Writing a Research Proposal 1

Writing a Research Proposal

For some research projects, you may be asked to submit a proposal early
in the process. A research proposal, by design, explains (1) what you plan to
research, (2) why you chose this particular topic, and (3) how you plan to carry
out your work. It also helps you clarify your thinking about the project. A well-
planned proposal will . . .
l show that the research is valid (makes good academic sense);

l show the value of the research (the knowledge that will be gained);

l communicate your enthusiasm about the topic;

l present a workable, realistic plan (given assignment requirements); and

l gain your instructors approval.

Parts of a Research Proposal

Your instructor may provide you with a form or formula to follow in your
proposal. If, however, you are working from scratch, here are the parts of a typical
proposal.
1. Introduction: In a brief paragraph, introduce your research idea.
Also state why the topic is important to you and is worth researching.
Provide any background information that the instructor may need.
2. Description: Discuss your proposed research idea; consider the
following types of information.
l The central issue or concern about the topic of your research

l The main question (based on the central issue) you hope that your

research will answer

l Additional questions or subtopics that your research might address

l A working thesis or hypothesis based on the main question

l The outcome(s) that you expect from your research, including the value

in terms of knowledge for yourself and others

3. Plan (methods and procedures): Explain how you plan to answer
your questions, develop your thesis, prove your hypotheses, and so on.
Include the following types of information in your plan.
l A description of your primary (firsthand) research

l An explanation of research tools you plan to use (catalogs, reference

works, lab equipment, survey software)

l A working bibliography identifying your initial list of resources

4. Schedule: List deadlines that are part of the assignment and deadlines
that youve set for yourself.
5. Approval Request: Ask for feedback and approval from your instructor.
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Sample Research Proposal

In this sample, Gwendolyn Mackenzie proposes to analyze Jane Austens Pride
and Prejudice in terms of its portrayal of gender prejudice. The novel and the 2005
film adaptation will both be addressed in the analysis.

Film Studies 201

Spring Semester Research Proposal
Introduction Jane Austens Pride and Prejudice as Fiction and Film
Introduce
your project. Gwendolyn Mackenzie

For years, I have enjoyed reading Jane Austens novels and watching
films based on them. In fact, the whole phenomenon surrounding her
fascinates me. Nearly 200 years after her death, Jane Austens novels
still captivate readers, filmmakers, and filmgoers. Why do so many
of us find so much enjoyment in her work? For my research paper in
Film Studies 201, I will explore one aspect of this phenomenon as it
relates to Pride and Prejudice and the 2005 film adaptation directed
by Joe Wright.

Description: Specifically, I want to see how the novel and film explore
Description gender prejudice. My main research question is, What sense do these
Identify the
central issue,
texts make of prejudice as it relates to relationships between men and
main ques- women? These would be additional questions I might consider:
tion, and What did prejudice mean for Austen, and what does it mean
working the- today?
sis for your In the novel and film, how is the problem of prejudice presented as
research.
an issue of gender?
How is the portrayal of gender prejudice similar and/or different in
the novel and film?
How is gender prejudice in Austens time similar to and/or different
from the issue in todays world?
How is prejudice central to the relationship between Elizabeth
Bennett and Mr. Darcy?
How is prejudice at work elsewhere in the story?

My working thesis is as follows: The 2005 film portrayal of gender

inequality in Pride and Prejudice highlights and intensifies the issue of
gender inequality introduced in the novel.
 Writing a Research Proposal 3

This study of gender prejudice will allow me (1) to appreciate the

treatment of this theme in fiction and in film, (2) to understand more
fully film adaptations, and (3) to explain in a small way the Jane Austen
phenomenon. As part of the project, I will write a 6-8 page paper and
make a 10-minute presentation in class.
Plan
Explain your Plan: My primary research will involve rereading the novel and reviewing
research plan the 2005 Joe Wright film adaptation. In terms of secondary research, I
and provide a
have searched our librarys online catalog and EBSCOhost for books
working
bibliography. and articles relevant to my topic. While some of the works below were
published before the 2005 film, they should still give useful ideas.

Working Working Bibliography

Bibliography
Use the docu- Primary Sources
mentation
style that
will be used Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice: An Authoritative Text, Background and
in the paper Sources, Criticism. Ed. Donald J. Gray. New York: Norton, 2001.
(here MLA). Print.
---. Pride and Prejudice. San Diego: ICON Grp. Intl., 2005. NetLibrary.
Web. 6 Nov. 2009.
Pride and Prejudice. Dir. Joe Wright. Universal Pictures, 2005. Film.

Secondary Sources

Baker, William. Critical Companion to Jane Austen: A Literary Reference

to Her Life and Work. New York: Facts on File, 2008. Print.
Cartmell, Deborah, and Imelda Whelehan. The Cambridge Companion
to Literature on Screen. Cambridge; New York: Cambridge UP,
2007. Print.
---. Adaptations: From Text to Screen, Screen to Text. London; New York:
Routledge, 2004. Print.
Cohen, Paula Marantz. Trends in Adaptation: Will and Jane Go
Celluloid. Michigan Quarterly Review 44.3 (Summer 2005): 533-
540. Print.
4

Crusie, Jennifer. Flirting with Pride and Prejudice: Fresh Perspectives on

the Original Chick-Lit Masterpiece. Dallas: BenBella, 2005. Print.
Franklin, Nancy. Everybody Loves Jane. New Yorker 83.44 (21 Jan.
2008): 82-83. Print.
Grandi, Roberta. The Passion Translated: Literary and Cinematic
Rhetoric in Pride and Prejudice (2005). Literature Film Quarterly
36.1 (2008): 45-51. Print.
McFarlane, Brian. Something Old, Something New: Pride and
Prejudice on Screen. Screen Education (2005): 6-14. Print.
Parrill, Sue. Jane Austen on Film and Television: A Critical Study of the
Adaptations. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2002. Print.
Stovel, Nora Foster. From Page to Screen: Dancing to the Altar in
Recent Film Adaptations of Jane Austens Novels. Persuasions: The
Jane Austen Journal (2006): 185-198. Print.
Sutherland, Kathryn. Jane Austens Textual Lives: From Aeschylus to
Bollywood. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2007. Print.
Todd, Janet M. The Cambridge Introduction to Jane Austen. Cambridge;
New York: Cambridge UP, 2006. NetLibrary. Web. 6 Nov. 2009.
Troost, Linda V. Filming Tourism, Portraying Pemberley. Eighteenth
Century Fiction 18.4 (Summer 2006): 477-498. Print.

To get a better sense of how Jane Austen fans react to this novel and
film, I may research some Austen discussion groups.

Schedule: Here is my schedule for completing this project.

Schedule
Provide a
research 1. Finish rereading the novel and reviewing the film: November 13
timetable. 2. Complete secondary research: November 20
3. Develop my outline: November 23
4. Finish first draft: November 30
5. Revise, edit, and proofread the paper: December 4
Approval
Request 6. Develop presentation: December 7
Request input 7. Make the presentation and submit the paper: December 9
and approval
from the Approval Request: Dr. Rajan, I would appreciate your feedback on my
reader.
proposal, as well as your approval of my plan.