My Understanding of the Research Proposal

I believe that a research paper is an ongoing learning process that requires a student to search for appropriate sources and then review and reflect upon those sources in order to gain a through understanding of the material to create a thesis. In class discussion today I realized that a research paper is a time consuming process, however the extra time dedicated to the paper will reap beneficial results. As an English major, I too agree with the idea that a research paper is not complete after the research has been gathered, that is why a research proposal is such a great tool to utilize. Since this is the first time during my undergraduate program that I have been required to submit a formal research proposal the entire process is new to me, but I must say that I think it is a wonderfully helpful idea. The purpose of a research proposal is to help the writer construct, organize, and review the materials for the paper in order to create a research question and thesis. The Penguin Handbook discusses the "Research Project" in chapter 20, and it states that "if you've kept your materials organized during the research phase, you can complete the writing phase on schedule with excellent results"(336). This statement from the handbook can directly relate to the main purpose of the research proposal, which I believe to be first and foremost a detailed and organized review of the information from the sources and a narrowing of the sources to decide which sources are best suitable for my argument. After I have chosen the sources for my paper, I can then use this information to create a timeline of my paper. This timeline will help me to schedule the various steps of my paper. Next I will create a research question from my information and my thesis statement will be a possible answer to that question. Thus far I believe my question will ask,"How has the NCLB Act failed to help the children in American schools?"
Overall, my research proposal will be a helpful tool to guide me throughout the process of creating my paper.