This presentation deals with the Introduction section of Business and Technical Writing proposals at Rutgers University (Problem +Population).

1. The Introduction
("Problem" part of proposal)

2. What kinds of problems are there in the world?

3. How do we choose one problem from so many?

4. We take a slice that cuts through many areas.
• We've been using the example of alcohol abuse in
class.
• Think of the ways in which this might be a problem on
these levels (for discussion in class).
• Globally?
• Nationally?
• Regionally?
• For a specific state?
• A specific town?
• A specific school?
• A specific person or group of people?
• A good Problem should exist on on all of these levels.

5. Research
• Your Problem needs to be quantified.
• The ultimate goal of this proposal is to argue for funding
from a funding source.
• For this reason, you need to present a strong case for
why this Problem is an issue in the first place.
• This means engaging in several types of research and
using data to make your point.
• This research will be both secondary and primary.

6. Primary Research
Primary research is research that you do your self--it is
"primary" because you are doing it, not someone else. This
might involve interviews, e-mails, telephone calls, etc.
Sometime, I will call this "local" research because this is
usually how you find out the details of your specific
Problem on a more local level, i.e. How many RU students
are arrested for drunk and disorderly violations each year?

7. Secondary Research
Secondary research is research that someone else has
already done. You will be using this research to make an
argument of your own. Someone else has done the
research, but you yourself are bringing all of the different
strands together to make a point. 75% of your research for
the proposal will be secondary.

8. You need both types of research.
One is not superior to the other. The most successful
proposals blend rigorous primary research with extensive
secondary research in order to make a unique argument.
(You can think of the different types of research as the
quotes in Expos, for those of you who are freshman).

9. Where do we do this research?
• Some information may simply be available on the internet--
you can google the different types of Alcohol Awareness
programs that already exist at RU.
• Some information must be obtained by interviewing
subjects. For instance, the budgets of programs are rarely
readily available online.
• Some information (about 50% of your sources) must be
scholarly sources obtained using the RU Libraries, which
you can do online. (Please see the guide below for more
information on this subject.)

10. Conclusion
• You need a specific Problem that is mapped onto a
specific Population.
• This Problem should also fit into a larger context (the
"Spectrum of Problems").
• You need to convince your funding source that this
really IS a Problem in the first place.
• You do this by research, both primary and secondary.
• Your Problem might begin as a personal perception
("People at RU drink too much") but that is just the start:
you need to back it up with research at every step of the
way!