Taibah University Science Fiction Project Paper

Overview:  A research proposal explains why and how you plan to conduct your research.  Specifically, research proposals describe the research problem and establishes its significance.

Constructing Your Proposal 

Answer the following questions:

• Are you focusing on a piece of science fiction already written, or writing one of your own?
• What approach are you planning on taking? (Research paper? Short story? Short film?)
• What research do you need to make this project successful?
• What types of data do you need to collect (articles, journals, interviews, video, etc.)?

Schedule:  Your proposal should include a schedule that outlines the various stages of the project along a time line. Typically, this is written as a chronological list of procedures you will follow: data collection, analysis, writing and revising.  Work backwards from the date you want to complete the project and be realistic about the amount of time that different tasks will take. It is a good idea to generate a timeline because it forces you to think through the entire research process realistically and may alert you to problems that you might otherwise overlook.