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.
The research paper proposal should be three paragraphs:
The first paragraph outlines the topic and thesis statement of the research paper. It informs the instructor of the basic answer to the questions:
What will this research paper be about?
What will this paper argue?
This paragraph 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 reader’s 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.