Proposals: An Introduction

A proposal is a persuasive document that demonstrates the achievability of and requests support or funding for a particular project. There are two types: 

Research Proposals

As a student, you might produce a proposal that seeks approval for a research project. Students in Master’s and Ph.D.  programs often produce such proposals to define plans for the extended research  projects known as theses and dissertations, respectively.

Real World Proposal

If you worked for a software firm, you might produce a document to convince a client to purchase a network management product. As a scientist, you might apply for a federal grant to fund your research into how mice learn to square dance (or some equally esoteric subject). As an educator, you might apply for funding so you can arrange a conference for teachers in your part of the state on teaching English as a second language.

This form of writing attempts both to inform and persuade the reader. Like most professional or technical documents, regardless of their overall focus, proposals share common features. First, though, it’s worth knowing that regardless of whether they are real-world or research in type, there are two types: solicited and unsolicited.