1. Unit 4: Research Communication
OVERVIEW
Start where you left off in part two of the Everyday
Communication Unit, in which
you were asked to write a persuasive memo based on an idea
you would like to see implemented in your job (e.g., a way to
increase productivity, improve service, increase business, or
improve working conditions).
For that assignment, you wrote a routine miscellaneous memo
requesting action and persuading your audience that your idea is
worthwhile.
Now, your audience – the person, people, department, etc. with
the power to approve the project – has responded that they are
intrigued and would like to begin a more formal process toward
implementing your idea.
Planning Proposals are common in professional or corporate
environments where supervisors may ask an employee to write
up a project proposal before that project is launched. In this
unit, your goal is to demonstrate to your audience that you are
sufficiently prepared to undertake the process of working your
way toward the final project with a good understanding of the
background knowledge you will need to acquire and the work
still to be done.
ASSIGNMENT

2. Part One: Project Proposal
Your Proposal should include the following:
-A
cover page
with the working title of your project, your name, and your
instructor’s name. A title that identifies the
issue/topic/problem/solution accurately and engages readers’
interests.
-An
abstract
that summarizes your project (approximately 100 words) acting
as a brief description of the problem you will attempt to
solve/address with the final project. The abstract must engage
its identified audience – the person/group/agency with the
power to effect the proposed change(s) or whose mind(s) must
be changed – with the problem by presenting it clearly, and
showing that it is interesting, problematic, and significant. The
abstract also introduces the hypothesis: the plan you intend to
propose.
-A
purpose statement
with your rationale for the project. Why is this project
important to you?
-A
qualification statement
that explains the experience, preparation, and special qualities
you bring to the project.

3. Part Two: Progress Report Memo
Along the way, you will report to your audience by submitting a
memo that informs on your progress. The purpose of this memo
is to give an update on the work being done while also piquing
the audience’s interest in said work.
Part Three: Annotated Bibliography
For this part of the assignment you will conduct research and
write an Annotated Bibliography to support your proposal.
With this annotated bibliography, your goal is to demonstrate
to your readers that you are sufficiently prepared to undertake
the process of working your way toward the final project with a
good understanding of the issue, background knowledge you
will need to acquire, and the work still to be done.
Write a
Three-Sentence Evaluative Annotation
for each of your sources. Once you have completed this work,
go back and draft a
Critical Preface
for your Annotated Bibliography.
Critical Preface:
- Your preface should provide a contextual overview that shows
the purpose of the annotated bibliography and suggests its value
and significance to the reader. There should be a clear research
question and reference to the dates when the information was
compiled, as well as an overview of the number of items in the
bibliography and the scope of material included.
Rhetorical Context (Sentence 1):

4. - Verification or critique of the authority or qualifications of the
source’s author.
- The point of view or perspective from which the work was
written. For instance, you may note whether the author seemed
to have particular biases or was trying to reach a particular
audience.
Description (Sentence 2):
- Explanation of main points (summary) and purpose of the
work (basically, its thesis) which shows among other things that
you have read and thoroughly understand the source.
Analysis (Sentence 3):
- Comments on the worth, effectiveness, and usefulness of the
work in terms of both the topic being researched and your own
research project.
- Relevant links to other work done in the area, like related
sources, possibly including a comparison with some of those
already on your list. You may want to establish connections to
other aspects of the same argument or opposing views.
A good annotated bibliography…
- encourages you to think critically about the content of the
works you are using, their place within a field of study, and
their relation to your own research and ideas.
- proves you have read and understand your sources.
- establishes your work as a valid source and you as a
competent researcher.

5. - situates your study and topic in a continuing professional
conversation.
- provides a way for your readers to decide whether a source
will be helpful to their research.
- could help interested researchers determine whether they are
interested in a topic by providing background information and
an idea of the kind of work going on in a field.
ASSESSMENT
I will be looking for proposals that…
· present the author as a serious, trustworthy, informed, fair,
and credible writer and
researcher
· clearly present the problem in all its complexity and
significance,
· clearly state the author's rhetorical purpose and rationale for
the project,
· demonstrate rhetorical knowledge (by making appropriate
choices about structure,
style, voice, document design and by using the three basic
rhetorical appeals).
· clearly identify how the final project will attempt to change
minds, win support, and/or
propose a logical and achievable solution.

6. Submission Instructions
:
Final Proposal w/Ann Bib and Prog Memo will be submitted in
class on tba*