main purposes:

• Constructing such a document helps you to master the material contained in any given source. To

find the heart of the argument presented in the source, phrase it briefly, and comment on it, you

must understand it fully.

• Creating an annotated bibliography helps you to think about how each portion of your research fits

into the whole of your project, how you will use it, and how it relates to your topic and thesis.

• An annotated bibliography helps your readers: They can quickly see which items may be

especially helpful in their own research. A committee can determine the validity of your research.

• It will help you to get some hands-on practice at bibliographic format, thereby easing the job of

creating your final bibliography (the Works Cited list for your final essay).

MLA Sample excerpt for an Annotated Bibliography:

Lamott, Anne. Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life. New York: Anchor

Books, 1995. Print.

Lamott's book offers honest advice on the nature of a writing life, complete

with its insecurities and failures. Taking a humorous approach to the realities

of being a writer, the chapters in Lamott's book are wry and anecdotal and

offer advice on everything from plot development to jealousy, from

perfectionism to struggling with one's own internal critic. In the process,

Lamott includes writing exercises designed to be both productive and fun.

Lamott offers sane advice for those struggling with the anxieties of writing,

but her main project seems to be offering the reader a reality check regarding

writing, publishing, and struggling with one's own imperfect humanity in the

process. Rather than a practical handbook to producing and/or publishing, this

text is indispensable because of its honest perspective, its down-to-earth

humor, and its encouraging approach.

Chapters in this text could easily be included in the curriculum for a writing

class. Several of the chapters in Part 1 address the writing process and would

serve to generate discussion on students' own drafting and revising processes.

Some of the writing exercises would also be appropriate for generating

classroom writing exercises. Students should find Lamott's style both engaging

and enjoyable.

APA Sample excerpt for an Annotated Bibliography:

Ehrenreich, B. (2001). Nickel and dimed: On (not) getting by in America. New York:

Henry Holt and Company.

In this book of nonfiction based on the journalist's experiential research,

Ehrenreich attempts to ascertain whether it is currently possible for an

individual to live on a minimum-wage in America. Taking jobs as a waitress, a

maid in a cleaning service, and a Wal-Mart sales employee, the author

summarizes and reflects on her work, her relationships with fellow workers, and

her financial struggles in each situation.

An experienced journalist, Ehrenreich is aware of the limitations of her

experiment and the ethical implications of her experiential research tactics

and reflects on these issues in the text. The author is forthcoming about her

methods and supplements her experiences with scholarly research on her places

of employment, the economy, and the rising cost of living in America.

Ehrenreich’s project is timely, descriptive, and well-researched.

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