Overview

The purpose of the research project is to foster sustained critical thinking, reading, and writing that illustrates depth and significance. In the research project, you will collect, evaluate, and synthesize sources to support a thesis statement of your own design. 

For this assignment, you will develop a topic proposal for your research assignment. 

Process

There are very few topic limitations for this project, as you should choose something that is relevant to your personal interests or to your major. The topic of your choice must meet the following conditions:

• The project must be informative, with a thesis statement supported by evidence.
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• The project must be a “deep dive” into a specific topic and conversation. 
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The first part of any research assignment is to go about finding a topic. Usually, we have a general idea to start that we then develop into a research question that is limited in scope. It is helpful to think of the process of topic development as a funnel: you put in a lot, but come out with a manageable amount. In order to develop an excellent research question, you must perform background research on your potential topic so you can develop a challenging, informed, and specific question. A well-developed research question will set you up for success during the research step of the process. Your topic proposal will summarize your background research, your research question, and outline a research plan with a specific calendar. You will also define the scope/specific focus of your project. 

Assignment Rubric

A Topic Proposal that “Achieves Excellence” will be distinguished in the following criteria:

• The writer provides a short summary of his or her background research and discuss why he or she is interested in the topic.
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• The writer defines the scope and specific focus of his or her project. 
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• The writer has a challenging, specific research question.
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• The topic proposal is 250-300 words in length.
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• The writer meets the standards for effective compositions (clarity, accuracy, logic, etc.).
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• The topic proposal conforms to MLA formatting guidelines for document design.

Rubric

Research Topic Proposal

Research Topic Proposal

CriteriaRatingsPts

This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeThe writer provides a short summary of his or her background research and discuss why he or she is interested in the topic.

5 pts Complete

0 pts Incomplete

5 pts

This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeThe writer defines the scope and specific focus of his or her project.

5 pts Complete

0 pts Incomplete

5 pts This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeThe writer has a challenging, specific research question.

5 pts Complete

0 pts Incomplete

5 pts This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeThe topic proposal is 250-300 words in length and meets the Standards for Effective Composition.

5 pts Complete

0 pts Incomplete

5 pts This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeThe topic proposal conforms to MLA formatting guidelines.

5 pts Complete

0 pts Incomplete 

5 pts