lecture 8.1 how to write a research proposal -...

Lecture8.1Howtowritearesearchproposal

AdaptedpartlyfromResearchProgramDevelopmentWorkshop,NSF,NIHandothersources

“Thereisnograntsmanshipthatwillturnabadideaintoagoodone,buttherearemanywaystodisguisea

goodidea.”NormBraverman,NIH

IntroducKon IntroducKon•  Whydoyouneedtowriteaproposal?•  ProposalwriKngisanessenKalpartoflifeinalmostallacademicposiKons.

•  Forgraduatestudents:•  1.ApplyingforaresearchgrantandtravelgranttoaNendmeeKngs.

•  2.Exchangestudentprogramsandstudyoverseasfromthedepartment,university,naKonalparksorprivatefundsrequiresadecentresearchproposal.

BigPicture

•  AlifeKmecareersuccess!

Researcher•  Foraresearcher,thefundforbasicresearchinuniversiKesandnon-profitorganizaKonsprimarilycomesfromexternalgrants,suchastheresearchgrantsoftheMinistryofScienceandTechnology(MOST)andothergovernmentalagencies.

•  ThecompeKKonforfundingisacademiaandotherorganizaKonisveryintense.Forthemajorityoffundingagencies,o\enonlythetop10-20%ofthesubmiNedproposalsreceivefunding,(about30%inMOST),andthepercentagehaveconKnuedtofallinrecentyears.

GraduateStudent

1.TobecomeasuccessfulgraduatestudentandeventuallysecureanacademicposiKon,therefore,itisveryimportanttobefamiliarwiththeprocessofgrantwriKngandreviewingasearlyaspossible.2.HopefullythegraduatestudentscandevelopthesetofskillsforwriKngupresearchproposalthroughpracKcesandbyreviewingother’sproposals,andsuccessfullycompeteforthelimitedresourcetofundtheirresearchideas.

WhatKeepsusfromDoingProposals?

WhatKeepsusfromDoingProposals?

•  FearofrejecKon– Reality-onlyoneproposalin5isnotturneddownbecausetheideawasnotgoodenough– Reality-ArejectedproposalisworthaboutUSD$10,000offreeadvice– Reality-thesuccessrateishigherforproposalsturnedinasecondKme– Reality-thesuccessrateonathirdsubmissionisalmost1:1

NotEnoughTime

•  WriKngislikeanOlympicevent– needsconstantpracKce.

•  WriteeverydayataregularKmeinthesameplacefor20minutes•  Ifyoudon tsitthereeveryday,thedaythatitwouldhavecomewell-youwon tbethere(writer’sblock).

TheProposalProcessisNeverWasted TheProposalProcessisNeverWasted

•  Can’tgetagrantunlessyouwriteone•  Professionallyfulfilling•  Requiresyoutofocusyourthoughts•  Armedwithreviewer’scommentsthesecondproposalisalwaysstronger

•  Themoreyouwrite,thehigherchanceofgegngone

MOSTIntro

•  •  hNps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MG0ASvTEI_U&feature=youtu.be

•  MinistryofScienceandTechnology•  hNps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2T9tBIMdns&feature=youtu.be

FundingRateinMOST

FundingRateinMOST40-45% 20%

1

生命科學研究發展司（106年）各學門新申請專題研究計畫之審查排名分數統計表

學門審查組別一般計畫

審查排名之10%、20%、30%、40%、50%及最低錄取分數

10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 最低錄取分數

生物科學基礎生物 88.00 86.50 85.50 84.50 84.00 84.00

生物化學及分子

生物 88.00 86.50 85.25 84.25 83.50 83.25

農產資源科學

農藝、園藝及農

化 87.00 85.40 84.25 83.25 82.50 82.40

漁業、水產、畜

牧、獸醫及實驗

動物 86.50 85.00 83.75 82.75 82.00 82.25

生農環境與多樣性

生物多樣性 88.25 86.25 85.00 84.60 84.00 84.00 森林水保及生工

生機 86.25 85.75 85.25 84.25 83.75 83.25

植物保護、土壤

及環保 87.50 86.50 85.75 85.25 84.75 84.50

形態及生理醫學細胞生物及解剖

暨病理及法醫 85.00 83.50 82.75 82.25 81.00 81.25

生理 86.00 83.50 82.50 82.00 80.80 80.80

生化及藥理醫學醫學生化及分子

生物 86.75 85.25 84.00 83.00 82.00 82.00

藥理及毒理 84.75 83.50 83.00 82.00 80.75 81.75

微免及檢驗醫學微生物免疫 87.50 86.25 85.00 84.25 83.50 83.50

寄生蟲及醫技與

實驗診斷 86.00 85.00 83.75 83.25 82.50 82.50

藥學及中醫藥學藥學 84.75 83.50 83.00 81.75 81.00 81.00

中醫藥學 84.00 82.00 81.00 80.50 79.80 80.25

食品與營養保健食品科學 84.25 83.00 82.00 81.25 80.50 79.40 營養保健 83.75 82.25 81.50 80.25 79.50 80.00

社會醫學

公衛及環境醫學 86.00 83.50 82.25 81.50 80.75 81.00 食品安全 83.50 82.25 81.40 80.50 79.50 79.50

精神醫學、老人醫

學及家庭醫學 84.75 83.50 82.80 81.75 80.75 81.25

護理 82.50 81.25 80.25 79.50 78.50 78.75

工程醫學

牙醫 82.50 81.50 80.75 79.80 79.25 79.75 放射核醫 84.00 82.75 82.20 81.75 80.5 81.4

醫工、骨科、幹細胞 84.00 82.50 82.00 81.33 80.25 80.50

WhatDoesMOSTWant?

WhatDoesMOSTWant?

•  MOSTlooksforproposalsthat– AreinnovaKveandpushthefronKersofknowledge–  ContributetonaKonalneedsandprioriKes– Gobeyondmarginalia–  Involveresearch&outreach

•  MOSTdo(not)support– Developmentalefforts–  Computerprogramming– Designof…..–  CommericializaKon

Dos•  Haveastrategicplan(schedule…)•  Buildonyourstrengths•  DifferenKatethisproposalfromyoupriorwork(thesis,papers)andothersponsoredwork

•  PerformthoroughliteraturesearchandexploratoryresearchbeforewriKngtheproposal–  JournalarKcles–  ReadtheMOSTgrantproposalguide

•  Establishandkeepyourcontacts(programofficers…)

MinistryofScienceandTechnologyGrantProposal

•  III.ContentsofGrantProposal(wri

- -CM02 CM03 25

5

Word 12

2cm

hNps://www.most.gov.tw/most/aNachments/b8c2646a-8976-450d-86c0-068ffadea4ef

ScopeofourProposal ScopeofProposal1.OnemajorbiologicalquesKon.2.1-3sub-aims/goals.3.1-3yearsofprojectforonebeginninggraduatestudent.4.Maintext:ChineseorEnglish,maximumof5pages(notincludingcoverpage,abstract,figure,tableorreferences).5.Minimum1andupto3figures.6.Maximum15keyreferences.7.Mustincludeecologicalexperiments.8.MayincludeevoluKonary,behavioral,physiological,ormolecularbiologyexperiments.

ScopeofProposal9.Budget:NTD$500,000/year.10.Themainpurposeofthegrantproposalistoconvincethefundingagenciestofundyourresearchproject.Sostrivetothinkclearlyandwritelogically.11.PleasebesuretoaddressthefollowingquesKons:

1)Whyareyougoingtostudythistopic?2)Whyisthisstudyimportanttootherresearchersinthe

fieldofresearch?3)Howareyougoingtocarryoutthestudytosolvethe

proposedquesKons?4)Whatistheexpectedresultifthestudywascarriedout

successfully?5)Statementsofintellectualmeritandbroaderimpact.

ProposalBasics

ProposalBasics•  Writetothereviewers(nottome,nottoyouryourself,nottoyourclassmates)

•  Yourproposalwillbejudgedbythereviewers•  Reviewerswanttoknowfourthings:

– Whatisitabout(theresearchobjecKve)?–  Howwillyoudoit(accomplishtheobjecKve)?–  Canyoudoit(youandyourplan&faciliKes)?–  Isitworthdoing?

•  Thisis,basically,alltheproposalneedstoconvey–butitneedstoconveythiswell

GegngaResearchTopic

Idea

•  Anideaissomethingthatonlyexistsinyourmind.

•  Yourtaskistopresenttheideainafundableproposal.

•  TakeavagueideaandidenKfyaspecificproblemorneedassociatedwithit.

•  AproposalisnotanIdea,itisaplan.

TheResearchTopic

TheResearchTopic•  Itmustberesearch•  Itmustnothavebeendonebefore•  Itmustbesignificant•  Theremustbehigherthanprobabilityzerothatyoucandoit

•  Itmustlenditselftoaviableresearchplan•  YoumusthavethefaciliKestoaccomplishtheresearch

•  Itshouldfitintoyourstrategicplanandcareergoal

Groundwork

•  Doyouknowinyourfield:– Whatisthecurrentstate-of-the-art?– Whoarethetoptenresearchers?– Whataretheydoing(researchtopic)rightnow?– Wheredotheygettheirfunding?– Whatdotheyconsidertobethekeyresearchissues?– Whowouldlikelyreviewyourproposal?– Howmuchmoneyisavailableforagrant?– WhatarethegrantopportuniKes?

Exercise:ShareSomeofYourResearchIdeas

•  Writedownyournumber(1.2….),nameandtopicontheblackboard

•  In

TheResearchObjecKve•  Thisisprobablythehardestpartoftheproposal•  Examplesofhownottodoit:

–  TheobjecKveofmyresearchistoprovideaquantumleapinthedesignofanK-gravityboots.

–  Thegoalofthisprojectistodevelopanintegratedmodelingtoolforthehardeningprocess.

–  ThegoalofthisprojectistodevelopinnovaKveadvancestoenhancewiresawingprocesses.

–  Rapidprototypingmachinesareanimportantpartofthevastarrayoftools.ThisresearchwillbridgetheaccuracygapintheseprocessesbydevelopingtheoreKcalandtechnologicalmeanstoimplementsignificantgainsinaccuracy.

TheResearchObjecKve

•  Fouracceptablewaystodoitright:– TheresearchobjecKveofthisproposalistotestthehypothesisH.

– TheresearchobjecKveofthisproposalistomeasureparameterPwithaccuracyA.

– TheresearchobjecKveofthisproposalistoproveconjecture(conclusion)C.

– TheresearchobjecKveofthisproposalistoapplymethodMfromfieldQtoproblemXinfieldR.

TheResearchObjecKve

•  Howtodoitright:–  TheresearchobjecKveofthisproposalistomeasurethecross-secKonofthemuonnutrinointeracKonat5GeVaccurateto10%.

–  TheresearchobjecKveofthisproposalistotestthehypothesisthatchipformaKoninhigh-speedmachiningofbriNlematerialsisdeterminedbyparametersx,yandz.

–  TheresearchobjecKveofthisproposalistoaccountforuncertaintyinengineeringdesigndecisionmakingthroughtheapplicaKonofuKlitytheory.

TheResearchObjecKve

•  Howtodoitwrong(“actual”submissions):– ThisprojectaimstoadvancetheresearchinpredicKvemodelingformanufacturingprocessopKmizaKon.

– Theproposedstudywillsignificantlyadvancethetheoryofrandomfields.

– ThisstudywilldevelopmodelingandsimulaKon-basedtechnologiesforbuildingconstrucKon.

– NewmethodsinrobustopKmizaKonareproposedforopKmizingcomplexmodelsunderuncertainty.

TheResearchObjecKve•  Doingitright:–  Begin: TheresearchobjecKveofthisprojectis... –  Limit:25wordsorless–  Bespecificaboutwhatyouintendtofindout–  Besureyourstatementiscomprehensible–  BesureyourobjecKveleadsdirectlytoaresearchproceduretoaccomplishtheobjecKve

–  Putitupfront—sentenceone,paragraphone,pageone

– Donotgiveaweatherreportorstate-of-the-unionaddress

TheResearchObjecKve

•  Donotusewordsthatmean“notresearch”– Develop– Design– OpKmize– Control– Manage

•  Useofwordssuchasthesegivesthereviewerstheimpressionthatyouarenotdoingresearch,thereisnoinnovaKon,nothingisnew,etc.–yourraKngswillbelower

FindingaHome(FieldofResearch) QuesKons

•  Isyour“research”research?–  Ifitisn’t,itdoesn’tbelongatMOST

•  Iftheansweris“no,”skiptotheend,lookforsupportfromothersources

•  Iftheansweris“yes,”whatisyourresearchtopic?– TherightMOSThomeforyourresearchdependsonthetopicofyourresearch,notontheapplicaKonofyourresearch

StepTwo

•  LookupMOST’swebsite:www.most.gov.tw–  ReadthecurrentGrantProposalGuide–  Specifically,lookattheresearchprograms,readwhatresearchtopicstheysupport

–  LookupnewiniKaKves,readthecurrentannouncements

•  Thencall/e-mailtheappropriateprogramofficers–  BepreparedtoanswerthequesKon:“WhatisyourresearchobjecKve?”(25wordsorless)

2014ProgramChangeinMOST學門重整

歷史變革:1989年：以生、醫及農三大學門運作，依申請人機構之系所名稱，分類所屬之學門。1994年：設立18個學門並設置建立學門召集人(第一任)。1999年：增設至33個學門運作。2005年：整併學門至今的14個學門(67子學科)。

現況：14個學門，67個學科，學科各自運作者約50個，等於50個學門。

目的:（附件1）健全評鑑制度(除弊)。打破既有領域疆界，促使拓展視野(興利)。促進不同背景的研究人員合作與交流，如基礎科學人員、臨床醫師、流行病學研究人員等。導引台灣生命科學領域研究發展之進步。

P3

ProgramsinMOST ProgramsinMOST

1

學門名稱研究主涵蓋範圍

學門名稱學門研究主涵蓋範圍

1 生與多樣性

針對生物與之關係的基與應用研究。涵蓋生與

生態科學之研究，含業、業設施工程、保持

與、化學與、生態與資保、生物資利用、

生物多樣性、地生態、物醫學與、全業與

等。

2 業資科學

針對人之生物，增進其應用之研究。涵蓋化、、

、業、業、、醫及實驗動物等學科。專注於

產相關研究，以提高產或量、提升其利用或附

價值為目的之研發。

3 基生物學

以應用為主要目的之生物學研究，涵蓋內容由生最基本

的分子、有機物、、基因、、、、個體、

群、生物社會等相關領域，並至各專門領域，

學、學、動物學、物學以及仿生學等。

4 態醫學與生

討生物體自起各層次結構與能之關係，及在生或

狀況下之改與調適。範圍除涵蓋解、、、

生、、法醫等領域外，並化與再生及

內、外在改後從到個體各層之能異常與重整

之基與研究，與異或再生、態與生

能重建等相關學門領域。

5 生物化學

從基到使用各種生物型討有關生長與發調

、的結構與能、體能、與化、

互動與、運統、降解與自體

統、結構與能等。涵蓋生物化學、分子生

物學與生物學等領域。

6 生物術

用於基或應用研究或產業之術研發。藉由生物化學、生

物物或分子生物之作改生物、或分子之性，應

用於醫、、或保等領域之論或術

研發。

7 學及

針對用於預斷或其他足以影響人體結構及

機能的物之研究，涵蓋領域含基、與接物之

研發，從分子機制、點確認到物上。學、

中醫學、學及學等相關領域在新物、

、中醫與中等之作用機與性及其在基與

上之研究。

24%

13%

12%12%

8%

6%4%3%3%3%

12%

生農環境與多樣性生物多樣性森林水保植物保護植物動物土壤環保農化生工生機漁業園藝其他

10%

10%

8%

7%

7%7%6%

6%5%5%

29%

農業資源科學

漁業農化植物食品動物園藝畜牧獸醫實驗動物農藝其他

16%

15%

12%

10%7%4%

3%3%3%3%

24%

基礎生物學

動物生物生化分子生物植物生物多樣性醫學生化生理微生物漁業農藝其他

23%

9%

8%5%4%

3%3%3%

3%3%

36%

形態醫學與生理

生理病理解剖醫學生化分子生物再生生物醫學藥理幹細胞動物腫瘤科其他

舊子學科舊子學科

舊子學科舊子學科

新學門與舊子學科組成比例圖(TOP10)(1) *新學門僅包含第一順位，舊子學科包含全部順位

P18

ImportantQuesKons

•  Doesmyresearchtopicfitwellwiththeprogram?

•  Doestheprogramhavefundstosupportmyresearchifmyproposalreviewswell?

•  Whatsizegrantispushingthelimitsofthefundingabilityoftheprogram?

•  Whataretheproposalsubmissiondeadlines?•  HowareproposalssubmiNedtotheprogramreviewed?

QuesKonsYouShouldn’tAsk•  So,willtheprogramfundmyresearch?•  Isthisagoodresearchtopic?•  WhatresearchtopicdotheprogramthinkIshouldworkon?

•  Whataremyodds?•  IfIsendacopyofmyproposaltoyou,willyouhelpmeeditit?Willyoutellmewhatyouthinkofit?

•  Myproposalwasn tfunded,socanIresubmitittoelsewhere?

Catch22

•  Myresearchdoesn’tfitinanysingleMOSTprogram,howaboutjointsubmission/review?– DidyouformulateaclearresearchobjecKve?–  IsyourresearchobjecKvetoobroad?– Doyouwanttoconsiderfocusingyourscope?

•  SupposemyresearchreallydoesspanmulKpleprograms?– Contactallrelevantprogramdirectors

TheTitle TheTitle

•  TheKtleisimportant

•  Itshouldcoveywhattheprojectisabout

•  Itiso\enusedtoassignreviewgroups

StudyDesign

•  Thisisnotthe“experimentalmethods”secKontospecifytheprocedureindetails,forexample,howtocatchbirdsorPCRcondiKons.

•  Buttospecifytheimportantaspectsof“experimentaldesign”,includingsamplesize,parameters,definiKon,replicaKon,staKsKcaltests,andsignificancethresholds.

•  Howdoyoucontrolforconfoundingfactors?

Whatisanexperiment?

Whatisanexperiment?

•  Only‘manipulaKve’experimentqualifiesasan‘experiment’

•  InmethodsecKonoftheproposal,state‘procedure’,‘protocol’,‘method’insteadof‘experiment’unlessitisarealexperiment.

•  ‘manipulaKve’experimentshouldcontain‘control’and‘treatment’

•  Samplesize&itsjusKficaKonshouldclearlystatedinthemethodsecKon

StaKsKcalAnalysis

StaKsKcalAnalysis

•  UseonlycorrectandproperstaKsKcstoanalyzethedataproposedinthestudy

•  ConsultastaKsKcianbeforeplanyourstudydesign

WriKngtheSummary

WriKngtheSummary/Abstract•  ThemostimportantstatementisyourstatementoftheresearchobjecKve–  Itshouldbesentence1ofparagraph1– Donotbeginwithaweatherreport:“Theskyisfalling.Toolsarebreaking.Designsarefailing…”

– Donotbeginwithastate-of-the-unionaddress:“Businessismovingoffshore.Manufacturingisgoingtothe…”

•  Remember,thisisnotatechpaper,itisnotamurdermystery(wherewefindoutwhattheobjecKveisonpage15)

•  Don’tforgettheIntellectualMeritandBroaderImpactstatements

WhatProgram/ReviewerWanttoKnow

•  WhatisyourresearchobjecKve?–  Thisiswhatdirectsyourproposaltotheappropriateprogram

•  Whatisyourapproach?– Outline—justtwoorthreesentences

•  WhyisyourcontribuKonimportanttoyourresearchcommunity(theintellectualmerit)?

•  Ifsuccessful,whatwillbethebenefittosociety(thebroaderimpact)?Whyisyourprojectimportanttosociety?

Since2015MOSTrequires:

•  “(

) ”

SummaryTemplate•  TheobjecKveofthisresearchprojectistoprovethehypothesisthattoomany

monkeysinatreewillcausethetreetobreak.TheapproachwillbetotakeasampleoftentreesandloadthemwithmonkeysunKltheybreak…

•  IntellectualMerit–ItisimportantthatweknowhowmanymonkeyscanclimbatreebeforeitbreaksbecausethisaffectsourpercepKonsofmonkeyprocreaKonand…TheSnerdTheoryholdsthattreesizelimitsmonkeyprocreaKon.ThisstudychallengesthattheorywiththenoKonthat…IftheobjecKvehypothesisiscorrecttherefore,itwilltransformourapproachto…

•  BroaderImpact–Monkeysareusedinmedicalresearch.Byknowinghowmanymonkeyscanfitinatree,wewillbeabletoprovidemoremonkeysforsuchresearchtherebyadvancingmedicalsciencemorequicklyandimprovingthequalityoflife.Also,bywatchingthemonkeysgethurtwhenthetreebreaks,graduatestudentswillbelesslikelytoclimbtrees,therebyincreasingtheirprobabilityofgraduaKng.

Remember

•  Yourproposalwillbereturnedwithoutreviewif:– Youfailtoincludeexplicitstatementsofintellectualmeritandbroaderimpact(enKtlethemIntellectualMerit,BroaderImpact)

– Youusethewrongfontoritistoosmall– Themarginsaretoonarrow– YourbioisincorrectlyformaNed– YouhaveanunauthorizedaNachment

TheRestofYourProposal

•  Thenext10-15pagesofyourproposalgivebackupanddetailtoyoursummary

•  StartwitharestatementofyourresearchobjecKve,clarifyit,andprovidearesearchplantoaccomplishit

•  Provideaconvincingargumentthatyoucancarryoutyourproposedplan

•  Restateandprovidedetailonyourintellectualmeritandbroaderimpact

TenThingsYouMustDo TenThingsYouMustDo

•  1.Findtherightprogramforyouandyouridea♦  Mainpurposeofprogram(fundingprioriKes)-

doesyourideafitinmainstreamoronthefringe

♦  Findoutwhereabstractsofpreviouslyfundedprojectsare..…greatsourceofinformaKon

♦  DiscussyouridearelaKvetotheprogramprioriKeswithyouradvisorsandclassmates

TenThingsYouMustDo

•  1.Findtherightprogramforyouandyouridea♦  Bestapproachistofindprograminyourarea

and determine program prioriKes, thendevelopideatofitwithintheprogram

♦  Don’t waste Kme applying to the wrongprogram … square pegs do not fit in roundholes

♦  EligibilityrestricKons?

TenThingsYouMustDo

2.Becomea‘student’oftheprogram

Understandthemaingoaloftheprogram

Don’thesitatetodiscusswithyouradvisor,seniorsandclassmates

UnderstandthedirecKonsoutlinedintheprogramonhowtoassembletheproposal

TenThingsYouMustDo

•  3. DevelopaKmelineforproposalpreparaKon

♦  DevelopaKmelinethatwillallowforcompleKonofproposal3to4weeksbeforesubmissiondeadline

♦  IfyourushpreparaKonoftheproposal,itwillshow-reviewerswillnoKceandwillnotbekind

TenThingsYouMustDo

•  4. Understandcriteriausedtoevaluateproposals♦  Programnormallycontainsthecriteriathat

willbeusedbyreviewerstoevaluateyourproposal

♦  UnderstandthesecriteriaBEFOREyoubeginpreparingyourproposal

♦  ProvidesagreaterunderstandingastowheretoputthegreatesteffortsduringproposalpreparaKon

TenThingsYouMustDo

•  4. Understandcriteriausedtoevaluateproposals♦ Typicallyreviewcriteriainclude:

Ø  ScienKficmerit

Ø RelevancetoprogramprioriKes

Ø QualificaKonsofprojectpersonnel

Ø PlanningandadministraKonofproject

TenThingsYouMustDo

•  5. Understandthereviewprocessandreviewers

♦ ReviewersareprovidedguidancebytheprogramforevaluaKngproposalsusingevaluaKoncriteriaintheprogram

♦ Reviewersevaluateeachproposal…..strengths,weakness,qualificaKonsofpersonnel,probabilityofsuccess,etc.

TenThingsYouMustDo


♦ Reviewersprovideindividualscores;whentheymeetasagroup(reviewpanel),theythenprovidea groupscore

♦ Reviewersarelookingforproposalstheycanchampionandthosetheycandismiss

TenThingsYouMustDo•  5. Understandthereviewprocessandreviewers

♦  Eachreviewermaybeassigned10to25proposals

♦  FollowingdirecKonsintheprogramhelpsthereviewers;notfollowingdirecKonsmakesthemworkhard

♦ Preparingtheproposallogicallyandclearlyhelpsreviewers;notdoingsomakesthemworkhard

TenThingsYouMustDo


♦  Tothedegreeyoumakeareviewerworkhard,theprobabilityofyourproposalbeingfundeddecreasesexponenKally!

♦ Worktomakereviewerschampionyourproposal

TenThingsYouMustDo

•  6. Writetheproposallogicallyandclearly

♦  MostimportantsecKonoftheenKreproposalistheProjectSummaryorAbstract

♦  Summarycapturestheessenceofyourproposal–mustbeclear,concise,wellarKculatedandlogical

♦  TypicallytheonlysecKonthateveryreviewerreads

TenThingsYouMustDo


♦  OrganizeproposalaccordingtooutlineinMOSTorreviewevaluaKoncriteria,whicheverismostlogical

♦  Followingtheprescribedformatmakesreviewershappyandmoregenerous

♦  Makingreviewersworkhardhurtsyou

TenThingsYouMustDo


♦  Backgroundestablishestheneedfortheproject-projectisimportantandinteresKng

♦  TheneedcanbereadilyidenKfiedwiththeprioriKesoftheprogram…..makesureyousayitintheproposal!

TenThingsYouMustDo


♦  Overarchinghypothesis(alternaKve)

♦  SpecificaimsorobjecKvesthattestthehypothesis

♦  MethodologieswithassociatedKmelines

♦  Expectedoutcomesandimpacts

TenThingsYouMustDo

•  6. Writetheproposallogicallyandclearly♦  Reviewersmustbeconvincedthat:

Ø  GoalsreflectmajorprioriKesoftheprogramØ  IfobjecKvesareaccomplished,youwillaNaingoals

Ø  Ifmethodologyisfollowed,objecKveswillbeaNained

Ø  ExpectedresultsaredirectlyrelatedtooverallgoalsandprioriKesoftheprogram

TenThingsYouMustDo

•  6. Writetheproposallogicallyandclearly♦  Reviewersmustbeconvincedthat:

Ø  TheproposedevaluaKonplanwillkeepyouontracktosuccessfulcompleKonoftheproject

Ø  Theprobabilityofsuccessisacceptable

Ø  ThattheproposalNEEDStobeFUNDED

TenThingsYouMustDo

•  7.PreparebudgetwithastrongjusKficaKon♦ Use Kmeline to compute amount of Kmepersonnel will spend carrying out eachporKonoftheproject

♦ Unreasonable budgets hurt proposals - theycreateskepKcswithinreviewerranks

♦  Keepbudgetswithinguidelinesintheprogram-theyarejudgedonthedegreeofreasonableness

TenThingsYouMustDo

•  8.ObtaincriKcalinputfromexperiencedandsuccessfulcolleagues

♦  OnewhohassignificantexperKseinthetopicarea

♦  Anotherwhohasonlypassingfamiliarity(orless)withthesubjectmaNer

♦  Athirdwhoisanexcellentwriter

TenThingsYouMustDo

•  8.ObtaincriKcalinputfromexperiencedandsuccessfulcolleagues….someone♦  Whotalksfrankly,bluntlyandclearly-do

notwantsomeonewhobeatsaroundthebush

♦  WhohasliNlesympathyforyourego♦  Whoissmartandcra\y♦  Whohassuccessinobtaininggrants

TenThingsYouMustDo

•  9.Filloutformscompletelyandcorrectly

TenThingsYouMustDo

•  10.AllowKmeforintramuraladministraKverequirements-sendtoarriveonKme

♦  Adeadlineisadeadlineisadeadline!

AppropriateWriKngStyle AppropriateWriKngStyle

•  Writetothefundingsource

•  Writeinthecorrectlanguageofthefield-butnojargon

•  Neverwritein1stperson

•  Clarity•  5W’s(Who,What,Where,When,Why)

•  Writetoinform– Don’tuselanguagethatisbiased

•  Writetopersuade– datafromreputablesource

– usecurrentdata– establishcredibility– NounsubstanKatedopinions

TipsonProposalWriKng TipsonProposalWriKng•  Useonly12pointtype•  Donotusefiguresortablesasfiller—everythingshouldcontribute

•  Everythingshouldbelegible—donotuse2pointtypeonfiguresortables

•  BesuretoincludeaclearlystatedresearchobjecKve

•  Useonlytherequiredformat•  Besuretoincludeintellectualmeritandbroaderimpactstatementsinthebodyoftheproposal

TipsonProposalWriKng

•  Don’tincludeleNersofsupportfromindustryif–  Theyaren tverysupporKve–  LeNersfromseveralcompaniesareidenKcal–  TheyareleNersfrompreviousproposals–  Youdon thavethembeforethesubmissiondeadline

•  Don tcutandpastetogethernewproposalsfromolddeclinedproposals

•  Proofreadyourproposalbeforeyousubmitit(anda\eryousubmitit)

AddiKonalTipsonProposalWriKng


• 1.Importanceandrelevance:

♦ Relatedtoanimportantagriculturalproblemortohumanhealthandwellbeing?

♦ Relatedtosignificantdeficitinourknowledgeofimportantbiologicalprocess?

♦ RelevanttoprogramprioriKes?


•  2.Developanoverreachinghypothesis:

♦ AtestableideaornoKon

♦ Basicpremisefortheproposal

♦ Onceformedandfocused,itshoulddrivetherestoftheproposal

♦ BiggerthanthespecificaimsorobjecKves


• 3.Hypothesis:♦ NotintheformofaquesKon,butastatement

♦ HypothesisshouldberepeatedØ Abstract,Background,SpecificAims

♦ Statedexactlythesamewaythroughout

♦ SameappliesforSpecificAims


• 4.Specificaims:

♦ Compelling

♦ Clearlyhypothesis-driven

♦ Notnamesofexperiments


•  5.AvoidusingtermsindicaKngdescripKon :

♦  correlate

♦  describe

♦  assess

♦  measure

•  Avoidpassivevoice,floweryterms,wishy-washyterms


• 6.EachsecKonoftheproposallinkedtoeachother:

♦ RaKonaleforeachstudylinkedtoanaspectofhypothesis

♦ PotenKaloutcomesofexperimentslinkedtoprovingordisprovingthehypothesis


• 7.Highprobabilityofsuccess:♦ Focused

Ø NotafishingexpediKon

♦ FeasibleØ  Solidpreliminarydata

Ø  LeNersfromexpertsexpressingsupportandwillingnesstohelp


•  8.Significance:♦ Notamysterynovel-delivermessagefast

♦  ProposedstudiesyieldinformaKonthatisunique;otherapproachesdonotworkaswell

♦  Relevanttothe BigPicture

♦  Key to convincing reviewers to support yourproposalratherthanthatofyourcompeKKon


•  9.Maketheproposaltextbookquality:♦  Avoidtypographical,grammaKcal,spellingerrors

♦ Uselargefont,makeiteasytoread

♦  Includesub-headings,includelotsofspacing

♦ Usehighqualityfigures

♦ Minimize author-defined acronyms


•  10.ProvidesufficientdetailforevaluaKon

•  Presentpi}alls,providealternaKvesoluKons

•  Don’tpadthebudget,keepitleanbutadequate


• 11.Theone-pageProjectSummaryorAbstractshouldbeaworkofart!

• Clarityiseverything!

• Proofread,Proofread,Proofread!

♦ Electronicspell-checkerswon’tcatcheverything!

MostCommonCriKcisms

MostCommonCriKcisms

• 1.PoorlywriNen

• 2.NotwelljusKfied♦ scienKficproblem♦ experimentalmodel♦ relevancetoprogramprioriKesorpurpose

• 3.Lacksconvincingpreliminarydata

MostCommonCriKcisms

• 4.Nohypothesisorpoorlypresented

• 5.Nothypothesis-driven,studiesaredescripKve

• 6.ObjecKvesdon’taddresshypothesis

• 7.ObjecKveslackfocus,toodiffuse

MostCommonCriKcisms

•  8.ApproachesandmethodslackdetailneededtoevaluatepotenKalforsuccess

•  9.InvesKgatorlacksexperKsewithgivenapproach

•  10.Expectedresultsnotpresented,interpreted

•  11.Pi}allsnotaddressed,alternaKvesoluKonsnotpresented

MostCommonCriKcisms

•  12.OverlyambiKous,toomuchortoodifficulttoaccomplishinreasonableKme-frame

•  13.Time-lineunrealisKcforsuccessfulcompleKonofproposedproject

•  14.ResubmiNedproposaldidnotaddressconcernsidenKfiedduringpreviousreview

IntellectualMeritandBroaderImpactStatements IMandBIStatements

•  Theyarerequired•  Yourproposalwillberatedbasedonthem•  But:– Whatarethey?– Whatshouldyouinclude?– Howshouldtheyshapeyourproposal?

IntellectualMerit

•  TheIntellectualMeritisthecontribuKonthatyourresearchmakestotheknowledgebaseandhowthatimpactsthefield

•  QuesKons:– Whatisalreadyknown?– Whatwillyourresearchadd?– Whatwillthisdotoenhanceorenableresearchinyourorotherfields?

– WhyisyourcontribuKonimportanttoyourresearchcommunity?

BroaderImpact

•  TheBroaderImpactfocusesonthebenefittosocietyatlargeasaresultofyourresearchresult

•  Meanstobenefitsocietyinclude:–  Economic/environment/energy/health/safety–  EducaKonandtraining–  ProvidingopportuniKesforunderrepresentedgroups–  ImprovingresearchandeducaKoninfrastructure

Thekeyissueishowyourresearchresultswillbeapplied—whywouldthegeneralpubliccare?

Example•  TheresearchobjecKveofthisproposalistotestthehypothesisthat

chaNercanbepredictedby…Thegoalistogainsufficientunderstandingofthedynamicforcesduringmachiningtoenablehigh-speedcugngofKtaniumwithoutencounteringchaNer.Theapproachwillbeto...

•  Ifsuccessful,thisworkwillleadtoatheoryof...•  Intellectualmerit:Thecurrentstate-of-knowledgeregardingthehigh-

speedmachiningofKtaniumislackingin...Theproposedeffortwillcontributetotheknowledgeof...Thiswillenablefurtherprogressthrough...

•  Broaderimpact:TitaniumisfindingnewusesinapplicaKonssuchas...ImprovedknowledgeofKtaniummachiningwillleadtomoreefficientproducKonoftheseparts,thusleadingtolowercostandmorewidespreaduse.Societywillbenefitthrough...InaddiKon,infusionoftheresearchresultsintotheclassroomwillbeNerpreparegraduatesforworkin...

CauKon

•  Yourresearchgoalsandapproachshoulddeterminetheintellectualmeritandappropriatebroaderimpact

Ethics BreechofEthics

•  PeoplewhosubmitproposalstotheGovernment(e.g.,toMOST)areheldtohighstandards

•  Abreechofethicscanleadto–  Beingbarredfromsubmigngproposals–  Fines–  JailKme–  ReallybeingontheoutswithyourinsKtuKon–gegngfired,losingtenure

•  ViolaKonofsomeethicslawsisafelony

FormsofMisconduct•  Plagiarism—materialcopiedwithoutcitaKonandquotaKon—ifyoucopyit,citeitandoff-setit;ifyouacceptanawardbasedonaproposalthatincludesplagiarism,youmayhavecommiNedafelony

•  Chargeforworkalreadydone—canbeafelony,donotchargetwiceforthesamework

•  FalsificaKonofdataandreports—changingdataorresults—behonestinallyourannualandfinalreportsandpapers

•  FabricaKon—makingstuffup—reportonlywhatisreal

#FormatofFullProposal


1.Coverpage:includetheKtleoftheproposal,name,posiKon,contactandaffiliaKonoftheapplicant,duraKonandtotalbudgetoftheproposal.

2.Abstract:oneparagraph,limit200words.3.Keyworks:listupto6keyworks.

#FormatofFullProposal4.IntroducKon:(1)3paragraphs,Beginwiththemajor(big)

quesKontobeaddressedandfollowbyabrief,broad,butfocusedliteraturereviewtothequesKons.(2)Specificaimsofthestudyneedtoappear

earlyintheintroducKonormakethemveryobvious(possiblywithbulletpoints).(3)Thenconcludewithmoredetailed

introducKontotheexperimentaldesign.

#FormatofFullProposal5.Experimentaldesign:

(1)1-2pages,clearlystatetheraKonalefordesigningeachexperimentisveryimportant.Presenttheexperimentalplaninlogicalsequence.

(2)Thisisnotthe“experimentalmethods”secKontospecify,forexample,howtocatchbirdsorPCRcondiKonsindetails,buttospecifytheimportantaspectsof“experimentaldesign”,includingsamplesize,staKsKcaltestsandsignificancethresholds.Howdoyoucontrolforconfoundingfactors?


(3)Discusswhatistheexpectedresultandhowyouwillinterpretit.ItisalsoveryimportanttoconsiderthealternaKvehypotheses(explanaKons)forthedatayouaregoingtogather.(4)Manyproposalusedifferentapproachesto

addressthesameissue.YoumayneedtosuggestalternaKveexperimentsinaddiKontotheleadingapproachintheproposal.


6.Impact&significance:Oneparagraphtobrieflysummarizethesignificanceoftheproposedstudyandthekindofimpacttheprojectwillhaveinitsfieldofstudy.ItcanbescienKficimpact,significanceinimprovingpublicunderstandingofscienKficresearch,oroutreachandeducaKon.


7.Timeline&BudgetBrieflyoutlinethescheduleandbudgetoftheproposedstudy.TheKmeframecanbeatable,anoutline,aflowchat,orafigurewiththeduraKonofthemajortasksofstudybeingclearlypresented.ThebudgetshouldbesupportedbyitsjusKficaKon.


8.Reference:Maximum15referencedpapers.

9.Page&linenumbers:Exceptforthecoverpage,eachpageoftheproposalshouldhaveapagenumberandlinenumbers.

TheEnd

lecture 8.1 how to write a research proposal -...

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