| THE PROPOSAL OVERVIEW |
| The proposal should present the: (1) objectives and scientific or educational
significance of the proposed work; (2) suitability of the methods to be employed; (3) qualifications of the investigator; (4) effect of the activity on science,
engineering and/or education; and (5) special needs (equipment concerns, etc.). It should present the merits of the proposed project
clearly and should be prepared with the care and thoroughness of a paper
submitted for publication. Sufficient information should be provided so that
reviewers will be able to evaluate the proposal. We suggest making a
"checklist" of items needed in order to be certain your proposal is
complete. Proposal Due
Date: Final proposals are
due, completed and turned-in no later than 5:00 p.m., on the date defined in
the Schedule. No extensions will be granted without the written consent of
your Scientific Process (SP) instructor(s). Note: First drafts of proposals
are due on an earlier date. |
| INSTRUCTIONS FOR
PROPOSAL PREPARATION
It is important that all proposals conform to the
instructions provided. Conformance is required and will be strictly enforced
unless a deviation has been approved. Proposals that are not consistent
with these instructions will be judged deficient in very basic structure and
will result in rejection of the proposal and failure for the course.
Particular attention is given to proposal length, content and formatting,
including the page limitation of the Project Description and other proposal
sections, such as the use of Appendices and required content of the
Biographical Sketches. Your SP
instructor(s) must authorize any deviations from these instructions in
writing in advance.
Line spacing should be double-spaced for all sections of
the first version of the proposal (except the Reference Cited, and you need to have line numbers for the first version); established word limits must be
followed (see below). You must provide two copies of your proposal to the
instructor(s). You
are also required to include your edited (marked-up) first draft.
Pages submitted
must be of standard size. 8½" x 11" (216 mm x 279mm) is preferred,
however, metric A4 (210 mm x 297 mm) may be used.
|
| SECTIONS OF THE
PROPOSAL
The proposal must be assembled in the
following sequence, with page number on the bottom center of each page.
Failure to follow this format results in a rejection of the proposal: 1. Cover Sheet for Proposal
(one separate page) 2. Abstract (Max 100 words -
one separate page) 3. Table of Contents (one page
- one separate page) 4. Project Description 5. References Cited (no limit- single spaced) 6. Curriculum Vitae 7. Timeline and equipment and resource needs |
First Submission:
Will include the revised first submission proposal as well as the statistical
analyses within the Methods and the Broader Implications.You will also need a timeline and equipment and resources needs as part of your proposal.
|
IN DEPTH INSTRUCTIONS
Cover Sheet
Complete the linked form for the cover sheet. No
substitutions are acceptable. The cover sheet is available as an HTML
document or an MS Word document. Type in the material and then print the
page. Do not print the page and hand-write the content. Note: The
title of the project should be brief, scientifically or technically literate
reader and suitable for use in the public press. HTML
Cover Sheet MS
Word Cover Sheet – downloadable to disk
Abstract
The proposal must contain a summary of the
proposed activity, 100 word maximum.
It is an abstract of the proposal; a self-contained description of the
activity that would result if the proposal were funded. The summary should
include an introduction to the problem you are addressing, a statement of
objectives, methods to be employed and the potential impact of the project on
advancing knowledge, science and mathematics education, and/or human resource
development. It should be understandable to a scientifically or technically
literate lay reader. (Max 100 words)
Table of Contents
The proposal must contain a Table of Contents
with all relevant sections of the proposal noted and clearly defined with
respect to location. (1 page) |
| Project Description:
Detailed Explanation
The organization of a
proposal's Project Description can vary considerably from funding agency to
agency. Despite this variability, each proposal should have the essential
elements, regardless of the subheadings used (see below). This is the
organization required for this course; you must include each of the following
sections in your proposal. You will see that many of the subheadings and their
content mirror the structure of a scientific journal article. The two types
of writing, however, have very different purposes. While a primary journal
article provides data to evaluate a hypothesis and is intended to convince
the reader that the work was sound, a proposal is designed to entice the
reader and demonstrate the feasibility of the work.
A proposal must NOT bore the
reviewer. It is of great importance, no matter how technical the section
you're writing, to relate your enthusiasm for the project. However, relating
this enthusiasm and maintaining a professional tone to your writing is an art
form that takes practice to develop. You may also find that reading past
successful proposals from colleagues or advisors gives you insight into this
delicate balancing act. A scientific proposal is a tool in science.
However, the skills that you will develop in this exercise are critical to
any professional field. You will learn how to construct and communicate an
argument that will help you throughout life. Project Description
The main body of the proposal should be a clear
statement of the work to be undertaken and should include: objectives for the
period of the proposed work, relation to the
present state of knowledge in the field, and the proposed methods. The project description
should outline the general plan of work, including the broad design of
activities to be undertaken, an adequate description of experimental methods
and procedures and, if appropriate, plans for preservation, documentation,
and sharing of data, samples, physical collections and other related research
products. The statement should also indicate any broader impacts of the
proposed activity. Brevity will assist reviewers in dealing effectively with
proposals. Pay close attention to word limits. Visual materials, including charts, graphs, maps, photographs and
other pictorial presentations may be included. Conformance to the word limitation will be strictly enforced. (more detailed
instructions on the Project Description). |
Introduction: (Why
is this important?)
This section introduces
the research problem, its significance, and importance. The introduction is
meant to build your case that this project is important enough to be funded.
You will want to cast your project that presents the context of your study
beyond the narrow focus of your specific quesition. For example, what are the
potential scientific or societal justifications for your study. Make sure
that you identify the work previously done in the field that helps illustrate
the uniqueness of your research question. Be careful, do not add methods into
this sections. You will have the opportunity to discuss the methods in the
next section. Usually, though not always, this section concludes identifies
the hypotheses to be tested and your predictions near the end of the section.
(Max 500 words)
|
Research
Objectives: (What you intend to do?)
The author explicitly
defines what the project's objectives within this section. The author will
specifically identify the questions and/ or hypotheses that will be examined
in the study. The specific methods used to accomplish the objectives,
however, are left for the next section.
(Max 100 words)
|
Methods: (How
you will conduct the study?)
This is where you
detail how the work will be accomplished from a practical standpoint. This
section will describe the study design, data collection, and data analyses.
Authors may also want to include such things as a description of the
facilities or study area and specialized equipment. This should be more than
a simple description of your methods. You will need to explain/ justify each
component of your study. Do not recreate the wheel. You will want to develop
methods based on accepted procedures and equipment. Make sure that you cite
where appropriate.
(Max 700 words - statistical analyses for 2nd submission)
|
Broader
Implications: (Besides the persons identified in your introduction, who
else would be interested in the proposed study?)
In your introduction, you designed
a line of thinking to justify your project. What are some other possible
justifications of your work. How might your work have applied significance,
or how might your study have broader implications of your study to basic
science."What is the broader significance of this research?"
(Max 100 words)
|
| References Cited
Reference information is required. Each reference
must include the title, names of all authors in the same sequence in which
they appear in the publication, book or journal, volume number, page numbers
and year of publication. Specific format of listing references is at the
discretion of the proposer, but should follow an excepted format (see
instructions in Bibliography assignment).
There is no established page limitation for this section of the proposal.
However, at least 90% of your references must come from peer-reviewed
sources. This needs to be
complete.There is no minimum or maximum number of citation. You must
adequately support your proposal. |
Curriculum Vitae: (Biographical Information)
You will want to develop a curriculum vitae
describing your professional career to date. You will be provided
supplementary guidance for this section.
(Biographical Sketches) (more detailed
instructions)
Biographical sketches are limited to two pages.
The following minimal information must be provided:
·
Vitae (resume), listing professional and
academic essentials and mailing address
·
The names of previous institutions attended
with degrees completed or in progress
·
employment history if relevant to the proposal
·
skills/experiences relevant to the proposal
(As long as you need.) |
First Submission:
Will include the revised first submission proposal as well as the statistical
analyses within the Methods and the Broader Implications.
|
| Expected Equipment and Special Resource Needs
Provide a list of any specialty equipment or other
resources you expect to need for the completion of this project with
explanations of why these are needed. A table may be used to fulfill this
requirement. In addition, describe any licensing, permit, or authorizations
required, such as Institutional Review Board (IRB) or Institutional Animal
Care and Use Committee (IACUC) approval - see Office of Sponsored Research
Programs - Compliance page |
