Your first step should be to develop a research question. What do you want
to know about your chosen topic? What questions remain?
The Research Proposal and Annotated Bibliography should be submitted as
one document file and follow the format listed here:
Proposal
The proposal needs to address each of these elements. It can be in a list
format, answering each of the questions.
 Research question: A research question is a broad question that
addresses the topic.
  A proposal should include a tentative thesis statement.
 Why is this topic relevant? The proposal should address why the
student chose this topic and how it is relevant to the paper’s audience.
The proposal should address who the audience for the paper is and
how specifically the paper will address that audience’s interests,
concerns, assumptions, biases, and knowledge about the subject.
 What insight will the project plan to add to this topic? This
project should add to an existing conversation, not repeat what
another source says. Therefore, the paper should answer the “So
What?” question. Why should the audience care? What does this paper
add to the conversation about the topic that is not addressed in other
sources?
 How are you going to accomplish this project? This question
addresses the research and writing process. Students are expected to
include deadlines set in the course syllabus as well their own writing
goals. This should address both process and product goals for each
week of the project. A process goal is time set aside for writing, such
as I will write for one hour each day. A product goal is the amount of
writing to complete within a specific time frame, such as I plan to write
two pages today. Proposals that do not address deadlines, process,
and product goals will face a grade reduction.
Annotated Bibliography
The annotated bibliography will include six potential sources for your paper.
At least three of those sources must come from searching in library
databases. Your annotated bibliography does not require a separate works
cited page.
Each annotated bibliography entry includes two portions, a full citation and
an annotation. The citation must follow an acceptable academic formatting
style, such as MLA. Don’t forget to alphabetize your list.
For the annotation, you will write at least five full sentences (not just “this is
a good source”) that answer the following questions from a rhetorical precís
format:
1. The first sentence summarizes the author, when it was published, and
what the topic of the source is.
2. The second sentence addresses how the text is organized and how the
argument is presented, including summaries of major points.
3. The third sentence explains the author’s purpose.
4. The fourth sentence addresses the intended audience for the text.
5. The fifth sentence analyzes how effective the text is and how effective
or ineffective it will be in your project’s research.
Your annotation could include two sentences in response to each question
above, but avoid writing longer than two sentences for each question. This is
an exercise in conveying information in a concise format so work on making
your sentences pack in a lot of information.
Keep in mind that some of the sources from your annotated bibliography
may not make it in your final paper. This part of the project is also an
exercise in evaluating sources for the final researched argument essay.