Unit 2 Paper: Research Proposal
Page length: 4-5 pages, double-spaced
This paper will take the form of a proposal that reflects the theme of our second unit. Here, you will propose to conduct research on a topic that fascinates you. Then, you will create a plan for studying this topic in a way that allows you to move beyond a common sense or conventional understanding of it toward a more scholarly and discipline-specific kind of awareness. The proposal should address the following four questions:
1. Why would you like to research the topic youve chosen?
In other words, why is it meaningful to you? (If the writing you did for your Unit 1 Paper is relevant here, you may feel free to draw sparingly from it.)
2. How is this topic popularly understood and what do you currently know about it?
Here, you should explain the common assumptions the general public often makes about your topic. Also explain what you, yourself, know (and dont know) about it. For instance, say you have decided to focus on researching the most effective training strategies for mixed martial arts (MMA) fighters. To address this question, you might suggest that when people think of how MMA fighters train, they often envision these athletes spending hours in the gym lifting weights, sparring, or doing some form of cardiovascular endurance training. Maybe you know that this kind of physical training occurs, and maybe you know quite a few details about the specific exercises it entails. That said, perhaps you (and most people) dont know as much about the role psychology and counseling play in preparing fighters mentally for competition. This is the sort of information you would want to include when answering question #2.
3. What more do you hope to discover about this topic by engaging in scholarly inquiry?
Please be as specific as possible when addressing this question. Again, if you were to pursue the example of MMA fighters training, you might want to find out a number of things like the following: how much time do fighters tend to devote to psychoanalysis or counseling sessions? What sort of psychological exercises do they often perform? Do they rely on hypnosis?vocal affirmation?…creative visualization? If so, are certain techniques more effective than others?
4. Where will you get your information? That is, what sources you will likely consult?
This step requires a bit of preliminary research. First, youll need to search our librarys databases for peer-reviewed journal articles on your topic. Then, you should read the abstracts of the articles that seem most relevant, and skim through their text to reaffirm their appropriateness. Next, settle on what you believe are the four best articles for your topic. Once youve made this decision, explain or justify your selections briefly. You might state something akin to the following: In order to learn more about _____________, I will examine (title) by (author) ,which discusses _________________ in detail. Finally, create MLA works cited or APA reference entries for each of the four sources you select at the end of your proposal under the heading Sources Consulted
Let me offer three valuable hints for doing well on this assignment:
1. Id suggest that you begin by freely brainstorming topics; after you settle on one that you know youd like to pursue, refine its scope so that it is clearly focused. A topic like African literature, invertebrate biology, or alcoholism might be perfectly suitable as a starting point for a brainstorming session, but it will be too broad for the scope of the final articulation of this assignment. Instead, try to determine what youd really like to know about your particular subject and narrow the parameters of your inquiryperhaps by posing a series of questions. For instance, if you were interested in researching the subject of alcoholism, instead of asking what is alcoholism? you might (depending on your interest) start by getting at the root of the disease and asking what causes alcoholism? Then, you might refine your question a bit further and decide to focus on a particular demographic or population. Maybe you ask, what causes alcoholism among teenagers? Then, maybe you refine even further until you eventually articulate the following question: What are the main social causes of alcoholism among teenagers in contemporary urban American communities? You should probably expect this process of refining to be a little messy, so have patience as you get started: i.e., dont feel like you have to have everything precisely articulated in the beginning or all at once. Instead, give yourself a chance to revise your thinking and develop the specificity of your project organically as you engage in the process of answering the questions above. Your preliminary search for peer-reviewed articles should probably help significantly with the refining process.
2. Many students have never written a proposal before, so dont feel intimidated by the prospect. Whether or not you are new to this experience, you should probably be aware that the genre of the proposal is a little weird. You might think of it as a personal/scholarly narrative written about your future plans: in it, you use the first person (I) to tell the story of what you will do as a researcher. And, in fact, I should mention that you will, indeed, conduct the research you propose here later in the semester when you write your paper for Unit 3. Please keep this thought in mind as you engage in the project.
3. If you need help searching the librarys databases for peer-reviewed articles on your topic, do not hesitate to contact a research librarian at CSUFs Pollak Library. They are incredibly helpful resources, and you can chat with them convenientlyonline or in-person! Here is a link that provides information on how best to contact them: http://www.library.fullerton.edu/services/research-assistance.php
Here is my essay paper, I want to write about the growth mindset I learned from the army. compare to MMA fighter we have the same growth mindset. reflected on our career, we all need a growth mindset to achieve to a higher level.
the file “Zhang1” is my first term paper. please follow my writing sample to adjust the writing level. I don’t need the paper to be great, but a clear idea delivered. focus on grammar, word choice could be a bit lower level. Last, there is a student sample for writing instruction. Thanks.
