McLaughlin / WR 13300 / Spring 2017

Research Essay Proposal/Exploratory Draft (20 points)

Due in Sakai by Friday, 3/24, at noon

Directions: Complete the following proposal and exploratory draft for your research project (you
may type on a separate document, if you wish). Your proposal and exploratory draft is due in
Sakai by Friday, 3/24, at noon. I will meet with students individually the following class period
(3/28), to discuss these documents and the progress you're making on your research. To earn full
points, these items should be detailed and should reflect your careful thinking about your project.
You may wish to refer back to the Wayne Booth chapters in Sakai as you complete this proposal.

Part 1: Research Proposal

YOUR NAME:

TOPIC (I am studying):

RESEARCH QUESTION(S) (because I want to find out)

AUDIENCE & SIGNIFICANCE (in order to help _______ understand)

CONTEXT (This issue is important and timely because)

EXHIBIT (To illustrate my discussion of ______, I plan to focus on _______):

KEY SCHOLARLY SOURCES FOUND SO FAR:

MLA citation Type of source? News What does the source offer your
article? Scholarly journal project? Background? Statistics?
article? Book? Website? Theory? Argument? Counterargument?
Other? Example?
McLaughlin / WR 13300 / Fall 2016

Part 2: Exploratory Draft

1) You should begin with a statement of what you hope to accomplish with the project, and
with what audience (e.g., I plan to propose to the Notre Dame administration an
argument for offering meditation courses as a physical education requirement). Explain
why you find this topic interesting and important. Provide relevant background
information to show the existing conversation around your topic and the new perspective
you hope to offer through your project.

2) Discuss in more detail the intended audience for this project and what this audience has at
stake in the topic you are researching. Your primary audience cannot be everyone.
Questions to help you identify an audience: Who will benefit? Who will lose something?
Who is in a position to be persuaded to follow the new course of thinking/action for which
you plan to argue?

3) How do you imagine your essay unfolding at this point? What are the distinct claims/
points you anticipate making in order to convince your audience of your arguments
quality and relevance? Provide a tentative outline.

4) Discuss what sources youve found so far and what other ones you would like to look for.
What kind of evidence will your audience expect? How will you accommodate those
expectations? Who do you anticipate might disagree with you, and why? What evidence
will they likely point to?

5) Fifth section: Share any concerns or questions you have about the project. Where do you
anticipate running into problems?