After choosing your topic, you should identify some readings appropriate for the topic.  If there’s anything on the syllabus that covers your topic, that’s the place to start.  Appropriate material from the syllabus may be included in your bibliography.  For further research, go to the Philosophers’ Index (on Aladin) and begin your search there.  If there’s a lot of material on your topic, begin with a recent article in a major journal (Ethics, Law and Philosophy, Philosophy and Public Affairs, Journal of Philosophy, American Philosophical Quarterly); that will lead you to other important articles.

You will probably need to scan a fair number of articles before deciding on the ones you will use.  Your final selections don’t need to be numerous, but should be well-chosen to reflect differing (preferably opposing) points of view on your topic.  For most topics two to four articles directly on the topic will be enough to provide grist for your mill.

In addition to the articles directly on the topic, you may need to do some background reading on philosophical concepts or theories employed by these principal articles.  This reading may be in books, textbooks, or other articles, and should also be included in your bibliography.  

Each item in your bibliography should include a full citation and a brief description of the content of the material and why it is included.  E.g.

            Morris, Herbert. "Persons and Punishment.” Monist 52, no. 4 (October 1968): 75-501 

Morris draws on Kantian ethical theory to argue that offenders have a right to be punished, rather than provided with treatment or rehabilitation.  He argues that rehabilitation does not respect offenders’ choices.  This is the main argument that I will seek to refute in my paper

Proposal 

The paper proposal should consist of one or two paragraphs explaining how you plan to approach the topic.   Indicate what you expect to show and how you plan to argue for it.   You don’t have to follow this plan for the actual paper, but it will enable me to make sure that you are thinking along the right lines before you put too much effort into writing

Before writing the paper proposal, please see What is a Conceptual Paper and Paper Writing Tips.