Academic research essay proposal | Article writing homework help

Internet and Social Media

   Thinking About Your Topic 

•Your proposal introduces your research topic, thesis, and other preliminary ideas.

•This is the topic in which you will write your final argumentative research paper, so it’s a good idea to find a topic in which you are interested.

•You must choose a arguable topic. 

• Scholarly research must support the topic.

•Since this assignment builds up to your academic research essay, please read the Academic Research Essay assignment description.

 What is an academic research essay proposal? 

•This proposal explains preliminary ideas for a research essay.

•It organizes your main ideas in outline format.

•It also explains and elaborates on what you know and what you do not know about your topic.

•It helps establish a research plan, an annotated bibliography, and an essay draft.

 The Academic Research Essay Proposal 

•The proposal should consist of a preliminary essay outline that consists of:

•A tentative thesis statement

•At least three reasons to support the thesis statement

•An opposing view

•The proposal also answers the following questions:

•What are additional questions that most interest you and might help you develop your claim?

•What might be some additional ideas that back up/support your claim?

•What prior beliefs, assumptions, preconceptions, ideas, or prejudices might be brought to this project?

•What personal experiences may have shaped the way you feel?  

 Thinking About Your Thesis 

•Remember that a thesis is a position that presents an “argument” regarding a controversial, debatable statement.

•A solid thesis has two parts:

• 1. Premise or premises are reasons for the claim. They are typically “since” statements.

•2. Conclusion is a support behind the reason. This is a “therefore” statement.

•Example: Since my grandmother died, I should be excused from class.

•Example: In the Twilight series, Isabella Swann’s irrational obsession with Edward Cullen drives the toxic and dangerous relationship between the two. 

 Thinking About Reasons 

•After you establish your thesis, you need to think of ideas that deconstruct the thesis into smaller arguments.

•These ideas are your reasons 

–Think of them as the “why’s” or “becauses” that support your thesis

•Your reasons consist of your body-paragraph topic sentences.

•After your thesis, you should include at least three reasons in your outline.

 Think About An Opposing View & a Rebuttal for the Opposing View 

•You need to think of at least one opposing view that you will develop into a paragraph

•For now, you will list the opposing view in your outline

•An opposing view is an argument that objects to your thesis statement.

•You must follow with a rebuttal of the opposing view.

 Outline Sample 

•The outline portion of your proposal should look like the following:

•Ex. Tentative Thesis: The death penalty is an archaic, cruel practice.

•3 Tentative Supporting Reasons/Main Points:

•1. Death penalty can be considered murder.

•2. Botched death penalty instances that have resulted in cruel and unusual punishment.

•3.  History of many convicted “murderers” have been wrongly accused, and have been sentenced to die unjustly.

•Opposing View: On the contrary, some may argue that keeping convicted murderers in prison for life proves too expensive and burdensome to taxpayers. 

•Rebuttal to the opposing view: Even though keeping murderers in prison for life remains costly, a dollar amount should not be placed on a human life, regardless of a person’s wrongdoing.

 Answering Proposal Questions 

•The outline consists of the most difficult part of the proposal but will be used as a springboard for your other assignments and essay.

•Finish the proposal by answering the questions on the assignment handout.

Student

The Academic Research Essay Proposal (Sample)

Part One: Outline

Tentative Thesis: 

Video games should be integrated into the educational system due to their ability both to make learning fun and to help develop 21st century skills that are being demanded in today’s workforce.

Reasons: 

1. Video games provide an interactive style of learning that promotes critical thinking and creativity.

2. Through technology, students learn in a way that will increase intellectual capabilities and workforce productivity in the future. 

3. Certain video games produce real-world problems and encourage solutions.

Opposing View:

Opponents against using video games in education argue that students should learn through traditional means: listening to lectures and taking notes. Although these methods of learning prove useful to mostly to visual and audible learners, kinesthetic learners are often left out. With video games, kinesthetic students can also benefit through the tactile learning methods that this method provides.

Part Two: Research Question Answers

1. What are additional questions that most interest you and might help you develop your claim?

How are video games currently being used in education?

How do they develop 21st century skills?

Why aren’t they being used yet?

2. What might be some additional ideas that back up/support your claim?

Video games can help to lessen the workload of teachers by allowing students to play a game while the teacher can meet one on one with students who are struggling instead of having to keep the entire class’s attention. Another way video games could help teachers is by taking metrics on the student’s abilities making grading easier on the teacher while showing them where exactly a student is or began to struggle. Another idea of how video games could be used in education would be to serve as a path into learning about coding allowing students to create and play their own games.

3. What prior beliefs, assumptions, preconceptions, ideas, or prejudices might be brought to this project?

Video games are often times known for being violent or for wasting time. Some even have the dangers of being a sinkhole for money if they were designed inhumanely.

4. What personal experiences may have shaped the way you feel?

My personal experience with videogames over the years and coding games. Also watching “Extra Credits” a Youtube series that educates about the design and development as well as the controversies of video games.