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THE PROPOSAL OVERVIEW
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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.
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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.
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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
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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.
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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.
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)
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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).
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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)
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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)
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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)
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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)
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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.
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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.)
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First Submission:
Will include the revised first submission proposal as well as the
statistical analyses within the Methods and the Broader Implications.
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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
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* Substantial potions of these guidelines have been adapted from the
National Science Foundations 1998 Grant Proposal
Guide\
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