Writing A Proposal

Writing a grant proposal will be the first major assignment for the Fall Semester. This process serves two important functions: (1) Organizing your thoughts with regard to the research or scholarship that you will conduct and (2) Placing the project in a larger intellectual context. In general, scholarly activities proceed more effectively with awareness of prior work in the field, developing specific hypotheses to test or theses to develop or a clear image of the product of your work, and generating a clear strategy for proceeding with the undertaking. While the basic concepts apply across the disciplines, the proposal formats may vary considerably. If you find that the format below is difficult to apply in your case, talk with the RUSP coordinators or with your Advisor. Example proposals can be used as a prototype.

We will spend some time in class on writing the proposals, but you should seek input from your writing group, from your Advisor, from colleagues and friends, perhaps even from those mostly likely to be critical of your work. Often such input can improve the quality of both writing and thinking. Such feedback will help identify areas that are confusing ("I don't understand this", "Why are you doing this", "This seems awkward").

  1. Title page
    An effective, specific title will communicate your goals and capture the attention (and perhaps imagination of your readers). A blank title page (Postscript, PDF, .doc) can be found online.
  2. Abstract
    This section states the problem or goal, what you propose to do (broad statement of problem/general grounding for the study/effort), how you plan to do it (brief statement of methods and results expected), why this work is important/contributes to the larger community, and what outcome(s) would be expected. Since this summary will be read most closely by anyone examining your proposal, this section deserves careful attention (write, re-write, and re-write again). This piece is what grabs the reader (or provokes a sigh of weariness for reading the rest of the proposal). (Should be fit in the designated space on cover sheet). Although this is the first item in the proposal, you will probably find it best to write it after you have written the main body of the proposal.
  3. Background/introduction/context and statement of significance.
    This section should be ~3-4 pages (but may vary depending on area). Sufficient information should be provided to allow the reader to understand the previous work in the area that leads to the specific effort that you will undertake. Be generous with your references to previous studies. A strong statement of the significance of this work in the context of the background is important and why the proposed effort is important.
  4. Proposed work and methods
    This section should include the specific aims of the study/work you proposed. These should be limited to <3 specific aims. For each of the aims/theses proposed, delineate the methods that you will use, the problems that you might encounter, how you will deal with these problems (trouble-shooting strategies), and the anticipated outcome of your efforts. This section should be detailed so that the reader can make an informed decision about the validity and reasonability of your proposed work. Be clear about the connections between what you have described as important and what you will be doing (don't expect the reader to figure it out!). Finally, this section should include a timetable for the work (one that you really think you can honor!).
  5. Qualifications for this work
    Almost all proposals require information regarding the applicant. What are your qualifications for this work? Why should you be chosen to pursue this project over other applicants? Provide a brief resume (~1 page).
  6. Conclusions and directions for future work
    This section allows you to once again engage your reader with the importance and interest of your proposed work. The presentation should be energetic, creative, and convince the person looking at your proposal that you are the person to do this work. End on a high note.
  7. References cited.
     Provide the references cited in the text in alphabetical order. The textual references should be as follows: (Smith, 1984) or (Smith et al., 1993). The full reference is provided in this section.
  8. Detailed budget for the work (in context of specific aims)
    Provide a brief justification for the budget that you propose (range $150 to $1500, but remember the budget is limited, as is the case for agencies, foundations, and endowments as well).