Research Proposal Instructions
UWS 16A Sex and Advertising Spring 2023
DELIVERABLE: FRIDAY, MARCH 24 AT 11:59 PM
Format: Use APA Student Format and make the filename FamilynameGivennameP2.docx
Length: see format details below
Format: APA Student Format; 12pt Times New Roman or Cambria 11; double-spaced; one-inch margins, page numbers, etc.
Overview
Good research is driven by open-ended, analytical questions. In order to know what questions to ask, you must first learn what research has already been done on your topic. What are the gaps in the literature? What differences of opinion exist? Where do your questions and ideas fit into some sort of larger conversation about your topic?
To help answer these questions, this assignment asks you to prepare a detailed research proposal. This proposal will address such important aspects of your final research essay as your inquiry questions, your proposed methodology, and how your ideas relate to existing scholarship on your topic. To ensure that you go into the Research Paper with a strong conceptual foundation, please follow the format below.
Format Details & Instructions
- Introduction (~ 1 paragraph)—Introduce your chosen topic. Frame for your reader what you’re planning to explore and why this topic is interesting. Though you will likely not have a thesis yet (as your research is incomplete), include some good analytical questions that guide your thinking on your topic. See Idea and Motive; Asking an Analytical Question.
- Preliminary Literature Review (1-2pgs)—After performing some preliminary research, synthesize what you know about your topic. What does the extant literature seem to show? What conflicts or contradictions exist in this literature? Remember not to shy away from these conflicts, as intellectual messiness represents an opportunity to intervene. Be sure to cite your sources at the sentence level in this section.
- Research Method (~ 1pg)—Explain how you intend to research your topic. What library databases will you use? What types of searches will perform? What information will you seek out? What keywords might you use? What will be your primary disciplinary lens?
- Motive and Stakes (1-2 paragraphs)—Explain what you hope to accomplish with your research. What is your motivation for exploring your topic? Why does your research matter? Why might a reader want to know about this topic?
- Weekly Timeline (~ 1/2pg)—To make the research process more manageable, develop a week-by-week plan for your remaining research, writing, and revision. Be specific about what you intend to do each week. Make your plans ambitious but realistic. Keep in mind the class-wide due dates for a.) your research proposal, b.) individual conferences, c.) your rough draft, and d.) your final draft.
- Annotated Bibliography (≥ 4 entries)—Find, evaluate, and read at least four scholarly sources that deal with your topic, then generate an annotated bibliography that includes entries for each. Each entry should contain two elements:
- A correct APA citation (see Purdue OWL)
- A four- to five-sentence annotation that includes the following information:
- the type of source (e.g. book, chapter, article, etc.)
- the source’s thesis or main idea
- the source’s place in the extant literature (i.e. how it extends, complicates, or challenges the arguments of your other sources)
- how the source will contribute to your research
- any limitations the source might have
Criteria for Evaluation
I will evaluate this assignment for thoughtful, thorough, and accurate completion. You may be asked to re-do or add to your Research Proposal if it is not adequate.
Conference
After turning in your proposal you will meet with me for a 15-20 minute conference to discuss your project.
Instructions by Patrick Kindig, Spring 2023. Adapted by Doug Kirshen, Fall 2023.