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Academic Tutorials: how Do You Write a Proposal Paper

An instructor may require a proposal paper from you for more extensive research projects, term papers, or just for the sake of gathering experience. Even if this is not a required first step, writing a proposal should be part of your plan when you take on a large or extensive research project or paper.

Its purpose and structure is pretty basic. The purpose of a proposal paper is essentially to explain the project you’re taking on and run it by your professor. If your professor requires it, it is likely you will not be allowed to continue until you’ve received his or her approval for your task. There is not really a set-in-stone standard as to what your proposal should look like in the way of style and format, but there are a few things it should address in the text.

Tell your instructor about your topic and why it’s the best one for you to explore

Here is the most basic purpose of your proposal. Tell your instructor what you’re going to do and why it’s a good idea.

• State and elaborate on your narrowed-down, specific topic. Maybe explain why you chose this topic over others.


• Tell your instructor your general plan of action as to how you will research this topic. Will you read up on it, perform polls and surveys, and visit relevant sites? Give an overview of how you’ll take on the task.


• Describe what research you have already done. In order to state your case for why your subject is one worth delving into, you must prove that you’ve already looked into it enough to have gathered knowledge and identified a clear area of focus.

Lay out your plan in detail

Here you will go into far more specific detail as to how you will produce the best, most well researched content possible given the resources available to you.

• Give your instructor a timeframe or estimated schedule as to when you will have accomplished which tasks.


• Address questions you project would be asked whether for clarification or as a challenge. Being able to confront opposition before it even has presented itself will present a very strong case in your favor.


• Likewise, include questions that you don’t have the answers to yet. This will serve to prove that you are aware of your own shortcomings and the problems that exist with your topic, and it will also give you a clear starting point for your research as to finding the answers to those questions.

Ask your instructor or reviewer for specifics on formatting

Many reviewers will expect the standard one-inch margin, Times New Roman, double-spaced, title page, abstract, all of the things you usually see in a formal paper. But many will have their own specifications. If your reviewer or instructor doesn’t let you know at the beginning, be sure to find out exactly what sort of formatting they expect from you.