Research Prospectus Assignment

    Research Prospectus Assignment REQUIREMENTS: The paper (in paragraph form!) should be about 400-500 words andand include a bibliography (in APA or MLA style) of the sources consulted this far as well as those you think you might like to use, regardless of whether or not you use them in the final paper. PURPOSE: To organize your thinking at what should be the mid-point of your research The Students as Scholars initiative and the English department share the core requirement that your research projects are based on your ability to "articulate and refine a question, problem, or challenge" in a topic area within your major field. The Prospectus is an opportunity for you to do just that. Once students have developed their question(s) or identified a specific problem or challenge in their topic areas, the rest of the research has more direction. As Wayne Booth and his colleagues have noted, this avoids the "all about" type of paper that is the hallmark of largely successful high school essays, but not college-level writing. Please don't be concerned about committing to your research question or the sources you have discovered thus far. Research is dynamic and your thinking about your issue will evolve as well; changes are inevitable as you become more knowledgeable about your project. The only caveat is that once the Prospectus is approved, you may not change the topic area without prior approval from me; in other words, your approach may change but not the issue itself.Please include the following in your paper: • Your topic and what interests you about it.• How you have conducted your research. What databases did you use, what search terms? • What difficulties, if any, did you encounter in your research? What additional research do you need to do?• What question, problem, or challenge do you want to pursue? What “action words," as described by Booth et al. (p. 39), might you use in writing a full sentence about your question, problem, or challenge? • How would you answer the "so what?" question Booth et al. address (p. 47). Why is your topic important, and to whom?• Finally, add your thoughts about how your answer/ideas might contribute to knowledge in your field.• Attach a bibliography of six sources, four of which are peer reviewed. The remaining two may be popular, scholarly, trade/professional, etc. Remember to use correct citation style and list them alphabetically by the lead author’s last name. Include a brief annotation for each that describes what the article is about.