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Abstract: |
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The
abstract summarizes what your proposal is all about. It
should touch clearly and briefly upon the major areas of
research and the value of the project.
Generally, the Abstract is about 250 to 300 words
long—but don’t write it until the rest of the proposal
is done. When it is time to write the abstract, take a
good look at your proposal and summarize it concisely.
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Rationale:
This section explains why the project
should be done, why it is important, where it fits with
other research on the topic, and what benefits will
follow from the project.
Your goal here is to
pitch your idea as convincingly as you can. Use
reasoning and clear language to do so. In this section
you must make a case for the funding of your project by
taking a good look at all previous research that’s been
done on the subject, and then showing how your project
will contribute to that body of knowledge. All proposals
include a bibliography—reviewers want to know that
you’re familiar with your subject and are not going to
be duplicating research that has already been done.
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Tentative Thesis |
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In one sentence,
state what you hope to prove. |
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Methodology |
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Now that
you’ve presented your idea, it’s time to describe how
you’re going to implement it. The methodology section
should tell exactly how the research will be carried
out, how the data you expect to gather will relate to
your goals, and how much time the entire operation will
require.
If you’re doing field research, describe what data
you hope to uncover, where will you go, how will you
gather the data, and to whom will you speak.
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Personal Qualifications |
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In this section you should
try to show what makes you qualified to perform your
research. For instance, are you familiar with the
particular topic in which you’ll be conducting field
research? Might your fluency in Cree help you interview
Elders? |
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Costs |
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If your
methodology section is fully developed, it won’t be a
major undertaking to devise a budget for your research.
Just go through your plans and make projections for your
personal time and other expenses.
Take everything into account—don’t miss a cent. Think
hard about "hidden charges." Then consider what portion
of your budget is appropriate to ask of the granter.
Itemize and justify the budget. |
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General Tips:
Watch
out for sentences that sound nice but do not
actually say anything.
Do
your research and provide your insight. Don’t
simply reproduce what others have done.
Format your
paper professionally according to
margin, page, and other requirements. You are
competing with other research proposals.
Write
persuasively. A proposal is a piece of salesmanship,
so keep your readers foremost in your mind as you
prepare the document. |
