a) A "problem statement" / statement of topic, which answers the question:
What are you going to DO?
This statement begins with the
word "TO," which pushes you to speak in terms of ACTION.
A silly but clear cut example is:
To bake a layer cake for a party.
This will be stronger if you
are more specific:
To bake a chocolate layer cake
with vanilla butter cream frosting for the Olivia's graduation
party on Thursday, [state the date].
Cakes are easy to discuss. But
for a more complex project, to do it well you'll need to have
a good grasp of your topic and how you intend to handle it. One
way to think of your problem statement is as an "executive
summary" of your paper or project. Imagine you are at a
party and meet a person who might either offer you a job or an
internship--or even a research grant award. And they want to
get a sense of your research skills and how your mind works.
They ask you about your paper. How would you describe your project
in 15 seconds or less--before someone interrupts and your opportunity
is lost?
Here is an example of an excellent
problem statement, written by an advanced student. Notice that
she does not say "I am going to write a paper about Edmund
Tarbell." The problem statement makes it very clear what
the focus of the paper is.
To discern how American artists
were influenced by French Impressionism, with particular focus
on Edmund Tarbell, who was the only artist to successfully transform
the painting style into something genuinely American.
Problem statement
© Mary Waterfield. All rights reserved.
Used by kind permisssion.
Ms. Waterfield's proposal is
for a long paper.
For a short paper--such as one that's 6-10 pages long--it's
important to make your problem statement more tightly focused.
This way you'll be able to cover your topic in a few pages.
For Art of the Western World
1 and 2: the assignment
includes a discussion of a work (or works) of art of your choice.
Here, the work of art will serve
as a way to sharpen the focus of your paper.
For example, your problem statement
might follow this formula:
To explore X [a facet of your
chosen topic that you've decided to focus on] with particular
focus on [or as evident in] Y [your chosen work(s) of art] in
the collection of Z [the museum that owns the work(s)].
Once your problem statement is
clear, then the outline--the structure of your paper--will flow
easily from it.
b) Statement of the reason for your choice of topic,
or Why is this topic important to YOU?
Statement of the reason for your
choice of topic, or Why is this topic important to YOU? In at
most 2 sentences, explain how your chosen topic relates to your
interests. Why did you choose the topic? How does your topic
relate to your:
- Professional goals,
- Interests you already have,
or
- Interests that have grown with
the independent reading you're doing?
This statement loosely corresponds
to the "need for the study" in a formal (long form
/ graduate level) proposal. And it serves the same purpose. A
carefully considered statement of the reason you chose your topic
will help to provide focus. And it will affect the way you approach
your topic and organize your paper.
For example, if we return to
the problem statement about the cake, what sort of party is the
cake for? Is it a party celebrating a gardening prize that the
person being honored has just won? Then decoration with beautiful
flowers made of icing is very appropriate. This will affect the
problem statement, which might then read:
To bake a chocolate layer cake
with vanilla butter cream frosting and icing decoration with
a floral theme, for the party on [date], in honor of Jane Smith's
recent gardening award.
Is the party for a small child,
with part of the entertainment a trip to the park to ride on
a carousel? Then a theme of the child's favorite carousel animals
might be a good choice.
So, the reason you chose your
topic will affect the problem statement. Think about the example
of the cake. Often greater clarity on WHY you chose a topic will
have a significant--or even a profound--effect on your problem
statement. Clarifying your WHY early in the planning process
will save a huge amount of time, and result in a better paper.
c) Outline, or, HOW are you going to do it?
Keep your problem statement firmly
in mind. And then in simple outline form, explain how you plan
to approach your topic.
Based on the reading and thinking
you've already done, and on the bibliography you've assembled:
What is the tentative structure
of your paper?
- What topic will you start with?
- What specific points will you
cover in the paragraphs that follow?
- What sources in your bibliography
will be the most helpful for each specific point? If you're asking
good questions but haven't yet found good sources, then say so.
- How will you integrate your
chosen work of art into your discussion?
- At what point will you do an
analysis of the composition of your chosen art work?
This is not intended to be "written
in stone," for the project / paper will grow as you work
on it. HOWEVER, be sure that your outline rests on the strong
foundation of the work you've done so far.
Two common mistakes are:
1. The outline doesn't reflect
the problem statement. Remember: the problem statement says what
you will DO in your paper. The outline shows HOW you will do
it.
2. Trying to write an outline
without having done adequate reading. You might write an outline
that (superficially) sounds great. But it will be a poor foundation
for your paper. And it will result in a messy end of semester
crunch. You may find that your bibliography doesn't support the
outline you've written. How will you find the sources you need
at the last moment?
d) The annotated Bibliography, or the resources you
are drawing from from.
This is the final part of a short
proposal. But you need to assemble your Bibliography FIRST, before
you write your proposal.
Please remember that this
is NOT a list of resources that sound great but you've not yet
consulted. If you try
to take a shortcut in the proposal stage, you'll have chaos at
the end of the semester. You may discover that the sources you
list are not available on short notice. Or they may turn out
to be inappropriate to your topic. Then you'll end up with a
mad rush at the end of the semester, and a weak paper.
Read (or revisit) the section
titled "Assess
your Bibliography." This will help to ensure that
your bibliography is balanced. And that it has a wide enough
range of appropriate sources.
As you know from the Research
Strategy page, the most effective approach is to BEGIN
with BOOKS for a good overview. THEN do a database search to
find articles that answer specific questions you may have.
When you are
certain you have a solid bibliography, you may want to organize
it into sections or categories. If you choose to do this, under
the heading "Selected Bibliography" say something like
this. "I have organized this bibliography under the following
headings: and then list them. The headings should make sense
to you, and help your reader. Under your chosen headings, list
your sources alphabetically by author's last name.
- List your sources
in the University
of Chicago style (format). And please note that the format for
an entry in your bibliography differs from the format of a footnote.
- Add an annotation
for each entry. And base your annotations on the reading you
have already done in these sources.
- Why are the
source you've listed useful to you? This might or might not be
obvious. Be sure to be specific, and to show that you did in
fact consult the source.
- And, How have
you accessed the source? Or--for sources you've not yet gained
access to--how are you going to access the source? Is it at SUNY
New Paltz or in your local Library? Is it online? Will you buy
it or get it through InterLibrary Loan?
