ENGL 102
Writing and Research
Home Page >> Exercises and Worksheets >> Research Proposal Form

Please answer the following questions concerning your proposed research paper. Submit the answers in a word processed document to your instructor:

What is your topic(8 words or less)?_________________________________________

Who is your intended audience?_____________________________________

(you may NOT answer anything universal here, indicate a specific intended audience)

What is the purpose of your paper? What will your intended audience DO with the information that you present in the paper?

Why are YOU writing this paper? What led you to this topic? Why is this topic interesting to you?

What is the thesis question or idea that you intend to prove about your subject in your paper?

What are the main arguments that you plan to use to support your thesis (the main points that you have to cover to prove your case)?

Do you have multiple sources to support/defend each individual argument using synthesis?

What are the main opposing views to your topic/argument/thesis?

Do you have a strategy for answering/disproving them, if necessary?

What background/history/definitions about the subject will the audience need to know?

Which approach, informative or persuasive, is more appropriate for this paper, and why?