A ‘Research Proposal’ is often the second major assignment for many writing courses (see Chapter 9). Here, we provide the materials that may help with such an assignment, as well as several outstanding examples from student writers.
Please note that all the student examples are likely to have some minor writing issues. For example, there may be some formatting issues in the references (whether in the Reference section itself or as in-text citations). Note also that some students have merely written “REF” in some places in the text rather than an actual reference. This shorthand version of an in-text citation is because the student is aware that a reference is needed, but simply has not yet found the right reference. Other writing issues that are common at this stage include grammar, spelling, punctuation, word choice, and some sentence construction examples. As such, all of the example papers would receive plenty of comments from the instructor. This said, the examples here are outstanding for this stage of the writing process: There are always going to be areas for improvement, and there is plenty of time for those improvements to be made. The point for a proposal is that ideas are being organized, outlines are being created, and a plentiful supply of high quality sources have been identified.
Examples of Outstanding Student Papers
“Psychopathy is a Result of Genetic and Biological Factors” by Rahaf Amasaib (Major: Industrial Engineering)
“Fad Diets are Problematic” by Fahad Alzara (Major:)
“AI Should be Employed in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Diseases” by Lamya Alsuwaidi (Major: Computer Engineering)
“The Organ Trade Should be Legalized” by Zain Basil Mushtaha (Major: Management Information Systems)
“Can Listening to Music Significantly Improve our Cognition?” by Youssef Eldib (Major: Mechanical Engineering)
“Repatriation of Historical Artifacts” by Maya Haj Hussain (Major: Computer Engineering)
“Should Unhappy Couples Stay Together “For Their Children”?” by Maryam Al Khayatt (Major: Psychology)
“The Salton Sea: A Case of a Dying Lake” by Salma A. Mansour (Major: Chemical Engineering)
“Video Games Positively Affect Student Education” by Ali Badrawi (Major: Management)
“Groundwater in the United Arab Emirates” by Gayah Alzarooni (Major: Civil Engineering)
“Social Media is Negatively Influencing Self-Image” by Ghazal Mirahmadi (Major: Business/Finance)
“The Colonization of Mars” by Hassan Sajid (Major: Mechanical Engineering)
“Criminals and Environmental Factors” by Neimat Elkarib (Major: Psychology)
Writing the Research Paper 