English 1121 Project

Planning: Designing a Research Plan and Drafting a Proposal

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Goals:

1. To use discovery writing and browsing strategies to choose a topic for research;
2. To design a search plan to gather information from print, electronic and personal sources;
3. To draft a research proposal which:

• Identifies the topic, purpose, and audience
• Lists the search questions
• Lists search keywords
• Presents the search plan
• Includes an annotated bibliography.

Main Assignment:

Plan your research paper for this term by designing a search plan and drafting a research proposal.

In your research proposal you should:

• Identify the topic, purpose, and audience. Describe how you selected your topic. How is this topic relevant to you. To whom do you want to write about this topic? How do you want to affect your readers' attitudes or behavior?
• List the search questions. What information do you hope to find in your search?
• List your search keywords. What terms are you using to locate information on PALS and on the internet?
• Present your the search plan. How do you plan to gather information from print, electronic, and personal sources? Which kinds of sources will be most helpful for your topic?
• Compile an annotated bibliography and attach it to your proposal. Follow the MLA Style Manual to format your bibliography correctly.

Plan for completing this project:

Step 1. Discovery: Choosing a topic related to this semester's theme.

Throughout the Reading Project and Synthesis Paper, you have been reading and thinking about topics related to this semester's theme. Now you have the opportunity of focusing on a particular issue within that broad subject area that is especially interesting and relevant to you. The brainstorming strategies of free-writing, mapping, and blasting through writer's block may help you discover and explore that issue.

• Go to Discovery Grove at the Writers' PLACE for help with these.
• The honors topic is presented at the PTK Web site. This presentation includes a number of helpful resources:
• Issues --This list of issues presents thought-proking questions that arise out of the theme as it would be studied in various disciplines across the campus. Each of the 13 issues includes study questions, ideas for implementation, and a bibliography.
• Activities to help you think about and explore the theme. These activities include national interactive videoconferences, satellite seminars, on-line chat rooms, as well as speakers and discussions sponsored by PTK at Anoka Ramsey.
• The prompt or list of questions for brainstorming topics may be especially helpful.
• You might also discuss your assignment and swap topic ideas with the classmates in your writing group.
• Talk briefly with your teacher about your topic ideas. Don't hesitate to mention the topics you've rejected as well as those you are considering. Sometimes, as you describe why you've rejected a topic, you discover a way to make it work.

Step 2. Planning: Gathering Information

Read The New Century Handbook, chapter 8 "The Research Project."

Before you begin to gather information, you should draft a list of questions that you hope your research will answer.

Go to "Asking Questions" in the Planning for some helpful tips.

At the Writers' PLACE, view the Powerpoint presentation "Designing a Research Plan."

To find answers to your questions, you will have to do a little research. Most sources of information fall into one of three categories:

• Print sources include books, magazines, newspapers, government documents, pamphlets, unpublished manuscripts, letters and diaries. (PowerPoint: Searching PALS)(Search PALS on line.)
• Media and electronic sources include audio recordings, films, videos, television broadcasts, electronic databases and sites on the internet.
• Personal sources include interviews, surveys, and observations. (PowerPoint: Personal Research)

Share your list of questions with your writing group. Ask them for suggestions of additional questions you might ask.

Step 3. Draft a research plan

Draft a research plan to organize your strategies for locating information and for developing a schedule so that you can complete your project by the deadline or due date.

Step 4. Make a short list of keywords

Read The New Century Handbook, chapter 8e.2, "Compiling a list of subject headings and key words."
At the Writers' PLACE, view the Powerpoint presentation "Searching PALS."
Make a short list of keywords to conduct searches in library databases and with internet search engines.
View "Search Engine Strategy and Syntax on the Internet at <http://home.att.net/~bdedman/altavista.html>
Read The New Century Handbook, chapter 9, "The Internet."
Add to your list additional keywords and phrases for Internet searches.

Step 5. Incorporate personal research in you plan.

At the Writers' PLACE, view the Powerpoint presentation "Personal Research."
Explore how interviews, a survey, or observation would add support to the study of your selected issue. Add personal research to your proposal.

Step 6. Complete your research proposal.

Make sure that your proposal contains each of the following sections:

• An introduction which identifies the topic, purpose, and audience. You should tell how you selected this topic and why it is relevant to your readers.
• A list of your search questions.
• A list of your search keywords.
• Your search plan which describes how you plan to gather information from print, electronic and personal sources. Which kinds of sources will be most helpful for your topic? Include your individual schedule for completing the research project.

Step 7. Compile an annotated bibliography.

Read The New Century Handbook:

• chapter 10, "Evaluating Sources"
• section 8d, "Create a working bibliography"
• section 13a.3, "Works Cited page in MLA style"

Compile an annotated bibliography of background information on the issue you have selected. Follow the MLA Style Manual to format your bibliography correctly. Attach this annotated bibliography to your research proposal.

Step 8. Collaboration

Share your proposal and annotated bibliography with your group.

• Is your explanation of your topic clear? Do your group members think your purpose is appropriate for the target audience you have identified?
• Do they suggest any additional search questions?
• If you are having difficulty listing keywords, can your group help you?
• Should you narrow or expand the focus of your search?
• Can your group members help you locate any sources, especially personal sources?
• Is the format of your annotated bibliography correct?
• Would your bibliography be a helpful tool for other researchers?

Step 9. Revision

Based on the feedback from your writing group, revise your research proposal and bibliography Carefully proofread and edit your work. Print the final draft.

Step 10. Process Memo

Since, by definition, the research proposal is a kind of process paper--it tells how you plan to do something--an additional process memo is not required for this project.

Process Memo:

Since, by definition, the research proposal is a kind of process paper--it tells how you plan to do something--an additional process memo is not required for this project.

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Project Requirements

To receive credit for completing this project, you must turn in:
___ your discovery writing and planning notes
___ your research proposal, which

• identifies the topic, purpose, and audience
• lists the search questions
• lists search keywords
• presents the search plan
• includes an annotated bibliography.

Additional Readings

Gable, Tom. Research Proposal: "Communications Technology in China." Student model. 12 Nov. 1999.