PHYS 280 :: Physics Illinois :: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Research Paper Proposal (RPPv1 and RPPv2)
**Please read the overview of the Research Paper sequence as well**
Main Task: Draft a research paper proposal from an adopted expert perspective to define your project and receive feedback on it.
In addition to receiving a grade, your RPPv1 will be designated with either PASS or HOLD. This designation will be based on the suitability of your research question, thesis statement, and references. If you receive a HOLD, you must meet in person with a TA (note: The TA with which you consult does not need to be your writing lab TA).
You will revise and expand RPPv1 to produce RPPv2.
Step 1: Choose an Expert Role
Roles will be chosen and partners assigned in your writing lab.
Experts are often motivated to write to a broader audience than one composed only of other experts within their own field. To address a broader audience, an expert must accurately predict what readers are likely to know and what they will need to know in order to understand the writer’s discussion. The expert must also consider the political and social contexts about a topic with which readers are already familiar and how ongoing conversations in other media are likely to have already shaped their audience’s understanding of and attitudes toward the material they are presenting.
To begin the research paper assignment sequence, you will adopt the role of either a political scientist or engineer based on personal interest, career aspiration, academic preparation, and (due to course constraints) soliciation from your writing lab TA. This role will determine the professional perspective you will emphasize in your own research proposal and paper (RPPv1, RPPv2, RPv1, RPv2). It will also determine the expertise you will contribute (in RPCR) to developing a peer partner’s proposal. Your peer partner will have adopted the other role and will be assigned to you by your writing lab TA. Political scientists will help engineering peers to develop political and policy contexts for their technical discussions; engineers will help political-scientist peers to develop scientific and technological contexts for their policy discussions.
Step 2: Write Your Research Paper Proposal (RPPv1)
Electronic submission due Wednesday Feb. 15 at 10pm; paper submission due Thursday Feb. 16 at 2pm
For RPPv1 you will follow the steps describe below. Here is an example RPPv1 that we encourage you to emulate (except that yours should be single-spaced). Your RPPv1 will be evaluated using this rubric.
The purpose of preparing the Research Paper Proposal (RPPv1) is to help you to organize your work for the research paper, gain the benefit of a colleague’s insights into your topic from a different expert perspective, and receive early advice from the instructional staff. Doing so will help you to define and develop a suitable course of research and complete the initial draft of your research paper on time. You are strongly encouraged to seek guidance from the instructional staff while preparing your proposal.
To complete an acceptable proposal, you must think deeply about your research question (i.e., a problem in contemporary global security and its possible solutions) and how you will address it, do a substantial amount of library research, formulate a thesis, and provide a list of the references on which you expect to base your research paper.
The research paper's primary purpose is to establish the nature and importance of a problem in global security from both a technical and policy perspective; its secondary purpose is to provide a recommendation on what the global community (or particular actors within that community) should do about the issue.
RPPv1 Development Process
2.1 Choose Your Topic: You will develop a thought-provoking and well-informed discussion of a relatively current problem in global security based on one of the approved research topics, so choose something that will sustain your interest. Alternatively, you may propose a topic not listed here to the instructional staff, but, if you do, you must get explicit approval before you begin library research.
2.2: Define Your Research Question: From the topic you have selected, next identify a research question that has both technical and policy aspects. Your global security problem must be narrowly defined enough to be addressed adequately in a paper that is only 5–6 pages long. It must be current enough to seem interesting and topical to readers, but not so recent that research in the academic literature is impossible to find.
A good research question is clear (readers "immediately understand what you're asking...because your question is short, conceptually straightforward, and jargon free"), relevant ("addresses an identifiable problem...offers to contribute a fascinating piece to a larger puzzle"), and researchable ("you can reasonably expect to answer your question with the resources at your disposal during" the time available for research) (Johnson, 2020). You should devote substantial effort to defining a good research question, because having a good research question is vital to the success of your RP. Your research question will guide your research and help you to collect the evidence you will need for your RP. To develop your question, you will need to do some preliminary research on your topic. We suggest consulting at least three books, chapters from books, or review papers on your topic, to ensure that you have an adequate overall perspective on your research question.
Do not choose a rapidly evolving research question, because events during the semester could then render your research paper obsolete or even irrelevant. Do not choose a question on which there is little or no publicly available information. As an example, "Nuclear Terrorist Sleeper Cells in the United States" is an interesting topic, but you would not be able to find much publicly available information about this topic.
For advice on developing a research question (which your thesis will answer), see this Indiana University Libraries handout and this one from the George Mason University Writing Center. If you are having difficulty developing your research question, move on to the step 2.4 (literature survey) and then return to this step later.
2.3: Draft Your Thesis Statement: Your thesis statement will answer your research question (at this stage, it's more of a hypothesis: a "testable conjecture about what your research will demonstrate" [Johnson, 2020). Although it may seem too early to determine the final answer to your research question at this point, formulating a possible answer will help you choose sources to consider and begin to focus your analysis. You can modify your thesis as your knowledge and understanding of your research question increases.
For advice on writing a thesis statement, see the University of Illinois Writers Workshop Thesis Writing Tips; see an example from the University of Richmond Writing Center on how to develop an analytical thesis statement.
2.4: Survey Literature on Your Research Question: For your proposal and subsequent research paper, you will be required to cite at least six sources. Unlike your previous Required Essays, your research paper must not be based on Physics/Global Studies 280 lecture-discussion slides. (Here are some good tips on reading for research.)
Reference Requirements for RPPv1:
3–5 sources (you will need to find at least 3 more sources for RPPv2). You may use no more than two of the assigned course readings as references. You may refine your reference list between the proposal and research paper (but you must seek instructional approval if you change your topic).
You are strongly encouraged to read and cite articles in professional and scholarly journals, such as Arms Control Today, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, Foreign Affairs, and International Security, or high-quality magazines that address current affairs, such as The Atlantic.
You may use one or two articles from high-quality newspapers, such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, The Miami Herald, and the Wall Street Journal, if they are essential to your thesis, but see the caution above against choosing a topic where the facts may change substantially during the semester.
You may also use the online documents posted on the Course Documents page of the old website and documents posted on the web sites of the U.S. government and the nongovernmental organizations listed on the Course Documents page. You may not use any other online resources without express written permission from one of the instructors. For every online reference included in your list of references, you must include the complete URL and the date and time that you last consulted that reference.
Citation Form Requirements: Since the Illini Journal of International Security uses the American Psychological Association (APA) form of citation, you are required to use it. For further information on style requirements, see the IJOIS style sheet.
2.5: Refine Your Thesis Statement: If you haven’t yet done so, refining your thesis now will help you to organize your paper and develop your analysis in a logical manner. You should have your thesis in final form before you begin outlining your paper.
2.6: Draft a Sentence-Type Outline of Your Research Paper: Write a sentence-style outline of the major sections and subsections of your RP. For tips on writing a sentence-style outline, see Celia Elliott’s slides. The major sections do not need to be complete sentences, but the subsections (listed as bullet points) do—see example. You must have at least 4 bullet points. Each bullet point will be the topic sentence of a proposed paragraph in your research paper. For each bullet, provide a reference in APA format.
2.7: Submit your Research Paper Proposal (RPPv1): Submit both electronic and paper copies of your RRPv1 by the deadlines listed above (also on the Writing Assignments and Schedule pages).
2.8: If you receive a HOLD, meet with a TA: Your RPPv1 will be evaluated and marked either acceptable (PASS) or unacceptable (HOLD) based on your research question, thesis statement, and references. If you received a HOLD, you must meet with a TA, preferably your writing lab TA, to discuss your proposal and work with him or her to revise it and produce RPPv2.
RPPv1 Format Requirements
In addition to the usual writing assignment format guidelines (which include single-spacing RPPv1), you must include the following sections in your proposal:
Topic: At the top of the first page, where the title would normally go, write the topic of your RP, which must be identical to one of the topics in the approved topics List. Or, if you have proposed and received approval for an alternative topic, write the name of your alternative topic followed by (alternative topic, approved) in parenthesis.
Expert Role: [Engineer or Political Scientist]
Partner's Name: Your partner was assigned in your Writing Lab.
Research Question: Present your research question. It should have potential for both technical and political discussion.
Thesis Statement: Present your thesis statement, which will answer your research question.
Outline: Provide a sentence-type outline of your research paper. (We understand that the paragraphs in your actual RP may differ from the list given in your proposal.) This should include section headings (which do not need to be complete sentences) and bullet points (which do need to be complete sentences) within the sections. Each bullet point will be the topic sentence of a proposed paragraph in your research paper. Each sentence should be followed by a citation to one of your references. This is meant to link the bullet point to the research you have done. You must have at least 4 bullet point sentences. (Because you will not yet have received input from your colleague, your paper need not yet show a technical-policy balance. This will be required instead in RPv1.)
Recommenation: End your research proposal with a statement of your tentative solution(s).
References (on a separate page): Under the centered heading "References," list 3–5 sources (articles, books, chapters in books) that you plan to use in writing your research paper—try to meet the source distribution requirements of the final research paper. Your reference list is not a bibliography (a general survey of literature on a topic): you should expect to cite every one of the sources in your reference list at least once in the text of your research paper. Remember, in the case of online sources, you may only use those that have been pre-approved. Your reference list should be in APA style.
If you have questions, please refer to the example RPPv1 and ask the course staff.
Step 3: Further Develop Your Proposal (RPPv2)
Electronic submission due Wednesday Mar. 1 at 10pm; paper submission due Thursday Mar. 2 at 2pm
For RPPv2 you will revise your RPPv1 and add the features describe below. Here is an example RPPv2 that we encourage to emulate. Your RPPv2 will be evaluated using this rubric. Note: The RPPv2 rubric contains a PASS/HOLD marker as well.
RPPv2 Development Process
3.0: If you received a HOLD, rework your research question and/or thesis statement: By this time you will have met with a TA and discussed your proposal with him or her. From this meeting you should develop a new research question and/or thesis statement (depending on why your proposal was marked unacceptable) and incorporate the suggestions made by the TA in the meeting.
3.1: Address all comments on your proposal from your Writing Lab TA: The revised proposal should show evidence of further developed thinking and knowledge about your topic, and the language used to discuss it, as a result of ongoing reading and research.
3.2: Find at least three additional references: Identify more references so that you have a total of at least 6 sources. One of your references must be a relevant book, chapter from a book, or peer-reviewed paper.
3.3: Draft an opening, introductory paragraph for your research paper: Your introduction should incorporate your thesis statement.
3.5: Expand your sentence-type outline: Add more bullet points (and potentially more sections) to reflect the additional research you've conducted. Make sure to include a citation with every additional bullet point to link the point to your literature research. Your outline must now have at least 7 bullet point sentences.
3.6: Draft a concluding paragraph for your research paper: Your conclusion should incorporate your recommendation(s).
3.7: Update your reference list and annotate each entry: Add the additional references to your reference list. Also, under each reference, write 1-2 sentences explaining why the reference is relevant for your paper and how you intend to incorporate the information within it.
3.8: Produce a Writer’s Memo for RPPv2: In the brief memo, explain how your thinking and knowledge about your topic have developed since the first version of the proposal and discuss the new sources you have found in your research and why they are of value to your project.
3.9: If you received a second HOLD, meet with your Writing Lab TA: Like RPPv1, your RPPv2 will be evaluated and marked either acceptable (PASS) or unacceptable (HOLD) based on your revised research question, thesis statement, and/or references. If you received a second HOLD, you must meet with your writing lab TA to discuss how to revise your proposal to make it acceptable.
RPPv2 Format Requirements
In addition to the usual writing assignment format guidelines (which include single-spacing RPPv2), you must include the following sections in your revised proposal:
Please include the Topic, Expert Role, and Partner's Name, as described above in the format requirments for RPPv1.
Please also include the Research Question and Thesis Statement used in RPPv1. If you received a PASS, these should be identical to RPPv1 (unless you have discussed changes with your writing lab TA). If you received a HOLD, these should be significantly revised, based on the meeting with your writing lab TA (or a different TA).
Introduction: Write a paragraph that will become the introductory paragraph of your research paper. It should incorporate your thesis statement.
Outline: Update your sentence-type outline. Each bullet point will be the topic sentence of a proposed paragraph in your research paper. Each sentence should also include a citation to a source in your references in APA style. These citations are meant to link your outline to your references. You should have at least 7 bullet-point sentences.
Conclusion: Write a paragraph that will become the concluding paragraph of your research paper. It should incorporate your recommendation(s).
References with annotations (on a separate page): Under the centered heading References, list your sources (articles, books, chapters in books). You should have at least 6 sources. Under each reference explain in 1–2 sentences why the reference is relevant and how you will use the information within it. Your reference list is not a bibliography (a general survey of literature on a topic): you should expect to cite every one of the sources in your reference list at least once in the text of your research paper. Remember, in the case of online sources, you may only use those that have been pre-approved. Your reference list should be in APA style.
Your electronic submission must include:
- Your RPPv2
- Your writer's memo for RPPv2
**submission must be in one file**
Your paper submission must include:
- Your RPPv2
- Your writer's memo for RPPv2
- Your graded RPPv1
If you have questions, please refer to the example RPPv2 and ask the course staff.
Next step is the Collegial Response (RPCR)!