Assignment #1 guidelines 

Research Proposal – Due Date: February 2
This assignment will comprise a single page describing: 

• your topic for a research paper; 

• how you went about choosing this topic; 

• how you went from a broad topic to a research question; and 

• how you went from a research question to a hypothesis or a thesis statement. 

  If you used a concept map, free writing online searches etc. this should be included in an appendix. This research topic will be used for your final project. 

  Steps: 

1. Select an issue that interests you. 

2. Explain why/how you selected the topic. 

3. Generate ideas regarding your topic by using either one of the following methods: 

   1. Free writing 

   2. Concept map 

4. Once you selected your topic, use encyclopedia(s) to gather information regarding 

   your topic. Summarize what you found as it relates to your topic. You must provide the reference(s) you used. Identify a problem or an issue you would like to focus on and explain why you chose it. 

5. Write a short proposal which includes: a. Your narrow topic 

   b. The purpose of the paper e.g. to explain; to analyze etc. c. The intended audience
   d. The thesis statement or the hypothesis