D’Arata 1

Natalie D’Arata

Prof. Acheampong

ENC 1102- Research Proposal

5 February, 2024

Introduction

As a Marine Biology major I’ve always been fascinated with the ocean and all of its

aspects. Oceans themselves make up around seventy-one percent of the Earth’s surface so one

can say they’re kind of a big deal. It's easy enough to say if there was no ocean there would be

no Earth, no life, and no humans. It is home to some of the world’s most fascinating creatures

from seagrasses that rely on light for photosynthesis to the angler fish in the deep abyss that

relies on floating particles from the ocean’s surface in order to obtain energy. All of this beauty

and mysteriousness is slowly but surely being taken advantage of on the daily. What is the main

cause of all of this trouble? Humans.

It’s heartbreaking to see the negative effects we as humans have made on one of our most

valuable resources. From plastic pollution to overfishing, harmful algal blooms, and carelessly

dumping trash into the ocean, we are sadly taking advantage of one of the world’s most beautiful

ecosystems. The biodiversity of the ocean is immense from the smallest nanoplankton to the

largest whale shark. Killing off a lot of these smaller sea creatures (through overfishing, plastic

dumping, etc.) that rely on light for bodily processes can cause detrimental effects to all

remaining sea creatures in the food chain. When one food source runs out, some creatures may

not have many other options to turn to. This can lead to vulnerability in a species and eventually

extinction.
 D’Arata 2

It doesn’t feel real until you go to the beach and witness tons of dead fish piled up

onshore or realize you can’t eat a certain kind of salmon because it has been contaminated with

plastics that you carelessly disposed of. Seeing the ocean in such a vulnerable state has inspired

me to one day be a Marine Biologist specifically working in rescue and rehabilitation. Knowing

how much the ocean gives to us should make humans want to give back to it in so many ways.

This needs to be firmly grasped by the public in order for any kind of positive change in human

behavior towards the ocean to take place. So here lies the question, “How can humans help

restore ocean health/cleanliness to its natural beauty by diving intertextually into literary works

towards restoration/rehabilitation?” Can the ocean ever be truly restored/saved? Perhaps, if we

are willing to take the time to do the saving for once.

Research Question

“How can humans help restore ocean health/cleanliness to its natural beauty by diving

intertextually into literary works towards restoration/rehabilitation?”

Methods

The research method being used in this paper will consist of analysis of library databases

in which I plan to research ways of assessing how humans cause damage to the oceans and

specific examples of what humans can do to prevent things like this from happening and/or

worsening in the future. I chose these examples because I feel as if they effectively reflect on the

research question as a whole. The research question is specifically about what humans can do to

restore the oceans. The question of what humans are doing wrong has to be asked first and

analyzed more. Then and only then can I go further with research specifically about what

humans can do to change the ocean for the better through daily efforts. I will dive into the

intertextual approach a bit more and try to gather research from many pieces from the library
 D’Arata 3

database. I feel like it will be good to start with some sort of abstract to give background on my

research topic (basically my introduction). Then I plan to use my library databases and choose a

paragraph for each one to analyze them intertextually. One could be data on how we are harming

the oceans while the other could be how we can save them. Once I have sufficient enough

evidence of what I’m trying to prove, I can wrap it up into a results/conclusion section. The main

goal here is to leave the reader wanting to do something to make a difference. I don’t want them

to just finish reading it and put it in the back of their mind. The end result/hope for me is to really

make an impact.

Framework

The framework that will be talked about in this paper is intertextuality. Intertextuality is

defined as finding connections between similar texts through research analysis to find a common

ground. This is a strong framework to use based on my research question because by making

connections through similar texts and really picking apart their main messages, the reader will be

able to see what humans are doing to the oceans and how we can make things better. In a way it's

sort of supposed to be a reawakening/ realization that there are consequences to our actions.

Specific examples of what studies I will be researching can either be found on the UCF library

databases website or a reliable source such as Google Scholar. Some of these specific examples

include articles on sea turtles getting trapped in plastics, effects of microplastics on sea life,

human use of fertilizer causing HABs (harmful algal blooms) or even dumping of trash into the

ocean. In addition, I intend to find research on how humans can start to convert to things such as

paper products rather than plastics, some specific research groups that I have encountered that

gives back to the oceans through marketing, how to properly dispose of plastics, and many more.
 D’Arata 4

I do believe this will be effective because in order for someone to really be engaged in a topic,

they can’t just get pulled in by one way of using methods of rhetoric and language. I believe if

people really want to learn about how they can make a difference in the ocean world they’re

going to want to see many reliable sources that can show this. Whatever it may be, I attend to

keep the reader fully engaged and make them want to read more and make a difference not just

because they have to, but because they want to.

Timeline

● Week 5: 2/5: Finish composing Research Proposal, 2/6: Attend Knight Write Session and

complete writing assignment 2/7: get feedback and adjust

● Week 6: 2/13: Begin to assess library databases, 2/15: Continue to conduct research, start

to formulate some specific examples that tie into research question, 2/16: EPortfolio 3

due

● Week 7: 2/20: Continue research analysis, start to formulate a paragraph plan/make an

outline, 2/21:Reading Response Due, 2/22: Peer review, 2/23: minor writing assignment

due, 2/25: Annotated Bib draft due

● Week 8: 2/27: Formulate paragraphs, assess organization, 2/29: Continue further

research and make connections between texts, put into paragraphs, 3/01: Eportfolio 4

due, 3/03: Annotated Bib/ Lit Review Due