Research-Proposal Writing

The goal of this page is to give information on research-proposal writing that will help the novice and the experienced proposal writer. It can be used as a guide and a reference source. It uses some original material, but it is mostly an organized directory of resources. Writing a proposal can be broken down into different parts: 

I. Beginning the proposal process

oHow do I pick the research I want to do?

Some researchers begin with a specific idea of what they want to examine, and they look for pertinent sources to fund their research. Other researchers do not have a specific idea of what they want to investigate, so they look for funding opportunities and find one they would like to do. Others have a range of research interests, and they watch for funding opportunities that match one of them.

oWhat type of proposal should I write?

There are several different types or categories of proposals. Understanding each of these will help you to write a better proposal. The more specific you can be the better your proposal will turn out.

oQuantitative or Qualitative?

ohttp://www.tc.umn.edu/~musi0012/guideline2.HTM

oSolicited proposals, Unsolicited proposals, Pre-proposals, Continuation or Non-Competing proposals, Renewal or competing proposals

ohttp://www.osp.cornell.edu/Prop-Guide.html#FT

oWhere do I find Requests for Proposals (RFP)?

Requests for proposals can be found in a variety of places. Several sites allow you to perform searches of their databases. Another option given is to have RFP that you are interested in, emailed to you.

ohttp://www.indiana.edu/~gradgrnt/pubs/search.html

ohttp://www.library.uiuc.edu/iris/

o     http://fdncenter.org/pnd/rfp/index.html

ohttp://fdncenter.org/funders/index.html

Look at current papers that have been written on the topic you are interested in and check to see who funded their research. Contact

this source for RFPís.

oWhat should I do before I begin writing the proposal?

There are several things you should do before you begin writing the proposal. Following these steps will help you to write a better proposal. In addition, they will save you time, frustration, and effort.

oContact the foundation representative

oWrite letter of inquiry

ohttp://fdncenter.org/learn/ufg/ufg_proc1.html

ohttp://www.indiana.edu/~gradgrnt/pubs/sponsor.html

ohttp://www.siu.edu/worda/handbook/chap3.html#writing

oLook at financial statement of funder to see who they have sponsored before ­ 990 pf search

ohttp://fdncenter.org/funders/grantsmart/index.html

oContact other places they have funded

oReview other successful proposals

oConsider cooperation ­ look for other organizations to work with

oCollect everything you need for the proposal

 

II. Writing the proposal

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oHow do I write the proposal?

oWhere are some guides to writing research proposals?

ohttp://www.tc.umn.edu/~musi0012/guideline2.HTM

ohttp://www.nsf.gov/nsf/nsfpubs/gpg/start.htm

ohttp://www.research.umich.edu/research/proposals/proposal_dev/pwg/pwgpage.html

ohttp://www.nsf.gov/pubs/1998/nsf9891/nsf9891.htm

oWhere are some examples of research proposals?

ohttp://www.tc.umn.edu/~musi0012/specimen.HTM#top

ohttp://charitychannel.com/GuestShare/Wendy_Norris/

oIs there a checklist I can follow?

ohttp://nonprofit.about.com/careers/nonprofit/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.proposalwriter.com%2Fchecklist.html

ohttp://fdncenter.org/learn/ufg/ufg_proc1.html

ohttp://www.jcdowning.org/resources/generalguide.htm

ohttp://www.siu.edu/worda/handbook/chap3.html#checking

oWhat are the components of a research proposal?

ohttp://www.gslis.utexas.edu/~l3971rw/resprop.html#

ohttp://www.users.drew.edu/~sjamieso/research_proposal.html#role

ohttp://www.research.umich.edu/research/proposals/proposal_dev/pwg/pwgcontents.HTML

ohttp://www.osp.cornell.edu/Prop-Guide.html#COMP lists the different components

ohttp://fdncenter.org/learn/shortcourse/prop1.html lists the different components

ohttp://www.silcom.com/~paladin/promaster.html lists the different components

ohttp://www.nsf.gov/nsf/nsfpubs/gpg/gpgchap1/one_a.htm lists different components

ohttp://www.siu.edu/worda/handbook/chap3.html#writing lists different components

ohttp://www.grantproposal.com/starting.html lists the different components

oWhat do I need to budget for?

ohttp://www.indiana.edu/~gradgrnt/pubs/budget.html

oWhat do I need to do before sending my completed proposal in?

 

III. What to do after sending in the proposal

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oWhat should I do after I send the proposal in?

oCheck RFP for approval date notification

oCheck with program officer

oWhat should I do if my proposal gets accepted?

oWhat should I do if my proposal gets rejected?

oResubmit

 

IV. Tips, terms, and FAQís

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oWhat are some tips for writing proposals?

oWhat are some general tips

ohttp://sll.stanford.edu/projects/tomprof/newtomprof/postings/276.html

ohttp://www.unomaha.edu/~wwwspr/tips.htm

ohttp://nonprofit.about.com/careers/nonprofit/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.proposalwriter.com%2Fchecklist.html (you must click on tips from this site to get to the tips page)

ohttp://www.ed.uiuc.edu/faculty/j-levin/top-10-funding.html 

ohttp://www.grantproposal.com/funders.html

ohttp://www.grantproposal.com/tips.html

ohttp://nonprofit.about.com/careers/nonprofit/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cof.org%2Ffoundationnews%2F0300%2Fsecrets.htm

oHow do I deal with short deadlines?

ohttp://www.research.umich.edu/research/proposals/proposal_dev/pwg/pwgdeadlines.html

oWhy are proposals rejected?

o     http://www.research.umich.edu/research/proposals/proposal_dev/pwg/pwgrejected.html

oWhat are the most common errors in research proposals?

ohttp://www.indiana.edu/~gradgrnt/pubs/errors.html

oWhat are some effective communication skills I can use for the grant writing process?

ohttp://www.indiana.edu/~gradgrnt/pubs/effective_comm.html

oWhere can I find a glossary of terms used in grant writing?

ohttp://fdncenter.org/learn/ufg/ufg_gloss1.html

ohttp://nonprofit.about.com/careers/nonprofit/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http%3A%2F%2Fgranthelp.clarityconnect.com%2Fglossary.htm

oWhere can I find FAQís for research proposal writing?

oWhere are some places I can find help writing research proposals?

oOther sites

ohttp://www.unomaha.edu/~wwwspr/writing.htm 

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