1Lo4: Be able to develop a researchproposal.Steps in Developing a Research ProposalWriting based on research takes time, thought, and effort. Although such work is challenging, itis manageable. Focusing on one step at a time will help you conduct thorough, valid researchand write a thoughtful, convincing composition based on that research.Because planning makes for better research and better writing, students are often called uponto write a research proposal – a formal composition in which a researcher defines a topic andexplains his or her plans for researching that topic. Such a proposal is used not only to create acoherent plan but also to convince a teacher or reviewer that you have developed a relevant,focused, and interesting topic and that your plans to research that topic will work.There are a number of basic steps a researcher will take to develop a research plan. Each ofthese steps constitute information that is included in the research proposal:1. Developing and defining a topic.2. Exploring your purpose and audience for your research.3. Conducting preliminary research.4. Formulating a research question (and additional questions).5. Creating a research plan.Developing and Defining a TopicWhen you develop a topic for research, you are making a major commitment. Your choice willhelp determine whether you enjoy the lengthy process of research and writing—and whetheryour final paper fulfills the assignment requirements. If you choose your topic hastily, you may2later find it difficult to work with your topic. By taking your time and choosing carefully, you canensure that this assignment is not only challenging but also rewarding.Writers understand the importance of choosing a topic that not only fulfills the assignmentrequirements but also fits their own interests and priorities. Choosing a topic that interests youis crucial. You instructor may provide a list of suggested topics or ask that you develop a topicon your own. In either case, try to identify topics that genuinely interest you. This interest issometimes called exigency– the personal concerns and interests that drive a researcher toinvestigate a specific topic.The writing you do based on your research, though, is not only for yourself. Since you will bewriting, based on that research, for others, your topic also needs to be current and relevant toothers. The outcome of your research should matter here and now to others. This is oftencalled kairos – the concerns and interests beyond yourself that make this topic relevant now.After identifying potential topic ideas, you will need to evaluate your ideas and choose onetopic to pursue. Will you be able to find enough information about the topic? Can you developa composition about this topic that presents and supports views you developed afterconducting and reviewing your research? Is the topic too broad or too narrow for the scope ofthe assignment? If so, can you modify it so it is more manageable? You will ask these questionsduring this preliminary phase of the research process.Identifying Potential TopicsSometimes, an instructor may provide a list of suggested topics. If so, you may benefit fromidentifying several possibilities before committing to one idea. Other times, an instructor leaveslets students decide where to begin when picking a topic. It is important,, the, to know how tonarrow down your ideas into a concise, manageable thesis. Discussing your ideas with yourinstructor will help ensure that you choose a manageable topic that fits the requirements of theassignment.3Starting with BrainstormingOne very common approach to developing a topic is through various forms of brainstorming.This is the approach that Jorge used, above. In this approach, a student may set aside a specificamount of time simply to list or map possible ideas or topic they are interested in. For eachtopic, they may briefly describe their exigency (why they are personally interested in the topic)and kairos (why this is a relevant and timely topic for others) as well as writing down their owncurrent understanding of each topic. After this, the student can use what they wrote to strikeout ideas they seem less interested in, eliminating options until they find the one that both theyand others may find most interesting.Although this can be a good way to find a topic you are interested in, students can find itchallenging narrow such a topic sufficiently before beginning research. If, after brainstorming,you are ending up with broad categories such as Abortion, Capital Punishment, Cell Phone use,Child Abuse, Eating Disorders, etc., you will need to continue to do more brainstorming tofigure out specific aspects of one of these topics that you want to investigate. For instance, if astudent tries to research the general topic of Capital Punishment, they will find that there is fartoo much ground to cover. But if the student starts breaking down that general topic, looking atit from different vantage points, they may find a narrower topic that is much moremanageable. For instance, instead of Capital Punishment in general, a researcher may decide toexamine legal decisions about capital punishment as “cruel and unusual punishment,” or racialbias in of capital punishment sentences, or differences in the frequency of executions in thestates where capital punishment is legal or even the exploration of whether capital punishmentshould be legal in one’s own state.Starting with ResearchAnother effective way to select a topic is to begin with research. Rather than select a broadtopic and try to narrow down, a researcher will begin with a very specific problem, issue, or4incident reported on in a news article or study, and then expands from that problem or issue todevelop an interesting and engaging research topic.This approach works well for a couple of reasons. One, when one conducts research and writesabout that research, they are participating in a sort of conversation with other researchers andwriters. And just like any conversation, it is helpful to “listen in” on what is being talked aboutin previously published sources before figuring your own topic idea and deciding how you wantto contribute to the academic discourse on that issue or problem. Two, it helps to make sureyour topic is sufficiently narrow, and thus manageable, to begin with. When students pick abroad topic and must narrow it down, they often fail to narrow it down sufficiently. Thisapproach avoids that problem by starting out looking at something very specific and thenexpanding the research topic from there.When using this approach, it is helpful to write about the article you found in a systematic way,generating thoughts about what interest you about the article and thus the topics related tothe article that you care about. Here are some specific ideas to speculate about as you aretaking notes on such an article:• Explore Topics: In a few sentences, describe broader topics or issues the article toucheson. Beyond the specific incident or event described in the article, what larger socialproblems or debates does the the article relate to? (EX: If I am reading an article on aspecific mass shooting, topics might include mass shootings, gun control, mental illness,public safety, gun rights, etc.)• Explore Exigence: In a few sentences, explain why you are personally interested in orcurious about the incident reported in the article. If possible, connect it to your ownpersonal experience. Based on this, what topics do you think you’d like to research?• Explore Kairos: In a few sentences, identify the groups of people this incident or problemmatters to (beyond yourself) and why it matters to them now, thinking not only of thoseinvolved in the incident itself but other people or entities or institutions in society thatmight have a concern regarding this incident or incidents like it. Based on what mattersmost about this incident, what topics related to it might be worthy of research?5• Explore Controversies: In a few sentences, explain what differences of opinion ordebates may exist about this incident or event and you think those differences of opinionmight exist? Based on this, which of these controversies might be worthy of research?Narrowing Your TopicOnce you have developed potential topics, you will need to choose one as the focus of yourresearch. You will also need to narrow your topic. Especially if brainstorming was used, mostwriters find that the topics they listed during brainstorming are broad—too broad for the scopeof the assignment. Working with an overly broad topic, such as sexual education programs orpopularized diets, can be frustrating and overwhelming. Each topic has so many facets that itwould be impossible to cover them all. However, more specific choices, such as the pros andcons of sexual education in kids’ television programs or the physical effects of the South Beachdiet, are specific enough to write about without being too narrow.A good research paper provides focused, in-depth information and analysis. If your topic is toobroad, you will find it difficult to do more than skim the surface when you research it and writeabout it. Narrowing your focus is essential to making your topic manageable. To narrow yourfocus, explore your topic in writing, conduct preliminary research, and discuss both the topicand the research with others.Conducting Preliminary ResearchTo prepare for a research proposal, a researcher also needs to conduct some preliminaryresearch. Partly, this is to ensure that there are some viable sources and possibilities availablefor the topic idea you’ve generated. But as well, you will need some information and insightsabout your topic in order to define that topic in your research proposal and to develop a validresearch question. This preliminary research can help you understand important history,concepts, and terminology about your topic. It can also help you find out what people aresaying about your topic and the opinions that exist about it. This research can be conductedusing your college’s library or by searching online.6Jorge’s free writing helped him realize that the assigned topic of health and the mediaintersected with a few of his interests—diet, nutrition, and obesity. Preliminary online researchstrengthened his impression that many people are confused or misled by media coverage ofthese subjects and started him exploring different kinds of solutions for this problem.Jorge decided to focus his paper on a topic that had garnered a great deal of media attention—low-carbohydrate diets. He wanted to find out whether low-carbohydrate diets were aseffective as their proponents claimed.Formulating a Research QuestionA research question is a central question you will ask yourself in order to focus your researchand develop your research composition. As you conduct research, you will seek sources thathelp you answer your research question. Then later, you will write your research composition inorder to answer that question.In forming a research question, you are setting a goal for your research. Your main researchquestion should be substantial enough to form the guiding principle of your research—butfocused enough to also actually guide your research. A strong research question requires younot only to find information but also to put together different pieces of information, interpretand analyze them, and figure out what you think. As you consider potential research questions,ask yourself whether they would be too hard or too easy to answer.To determine your research question, review the free writing about your topic. Skim throughyour preliminary research and list the questions you have. You can include simple, factualquestions but as you continue you should push yourself toward more complex questions thatwould require research, analysis, and interpretation. From there, determine your main researchquestion—the primary focus of your research and the composition you will write based on it.You can also develop some supporting questions that help you may attention to specific facts ordetails you need to learn about your topic.Here are the research questions Jorge will use to focus his research. Notice that his mainresearch question has no obvious, straightforward answer. Jorge will also need to research his7supporting questions, which address narrower aspects of his topic. Even still, Jorge will need tocome to his own conclusions about his research question. He will need to analyze his researchcarefully, interpret that data and consider how it relates to his research question, and finallydevelop his own view and argue in support of that view using evidence from his research.
