The following sections will help you to organize your problem-solution proposal and also explain how your work will be evaluated:

Controlling Purpose–Paragraph 1

Explicitly articulating a clear controlling purpose early on in a research project helps to guide a reader through the entire project. Your controlling purpose (thesis) will be in your introductory paragraph and explain your problem as well as the claim you are making for the solution you are proposing.

Exigency–Paragraph 2

Exigency refers to the amount of urgency in solving this particular problem right now. What kinds of research have you found that points to why this problem should be addressed immediately or in the very near future?

Audience–Paragraph 3

Who are the people that would be in a position to take action about this problem and assist in carrying out the solution?

Stakeholders–Paragraph 3

Who are the people who will benefit the most from the solution to this problem?

Research summary and integration–Paragraphs 4 through 8 (and throughout as necessary)

One of the great challenges of a persuasive research project is clearly summarizing and deploying a body of research in ways that support an author’s controlling purpose. Your research should be clearly presented, and it should be easy to see how it supports your controlling purpose.There is a temptation to think that quotations and research speaks for itself, but readers never really know what a quotation is meant to show or do unless writers explain them. In your project, it should be clear what your quotations, paraphrases, and summaries are meant to do. 

Explanation of Technical Terms (as needed throughout project)

Oftentimes in the course of doing research, we will find that key or technical terms will be the subject of some debate or disagreement among writers and scholars. Therefore, it is important that any such terms are clearly defined and explained so our readers know how we are using them. 

Sources are cited according to APA conventions, and the project includes a References page at the end of the text (All)

As you enter into particular scholarly discourse communities, norms of citation and referencing take on greater importance—they are a sign of “belonging” to particular discourse communities and signal that you have carefully ensured proper citation of other authors, so be sure to cite each source appropriately.