The proposal outline must be prepared before writing the research proposal. Bring the proposal outline to the in-class editing sessions and include it in your folder with the research proposal. Follow the instructions. The proposal outline is a list of items; it is not an essay.

List the following:

1. three significant statistics related to your topic
2. three significant individuals
3. three relevant organizations
4. three key events related to the topic

Explain the significance of each item in a sentence or two or three.

List two or three important arguments on each side of the debate, or, if there is now debate, list two or three arguments relevant to the topic.

State your research question.

The purpose of the paper is to answer your research question. The research question must be appropriately focused for a detailed ten-page paper.

The research question must be a real question. It should not have a simple "yes" or "no" answer.

You can ask questions about effects:

• Does Information Communication Technology empower or marginalize women in India?
• Does offshoring IT software and hardware jeopardize our national security?
• Does US aid really benefit Colombia?
• Does globalization increase child sexual abuse?
• Will economic growth in China harm the global environment?

You can ask questions about causes, but only when the causes are not clear or debatable. For example:

• Why did the United States invade Iraq?

However, questions that elicit a straightforward list of obvious causes should be avoided. For example:

• What's behind the explosion of AIDS in South Africa?

You would not need to write a research paper to answer this question, as the causes are well known. In these cases, it's usually better to ask questions about the national and international response to the crisis.

You can ask questions about what should be done:

• Should the United States sign the Kyoto treaty?
• Should the United States withdraw from Iraq?

You can ask questions about controversies:

• Does globalization cause income inequality?
• Is offshoring good for American workers?
• Should the Third World debt be forgiven?
• Should trade regulations include environmental protections?
• How dangerous is global warming?
• Do IMF programs benefit poor countries?

These are examples. Many kinds of questions are possible, if they provide the basis for a detailed ten page paper.

Avoid questions like: Do protective barriers hinder the influx of foreign direct investment?

It is incorrect because the answer is simply "yes," because "protective barriers" by definition "hinder the influx of foreign direct investment."