The world is full of many problems, but for every problem, there’s at least one solution. Solutions to problems can be pretty straightforward, but sometimes, they require you to think outside the box for answers. Chances are you’ve probably already figured that out to some extent, in which case you’re already ahead of the curve when it comes to our next type of essay – the proposal essay.
The proposal essay is a bit more complex than many other types of essays you’ve probably written, yet this doesn’t have to be daunting or impossible. Knowing how to become a good writer of proposal essays will help you be prepared when you finally get assigned one, and even if you’ve never assigned a proposal essay in a class, they’re quite popular in the business and economics worlds, so there’s a good chance you’ll have to write one in the future.
Keep reading to learn what a proposal essay is, the key components of a great proposal essay, the steps to follow when writing a proposal essay, an example of an excellent proposal essay outline, and so much more!
What Is a Proposal Essay?
Whether you’ve been assigned a proposal essay for a class, your boss has tasked you with writing a proposal essay at work, or you just want to learn how to write a proposal essay to improve your paper writing, the first place we need to start is the definition of a proposal essay. It’s important to know that a proposal essay is not a research proposal. Although they have similar names, they are two very different types of papers.
The simplest definition of a proposal essay is a paper where a problem and a solution to that problem are presented. Although it’s important to present a problem in a proposal essay and demonstrate its scope and severity, most of your attention should be spent on how to solve that problem.
Now that you know what a proposal essay is, why would you find yourself having to write one?
Why Write a Proposal Essay?
The obvious answer to this question for many of you reading this is that you’ve been assigned to write a proposal essay for a class. Upper-division English courses at universities often assign proposal essays to ensure students are well-rounded essay writers. Proposal essays are also often assigned in other humanities courses, but they are often quite common in business and economics classes.
Proposal essays are often the first tangible step in any business plan. The proposal is often used to confront a problem a business is having. For example, a company is experiencing a lagging sale of widgets, so employees draft a proposal essay offering a solution to the problem. Proposal essays can be used for any business facing a problem, and they can also be used to address more major macroeconomic problems.
Just remember, if there’s a problem and a potential solution, then a proposal essay can be written!
Key Components of a Proposal Essay
One of the key factors that makes a proposal essay unique is that it utilizes a slightly different format than other essays. There are some slight variations that can be chosen when you write a proposal essay, but I’ll review the most common and what I believe, based on my own personal experience, is the most effective format.
Proposal essays should begin like any other essay, with a good introduction paragraph. You should start the intro with a catchy hook that catches the reader’s attention before briefly laying out the problem. You will discuss the problem in more detail later, though, so don’t get too bogged down with it in the intro. Next, you’ll want to state your thesis in the last sentence or two of the paragraph. For the purpose of illustration, let’s use a hypothetical example. For my example, the proposal is a plan to alleviate truancy in the local schools, so the thesis statement could be something like this: “Truancy is a major problem in the local schools that could be alleviated with a carrot and stick approach by incentivizing students to want to be at school while punishing parents who allow their children to skip school.”
In the next paragraph, I outline the problem of truancy. I cite some statistics demonstrating how bad it is in the community compared to other communities. Depending upon how long the essay is supposed to be, I could also point out the long-term negative repercussions truancy can have on greater society. I will then segue into the proposal.
The actual proposal should be a paragraph, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be very long. The reason why it doesn’t have to be very long is because the next paragraph or two will detail your plan of action (how you will carry out the proposal) and why it will work. Ideally, these will be three different paragraphs, but if a word count limits you, you could combine all three.
The plan of action is how you will carry out your proposal. So, for my hypothetical example, this is where I will go into the carrot and stick approach I mentioned in the thesis statement. I’ll detail how incentives will be given to keep kids in school, such as more freedom to choose classes. Then, I will discuss how parents will be penalized for not having more control over their kids.
For the paragraph or section that discusses why the plan will work, I’ll need to cite some sources. For this, you can use examples of how similar plans have been implemented elsewhere or cite expert testimony. This part of the essay is perhaps the most important because you are establishing the authority behind your argument.
Another paragraph should detail the expected outcomes of the plan. In our example, you would stress how the plan will reduce truancy in the community. You can also extend things a bit by mentioning how reduced truancy will lead to higher graduation rates, lower crime rates, and lower unemployment in the area.
The next section will relate the resources needed. In this paragraph, I’ll stress that some more funding will be needed for the school to implement the idea of more choices for classes – more counselors will be needed, but also more resource officers to stop kids who are skipping class. This plan will also need some more funding and cooperation from the local police departments and prosecutors’ office if parents are going to be held accountable for their children’s truancy.
The final paragraph is the conclusion. As with most other types of essays, you summarize everything and restate your thesis. You’ll also need to restate your plan briefly and explain why it’s a good idea. You also need to stress a call to action for the reader. Another section you could add, and is required in many proposal essays, is a bibliography or list of sources/works cited. Remember, you need to establish authority by citing examples and experts, so you should list them in a bibliography, especially if you don’t use footnotes.
Steps to Writing an Excellent Proposal Essay
Step 1
When you are assigned a proposal essay, the first thing you need to do is think of a topic. If you haven’t been assigned a specific topic, then it’s up to you to come up with one that will be interesting and engaging to your reader(s). This will require you to understand your audience, particularly what they find interesting. The hypothetical topic I’ve chosen about truancy would be great for an educational audience or perhaps even a legal crowd, but it probably wouldn’t go over so well with a group of scientists.
Step 2
Once you’ve decided on a topic, then it’s time to do your research. Because proposal essays require more statistics, numbers, and sources, you’ll have to spend a bit more time doing research. Focus on credible websites, magazines, and journals and leave more opinionated articles and columns for other types of essays.
Step 3
The next step that I do is to write an outline. I’ll present a more detailed outline later in this article, but for now, it’s important to know that an outline is the best way to organize your paper before you start writing it. Add your citations to the outline as you go, and you’ll see how quickly and nicely everything develops.
Step 4
Yes, writing is the most important step in any essay, but what separates a decent proposal essay from a great one is completing all of the previous steps. Once you complete those other steps, the actual writing is much easier and stress-free, giving you more time for the important final step.
Step 5
The final step in writing a proposal essay is to edit and proofread the paper. If you follow all the previous steps, you should have enough time to write a good draft and then edit and proofread it multiple times if needed. You may find it difficult to edit your own writing, so have a friend or colleague read the paper because another set of eyes can often spot typos that you’ve missed!
Extra Tips for a High-Quality Proposal Essay
- In addition to following the above steps in the proposal essay process, there are a few more things for you to consider that can help make your writing easier and less stressful. I already touched on time management a bit, but I can’t stress it enough! Once you get the assignment, start working on it by putting time aside for it daily. This will give you time to account for any potential contingencies. Chances are you have a lot going on in your life, so don’t let some unforeseen circumstances prevent you from writing a top-tier proposal essay.
- Another important suggestion is to relax! I know that’s easy to say, but if you follow my advice and practice good time management, then it should be easier to reduce stress. Don’t forget your other obligations, and don’t forget to do some things you like to do. Spend some time outdoors, exercising, and with friends and family. If your body and soul feel good, then your thinking will be much clearer, and you’ll produce a better essay.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Almost as important as what you should do are things you shouldn’t do when writing a proposal essay. One of the biggest mistakes you can make, especially if this is your first proposal essay, is to make things too complicated. It’s good to provide plenty of details and sources to support your thesis, but if your proposal and thesis are too obscure, you’ll have problems finding sources. Proposal essays should be straightforward and easy to follow. Use language that your audience will understand – they shouldn’t need a thesaurus to read it!
With all of this in mind, let’s take a look at an example of a proposal essay outline.
Proposal Essay Example Outline
Earlier, I mentioned how a good outline is an important part of the writing process. There are different formats you can use for an outline, so use whatever works best for you. For this outline, I’ll use the hypothetical example of reducing truancy.
- Introduction
- Hook sentence
- Truancy has become a national epidemic that leads to numerous social problems, including drug abuse, crime, and unwanted pregnancies
- Two more sentences
- Truancy has become a national epidemic that leads to numerous social problems, including drug abuse, crime, and unwanted pregnancies
- Thesis
- “Truancy is a major problem in the local schools that could be alleviated with a carrot and stick approach by incentivizing students to want to be at school while punishing parents who allow their children to skip school.”
- Hook sentence
- The Problem
- Cite truancy statistics and studies
- The Proposal
- Carrot and stick approach
- Incentivize kids to stay in school
- Penalize parents whose children are habitually truant
- Carrot and stick approach
- Plan of Action
- Detail the incentives
- Detail the penalties
- Why it will work
- Cite sources
- Examples of how similar plans worked
- Cite sources
- Expected Outcomes
- Reduced truancy
- Higher graduation rates
- Lower crime in the community
- Fewer teen pregnancies
- Lower crime rates
- Lower unemployment
- Reduced truancy
- Resources Needed
- More funding for schools
- Counselors
- Resource Officers
- More funding and cooperation with local authorities
- Police and prosecutors
- Social workers
- More funding for schools
- Conclusion
- Summary
- Restate thesis
- Restate proposal
- Call to action for readers
- Restate proposal
- Bibliography/Works Cited
Your Proposal for Success
Proposal essay writing may be one of the more complex styles of essay writing, but it doesn’t have to be too difficult. If you give yourself plenty of time to write your proposal essay, follow the steps in this article, and relax, you’ll find that the process is much less daunting than you thought.
Who knows, you may even learn that you enjoy writing!
