Research Proposal - WRIT 1120					Spring 2012
Name: _____________________________
Peer Review Day: _____________________		Peer Review preparation & participation: 4 pts.
Final Packet Due: _____________________		Staple: final draft, conference draft, 1st draft, this scoresheet
GOALS
This assignment will give you practice writing a professional-style proposal, as well as an opportunity to start
researching and planning for your final research paper.
ASSIGNMENT
You will write a two to three page essay, the purpose of which is to convince me that your thesis is an appropriate
thesis to write your final research paper about. Therefore, your proposal's thesis will look something like this:
"My thesis, which is (Final Thesis), is appropriate for the final research paper because (Claim 1), (Claim 2),
and (Claim 3)."
Since this is more or less going to be your thesis, your claims will be reasons why your final thesis is appropriate,
drawing upon the criteria for a good thesis which we have discussed.
Your essay must be typed and double-spaced in memo format (see CW p. 43-44) and must include an annotated
bibliography (see CW p. 44-45) containing at least four sources cited in your proposal.
In this paper, you may use first-person pronouns ("I"). Do NOT try to write your final research paper as your
proposal. The essay is instead an explanation of the thesis you plan to pursue, supported with reasons why it
would be an appropriate thesis around which to write a final research paper. Explain why your thesis is GOOD
--not why it's TRUE.
USING & CITING SOURCES
Use MLA style to cite anything that requires attribution. Create an annotated bibliography (see CW p. 44-45) that lists at least four sources. All of these sources should either be cited or referred to within the essay. For the proposal, use sources (books, articles, etc.) either as examples of the types of sources you will find more of for the final paper, or to back up your claims. For example, if one of your claims is that the final thesis is arguable, you should provide multiple examples from opposing perspectives on your topic.
Remember that final drafts submitted without a bibliography and/or internal citations will receive an automatic score of zero that cannot be made up.
SCORING NOTE
Papers with a vague proposal thesis will lose at least 3 points in category I (see below). Papers with no proposal
thesis will lose all points in category I.
GRADING CRITERIA					Earned	Possible
I. Clarity of proposal thesis						10
II. Development of claims/supports						12
III. Clarity of prose						4
IV. Mechanics & formatting						4
V. Correct MLA internal & external citations						6
VI. Annotations						4
TOTAL						40