Research Proposal - WRIT 3121					Spring 2012
Name: _____________________________
Peer Review Day: _____________________		Peer Review preparation & participation: 4 pts.
Final Packet Due: _____________________		Staple: final draft, conference draft, 1st draft, this scoresheet
Conference Day and Time: ____________________________
GOALS
This assignment will give you practice writing a professional-style proposal.
ASSIGNMENT
You will write an unsolicited double-spaced proposal of approximately four pages in length that defines a problem, identifies the outcome of the work you propose to do, and convinces the reader that you have the means and ability to complete the work. This will ultimately result in the recommendation(s) you make to solve the problem you are proposing to study (the A&R report). Use headings to identify each section and provide structural cues to help your readers follow your proposal.
Note that what you are proposing (i.e., requesting permission) to do is to conduct research to solve a problem. Although you might have ideas as to what the solution might be, you are not yet certain of the solution. Therefore, you are not expected to make recommendations (i.e., propose solutions) in this proposal; these will be presented at the end of the semester in your A&R report, after you have completed the research to determine what the recommendations should be. Additionally, remember that the proposal needs to be persuasive in order to be approved.
Format the proposal as a memo or a business letter, depending on whether it is an internal or external proposal. Address it to the person in the workplace or organization who would, hypothetically, receive the proposal, but keep in mind that this person is not the only member of your audience. Your instructor and classmates must be able to understand the issues being discussed even though they are probably not involved with the organization.
USING & CITING SOURCES
Use MLA style to cite anything that requires attribution. At least four sources should be cited in the bibliography. For the proposal, rely mainly on secondary sources (books, articles, etc.) to back up your assertions. For example, you might quote or paraphrase from an analysis of a similar problem at an organization of comparable size to yours. You may also refer to an article without actually citing any content from it (for example, in listing possible resources in your Methodology section); sources referred to in this way do not require parenthetical citation, but should appear in your bibliography. Primary research may be used in this assignment, but is not required.
GRADING CRITERIA				Earned	Possible
I. Development					20
II. Style					6
III. Tone					4
IV. Mechanics & formatting					8
V. Organization					4
VI. Internal & external citations					6
TOTAL					48