How to Put Together the Prospectus

The English Department requires you to write a prospectus for your research paper. This will make writing the paper quite simple: by the time you finish the prospectus, you’ll have your thesis, along with the structure and content of every single body segment.

The better your prospectus, the faster you’ll be able to write your paper.

Our prospectus will include the following:

  1. Your thesis statement.
  2. Outline of your major points supporting your thesis.
  1. Bibliography

How will you put the prospectus together?

  1. Finish all your research/making all your note cards.
  1. Spread out your note cards, and after reading each carefully, categorize them.
  1. Combine each dredging pieces with appropriate note card stack. (This is where you add examples from the text and your own ideas to those of the critics.) You might find you’ll need an additional category for some of the dredging, because you’ve found ideas in the texts that the critics have not.
  1. If, after categorizing, you find a stack is really large, consider breaking that stack down into further sub-categories.
  1. Now that you have a few stacks, line them up in the order you want to write about them, so you have a few stacks of cards in front of you. The order of your stacks should be logical; when in the form of a research paper, it should allow the reader to understand why you are moving from topic to topic.
  1. Now, work with one stack at a time. Put each stack’s cards in the order that you think you’ll want present the information.
  1. Create a “discard” pile for those notes that don’t seem to answer your question, are repetitive, or for any other reason don’t seem relevant.
  1. Step back and look at the categories you’ve created. Now, write your thesis.
  2. Your thesis will be the answer to your research question, and each category should be one part of that answer.
  3. Your thesis should be a clear statement that presents the major ideas you will be writing about, and the order in which you will be addressing them.

Remember:

  • Your thesis must only be one sentence. (You’ll need a special dispensation from me for a multi-sentence thesis.)
  • Your thesis must be easy for the reader to process. In other words, it must be completely clear the first time someone reads it.
  • Your thesis must be something that can be debated.
  • Your thesis must be something worth writing about.
  1. Next, write an outline.

Outlines are constructed with this specific format.

I. First major category (Part 1 of thesis)

A. First point about that category

1. Supporting detail (critics and dredging)

a.

i.

2. Supporting detail 2 (etc, etc)

B. Second point about that category

1. Supporting details

2. “

II. Second major category (Part II of thesis)

A. First point about that category

1. Supporting detail […you get the picture, right?]

Bibliography:

  1. Write the words “Works Cited” at the top of your bibliography page. Center it. (And then leave it—no underlining, fancy fonts, etc.) Hit the “enter” key twice, and list your sources.
  1. Make sure you have every single source you used cited in the proper format.

The final prospectus format:

  1. Put your name, date and section in the upper left or right hand corner.
  1. Hit the “enter” key twice. Type your research question.
  1. Hit the “enter” key twice. Write your clear, one-sentence thesis.
  1. Hit the “enter” key twice. Write your outline.
  1. When finished, proofread the document three or more times (Remember, this is a full test grade. Typos will result in major point deductions). Print at home.
  1. Print your bibliography at home.
  1. Staple everything together, with the bibliography at the end.