How to Write an Essay Proposal: Examples Can Come in Handy

Sometimes, you may be required to write an essay proposal before you start working on the paper itself. It will be a great practice for your future, since many advanced academic papers like dissertations must be preceded by a proposal that advertises the paper and draws in the necessary support and financing.

The following instructions will explain how to write a winning essay proposal.

  1. Discuss the details with your instructor.

    Every instructor has his or her own requirements that may differ from the common norms. It’s essential that you discuss them in detail in order to know exactly what you have to include in the proposal.

  2. Choose a topic.

    You need to pick a topic that will be narrow and interesting. First of all, it must be interesting for you. This way, you will be able to write a truly good paper.

  3. Do some research.

    You won’t need to research the subject in-depth, but you will have to go through enough sources to provide you with a good idea of what exactly you will include in the essay. Be sure to check whether there is supporting evidence for every argument you plan to make.

  4. Explain the topic.

    The main task of an essay proposal is to explain what the paper is going to be about. In order to do this properly, you will need to offer some background information about the topic, and give the readers some idea of the reasons that make your research truly relevant for the field of study.

  5. Summarize your findings.

    At this stage, you will need to present a short overview of the evidence you’ve gathered during the preliminary research, and explain how exactly it supports your point of view.

    Refrain from including direct quotes into the proposal. If you absolutely need to use some quotations, you will need to paraphrase them. Be sure to cite the source.

  6. Compile a bibliography.

    List every source you used, even if you only borrowed a few ideas from it. The bibliography must be written in a style defined by your instructor.

    Today, you can use the Internet in order to make the task of writing an essay proposal easier. There are plenty of examples available online. You can find them through a simple search engine and access them for free. Study those examples in order to see how other people handled this task. You may use them for inspiration, but do not forget to format your own paper according to the requirements defined by your school or professor.