A Research Prospectus is a formal statement about your chosen topic of research. It should contain an explanation of the larger historical concerns which make your topic worth doing. You will also be able to present questions that you will be asking of your sources.
Tips:
As you are working on your project, think of your prospectus as a work-in-progress.
1. As you work with the secondary literature on your subject, either broadly or narrowly conceived, you should think about how your study fits into the historiographical literature.
2. As you begin to collect your primary sources, you may discover that you need additional sources
3. And, as you think critically about the evidence in both your primary and secondary sources, you may discover that your thesis ideas have changed, and that you need to revise, or rethink altogether, your thesis question.
