Proposal

Proposal Guidelines and Rubric

BIOL/ENVS384 Fall 2020 Updated 20/09/20 Alejandrino 1

This document provides you with additional information (to those provided by Hofmann, 2016) for writing your proposals. Specifically, it details formatting guidelines and the rubric used in grading. One important information you should keep in mind when using Hofmann (2016) for examples. The examples used in the book are specifically short in length for the purpose of illustrating points. In reality, proposal sections (with the exception of the Abstract), consists of more than one paragraph. The table below outlines the weight of each section of the proposal. Item Weight (%) Title 5 Abstract 10 Specific Aims 10 Background 20 Research Design 20 Significance 10 References 10 Format 10 Content 3 Organization 2 Total 100 The following text and tables are the rubrics that will be used for evaluating the proposals. These may also help you in making sure all the instructions are followed. In terms of grading, “10” means the specific criterion is met. A “5” means the specific criterion is not met. A “0” means no attempt was made to address the criterion. Finally, a “-“ will indicate that the criterion does not apply and will not be graded. Title The Title must be descriptive and informative. It should also be clear and concise. It should contain the major expected result with respect to the overall objective. The Title should identify the focus species, if there is one or two. The Title should also stick to the specifics of the study i.e., do not make excessively broad statements. You can try to create a catchy Title to attract the reader’s attention, but this can often result in a misleading statement. The author’s name, their institution, and their institution’s address must appear below the Title in the following format (without quotes).

• “Tawfiq, A., Whittier College, Whittier, California 90608” Question Grade Total Grade: Is it descriptive and informative? Is it clear and concise? Is the major expected result included? Are the species identified and formatted correctly (if applicable)? The Title should not be an excessively broad statement. Is the author’s name included and formatted correctly? Is the author’s institution included?

Proposal Guidelines and Rubric

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Is the institution’s address included? Abstract Follow the outline and guidelines provided by Hofmann (2016). The Abstract should consist of a single paragraph, with about 250 to 500 words. For clarity, boldface the overall objective. Even though the Title and Abstract are the first and second components of a proposal, write them last. Both of these summarizes the proposal and it is very difficult to write summaries without first writing the details. Rather than spend several agonizing hours thinking and writing these two components, finish the proposal and let these naturally surface. Question Grade Total Grade: Is the background or known provided? Is the unknown or problem stated? Is the objective identified? Is the objective in boldface? Is the general strategy indicated? Is the Significance explained? Is the Abstract a single paragraph? Does the Abstract contain about 250 to 500 words? There should not be any References. Specific Aims Again, follow the outline and guidelines provided by Hofmann (2016). Unlike the rest of the proposal, the Specific Aims section should be in list form. However, within each aim, the description should be in paragraph format. Each aim should be in boldface and hypotheses should be italicized. For students using this proposal for your Senior Seminar (either this semester or next), you must have two (2) aims. If the paper you chose to write your proposal on only has one aim, be sure to create another new aim. If you would like additional ideas or help, reach out to me and we can discuss. Question Grade Total Grade: Are the Specific Aims separate from the Abstract? Are the Specific Aims listed? Is each aim in boldface? Are the descriptions within each aim in paragraph format? Are the preliminary results or rationale summarized? Are the hypotheses italicized? Are the approaches included? Are the expected outcomes included? Background The Background of a proposal is similar to the Introduction of a Research Paper Report. The idea is to provide information and to logically describe the purpose of the study. This is where the context for the research is provided (general objective, specific purpose, known, and

Proposal Guidelines and Rubric

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unknown; Hofmann, 2016). For clarity, provide the hypotheses (italicized) and make sure it is testable. “Testable” means that there is a way to gather data and the data can be analyzed. Each aim makes up the subsections, so be sure to separate the aims (if more than one) with clear labels. There is no need for a summary of the Background. Question Grade Total Grade: Is the general objective stated? Is the specific purpose/aim provided? Are the knowns detailed? Are the unknowns specified? Are the hypotheses italicized? Are the hypotheses testable? Is it clear how the aim will add to scientific knowledge? Are the References effectively used? Research Design The Research Design of a proposal is similar to the Methods of a Research Paper Report. This is where the details of the planned experimental procedures are explained. If a section has to be the most important, it would be this one. This is because this section tells the reader or reviewer whether the experiment is feasible and testable. Please follow Hofmann’s (2016) outline as best as possible. Per subsection, restate the aim and hypotheses. Explain the procedures of the experiment and how each procedure is important for the experiment (e.g., “The salinity of each tide pool observed was measured using a Vernier LabQuest 2 with a salinity probe. The salinity was measured in parts per thousand (ppt) and it was collected to determine whether there was a relationship with the size of Lottia gigantea, such that smaller individuals were associated with more saline conditions.”). Don’t forget to address any experimental methods biases. Detail how the data will be calculated and statistically analyzed (draw on your previous experiences from other classes; e.g., “A chi- squared test was performed to examine whether the population of D. melanogaster deviated from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium during the course of the experiment. A significant difference in allele frequency between the beginning and the end will show that at least one principle of Hardy-Weinberg was violated.”). Be explicit on your expected results. Rather than describing alternative strategies (Hofmann, 2016), discuss alternative hypotheses. In other words, if your results are not as you expect, what might explain the discrepancy? Question Grade Total Grade: Is the aim restated? Are the hypotheses restated? Are the procedures provided? Are the importance of the procedures explained? Are the procedures sound and feasible? Are biases identified and addressed? Are all the equipment identified? Are the use of the equipment detailed? Are the independent variables identified? Are the dependent variables identified (if applicable)?

Proposal Guidelines and Rubric

BIOL/ENVS384 Fall 2020 Updated 20/09/20 Alejandrino 4

Are the data calculations described? Is graphing of the data explained? Are the graphs appropriate for the hypotheses? Are the statistical analyses identified? Are the statistical analyses appropriate for the hypotheses? Significance The last part of a proposal is the Impact and Significance section. As explained by Hofmann (2016), the overall importance of the research to science and society should be explicitly discussed. Additionally, it would not hurt to restate how the aim will add to scientific knowledge. Question Grade Total Grade: Is the aim’s addition to scientific knowledge restated? Is the importance to science clearly explained? Is the importance to society clearly explained? References As with the research reports themselves, References can differ in format. For this course, use the following guidelines. List References alphabetically, by the first author’s last name. If two or more References have first authors with the same last name, alphabetize them according to their first name’s initial. If an author or a group of authors have multiple publications, organize them by year. If an author or a group of authors have multiple publications in a single year, organize them by month, where the earlier publication has an “a” added to the date and the later publication has a “b” added to the date, and so on. The References must have the “hanging” paragraph format, as shown in the examples below. There must be 18-30 primary and peer- reviewed References. Primary means the authors themselves conducted the research. Books, reviews, communications, and commentaries are secondary References. This means that the authors reviewed or summarized other people’s research. Peer-reviewed means other scientists read the research and decided it was acceptable for publication. Make sure all the References are cited in the text and vice versa. The References must be in APA format. Be sure to credit the first 10 authors by using their names. You can only use “et al.” starting with the 11th author. If you would like additional information, you may want to visit Purdue University’s Online Writing Lab (https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/apa_style/apa_formatting_and_style_guide/re ference_list_basic_rules.html).

• Journal Article: Weinrauch, A. M., & Blewett, T. A. (2019). Anoxia tolerance in the sea cucumbers

Parastichopus californicus and Cucumaria miniata reflects habitat use. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, 520, 151203.

• Book: Levinton, Jeffrey S. 2018. Marine Biology: Function, Diversity, Ecology 5th ed. Oxford

University Press. Question Grade Total Grade: Are there 18-30 primary and peer-reviewed References?

Proposal Guidelines and Rubric

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Are they listed alphabetically? Are they in “hanging” paragraph format? Are they in APA format? Are the first 10 authors credited? Are the References all cited in the text? Format Formatting sets the initial guidelines for proposals. There is a general pattern that most proposals follow, but many deviates in various ways. The most important format to follow is the one provided by the instructor, editor, or publisher (Hofmann, 2016). For proposals written in this course, there is a maximum page limit of 13-20 pages. This may seem like a lot, but it ensures sufficient information and detail. As with any writing assignment, the best way to start is with an outline. This will help in being organized and staying on task. However, this does not mean that the outline is inflexible. Making modifications may be necessary, but try to stay focused. Tables, figures, and References are included in the page limit. In this course, proposals must also adhere to the following format guidelines. Do not include a cover page. Use single-spacing and paragraph formats (unless indicated otherwise, see Hofmann, 2016). Use either Times or Times New Roman fonts. Use the 12-point font size and use one-inch margins on all sides of the page. Always use page numbers. Submit the proposal either as a Word, Pages, or GoogleDocs document so that the above items can be assessed. If another document type (e.g. PDF) is submitted, points will be deducted because the correct formatting cannot be assessed. Use the appropriate measurement units where necessary. Science uses the metric system, so make sure units are in meters, liters, or grams. Also use the correct species scientific names. Binomial nomenclature is the two-word system that identifies the organism’s genus and species. Below is the scientific name of the common fruit fly written in two acceptable forms. The genus name is always capitalized, but the species name is never capitalized. The entire species name is either italicized or underlined, but not both. When the species is first introduced, the full species’ scientific name must be used. Subsequent mention of the species can be shortened by abbreviating the genus name e.g., D. melanogaster or D. melanogaster. All other scientific nomenclature like phylum, class, order, and family only need to be capitalized, e.g. Mammalia. If the common term is used, there is no need for capitalization, e.g. mammals.

• Drosophila melanogaster • Drosophila melanogaster

In this course, we will use the APA in-text citations format (see below). If you would like additional information, you may want to visit Purdue University’s Online Writing Lab (https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/apa_style/apa_formatting_and_style_guide/in _text_citations_the_basics.html).

o One author § “Tawfiq (2020) found that…” § “According to Tawfiq (2020), the…” § “…was not a major factor (Tawfiq, 2020).”

o Two authors § “Medeiros and Garcí (2020) found that…” § “According to Medeiros and García (2020), the…”

Proposal Guidelines and Rubric

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§ “…was not a major factor (Medeiros and García, 2020).” o For three or more authors, “et al.” is used. It is Latin for “and others.”

§ “Zhou et al. (2020) found that…” § “According to Zhou et al. (2020), the…” § “…was not a major factor (Zhou et al., 2020).”

o For three or more authors, “and colleagues” or “and coauthors” can also be used. § “Zhou and colleagues (2020) found that…” § “Zhou and coauthors (2020) found that…” § “According to Zhou and colleagues (2020), the…” § “According to Zhou and coauthors (2020), the…”

Question Grade: Total Grade: There should not be a cover page. Is the proposal single-spaced? Is it written in either Times or Times New Roman fonts? Is it written using the 12-point font? Does it have one-inch margins on all sides? Does it have page numbers? Is it submitted as a Word, Pages, or GoogleDocs document? Are the appropriate measurement units used? Are scientific names properly formatted? Is the APA in-text citations format used? Content For this course, Content refers to two things: relevance and clarity. Make sure every sentence and paragraph are relevant to the proposal itself. It they are not, make them relevant. If they cannot be made relevant, remove them. Following these guidelines ensure clear and effective communication. Avoid vague statements or provide explanations. Question Grade Total Grade: Are all the information relevant to the proposal? Are all the References relevant to the proposal? Is the proposal clear and easy to understand? (No excessive grammar, punctuation, or spelling errors.)

Organization As far as Organization, follow Hofmann’s (2016) outline. Similarly, each section must have a natural flow and each paragraph must contain a single idea. This is where an outline is most helpful. Check to make sure the paragraphs within each section are not jumping around two or more different ideas. If multiple paragraphs can be united into a single, larger idea, create a subsection but keep the paragraphs separate. Check to make sure each paragraph does not go off in tangents. Are all the sentences that follow the topic sentence related to the topic sentence? If not, move it where it fits better or remove it altogether. Do not worry about being repetitive; repetition provides some clarity. Question Grade Total Grade:

Proposal Guidelines and Rubric

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Does the overall proposal follow the most common standard? Does each section have a logical flow? Do paragraphs contain a single topic?