Writing a Research Proposal A research proposal is the presentation of an idea that you wish to pursue.

A good research proposal presumes that you have already thought about your project and have devoted some time and effort in gathering information, reading, and then organizing your thoughts. A research proposal is NOT a project to be thrown together in one night with ideas off the top of your head. Thus, one might say that the research proposal is a second step, following the selection of a broad topic. The function of a proposal is to provide space to begin brainstorming and narrowing down your research topic, generate ideas relating to the research topic and the essays read in class, and formulate questions you may wish to consider when writing your paper. In a typical research proposal: you "propose" a topic of research, or state your intention to study a certain topic, begin to explore and formulate issues at stake in it in order to explain why it's an important or valid topic for research, show how these issues intersect with some of the issues you've discussed in class in relation to your subject, briefly describe what others say or would say about your topic and begin to lay out your own preliminary or tentative position on your topic.

The proposal is also an excellent medium for you to consider what main ideas you are going to have to explore in order for you to begin writing your paper. It is also important for you to start considering what frame you will be placing around your topic. Instead of an outline, which assumes that you are already have some idea of the structure of your paper, the proposal discusses what your paper might be about. As a result, you should see the proposal as an exploration of your topic, your ideas on the topic, your reasons for choosing the topic, and what you will need to do in order to complete your essay. Research proposals typically begin with an analytical question. The foundation of a good research paper is a good research question. Just as a tree needs a good root system to grow to be strong, a good research paper needs a good analytical question. Students often find that creating a research question is helpful because in-depth questions by definition, demand explorative answers. Within those answers, you may find that your topic narrowing itself, or you may find a new topic that is more interesting to you. The actual proposal will indicate what analytical question you wish to address. What does "analytical" mean? An analytical question can take different forms and no one form is necessarily better than others. What all analytical questions have in common is the fact that they are not merely descriptive. That is, an analytical question moves beyond the "what" and explores the "how," and the "why." A good analytical research paper will use "the what" as part of the answer to "the why." But it is obligatory to address a question beyond the "what." For example, a descriptive paper would ask: "What were Brandeis reasons for defending a right to privacy?" An analytical paper would ask:

"Why were Brandeis arguments for the significance of privacy persuasive?" As part of the paper, you would then briefly review what Brandeis reasons were, but then you would go beyond that description. As you prepare your proposal, you might consider addressing some of the following: Indicate your topic, problem, or idea you will be exploring. Why does this topic interest you personally? (It is very important that you a topic that interest you because if you aren't interested, you will not do a good job.) What questions do you want to address in your paper? How do those questions or ideas intersect with what we have been discussing in class? How focused is your topic? Have you picked a specific theme, idea, author? Do you have any ideas on how you think the paper will be structured? If you have a preliminary position in relation to your topic and research question, indicate what that position is.

As you work on your proposal, it is important that you define an area of research with a suitable level of specificity. Remember this is approximately a seven page essay. Make sure that you define your topic sufficiently narrowly that you can reasonably accomplish your project in the allotted space and time. The Actual Proposal For the purposes of this course, your proposal should consist of the following: 1. Statement of the issue your paper will answer. Again, remember, the point of your paper is to argue for something. There has to be an identifiable issue to any research proposal, especially in philosophy. 2. Brief literature review in which you review the major works on your topic and indicate what the arguments are. If you are applying a theory to an issue, you can review the theory used. The point is to show an awareness of what has been written on your issue, what evidence was used, what theories applied, and what arguments were made. 3. A statement as to what your argument will be. 4. A statement as to how your argument will differ from that which has been made by other authors. How is your explanation original or different? If you applying a theory, you can explain which theory you will use and why you think that is the appropriate theory to explain the event(s) you are interested in. 5. A brief outline of the parts of the paper. 6. A short bibliography statement as to the major sources you will use. This can include databases, websites, interviews, etc. and should be completed using MLA format.

The proposal need not be long, but the quality should be high. I would think that 3 pages would be sufficient. The more effort you put into your proposal the better your paper will be. Also, the more detailed your proposal, the more I can comment and usefully guide you to a good paper.