Inquiry and Proposal
Create a research proposal with a focused question, working claim, search strategy, and plan for source collection.
A lesson of English 11, in Research Project, about 10 minutes.
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to identify a researchable inquiry question, develop a research proposal, and create a preliminary source list.
Starting with Genuine Curiosity
The best research projects start with a question you genuinely want to answer — not a topic you want to confirm what you already think about.
Productive research begins with intellectual discomfort: you don't know the answer; you might be surprised; you're genuinely trying to find out.
Developing the Research Question (Review)
Move through these stages:
Topic (broad): immigration policy
Issue (narrowed): effects of DACA on educational outcomes
Research question (focused and researchable): "What measurable effects has DACA had on college enrollment rates among undocumented youth in the United States?"
A good research question:
- Is specific enough to answer in an essay
- Is genuinely uncertain
- Can be explored through credible evidence
- Leads to an arguable thesis (not just a factual answer)
The Research Proposal
A research proposal describes what you plan to research, why it matters, and how you'll approach it.
Elements of a research proposal:
Working question: What question will guide your research?
Background/context: What do you already know? What existing debate does this question enter?
Significance: Why does this question matter? Who cares about the answer?
Preliminary approach: What kinds of sources will you use? Where will you look?
Potential challenges: What might be difficult? What might you find that complicates your approach?
The Annotated Source List
A preliminary source list identifies 4-6 sources you plan to consult:
For each source:
- Full citation (MLA format)
- 2-3 sentences: what does this source say? How is it relevant?
- 1 sentence: what is the source's perspective or limitation?
This is not a complete annotated bibliography — it's a first pass to ensure sources exist.
Revising Your Question Mid-Research
Research often reveals that your initial question needs revision — you find that the evidence pushes in a different direction than you expected.
This is not failure. This is how research works. A rigid attachment to your original question produces a worse paper than being willing to follow the evidence.