Write a proposal letter on the topic of "Group Testing" in Network Science

Dr. Peters’s Tips for a Successful Honors Proposal

1. Explain the relationship between the project and the coursework. Explain how the project aligns with the course learning objectives and also how your project takes the required coursework to a more sophisticated level. Don’t just say you will write an additional paper or a longer paper—explain how that paper will lead to a higher level of engagement with the content of the course.

2. Explain the relationship between your work and the work of other researchers involved in the project. Often students in math, natural sciences, or social sciences will contribute to ongoing research that a faculty member is working on, and sometimes it has included other student researchers in the past. Explain clearly what your role will be and how you will advance the project. Help the reviewer see that you are an active contributor and not just tagging along with someone else’s project.

3. Write for people who are outside your field. Some reviewers will be experts in the field you are working in, and some will know very little about it. Help educated non-specialists understand the significance of your work by offering definitions and, when possible, connecting it to something that your reader is likely to know.

4. Explain your research process specifically. Tell us what you will DO in the lab. Tell us what journals and databases will be the most useful (not just that you will look in the library or search EBSCO). Include a bibliography that shows an active scholarly discussion surrounding your topic. While academic books can be useful in helping you deeply understand a topic, the most current research will be found in journals. Be sure that you include articles that were published in the past few years.

5. Explain what you are contributing to the scholarly discussion. It’s unlikely that you are pursuing an idea that has never been considered before now—don’t claim to be. Instead, think of research as joining a conversation. Explain how your project responds to the claims of Scholar A, or expands upon an idea presented by Scholar B, or frames the topic in a way that is different from Scholar C.

6. Make a specific timeline. Don’t just say “research”—be specific about what part of your project you will focus on during that time. Include regular meetings with your mentor (I recommend weekly!) and specific products to submit at certain times. For example, state that you will submit a complete chapter by October 1, or that you will submit 10 pages by September 15. Give yourself time to complete your showcase presentation. You are unlikely to stick to your timeline perfectly, but those benchmarks will help you measure your progress so you are less likely to be in a frantic scramble at the end.

7. Ask your mentor who else should be on your committee. They will likely have good recommendations for who can help you most.

8. Be specific about your topic and your research questions and goals. Don’t be afraid to narrow your topic and make specific plans—you can always change them later if you need to. It is easier to adjust your plan than to make progress on a project that is much too vague. Specific details can also help your mentor and reviewers understand your project and its value more clearly.

9. FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS AND ANSWER ALL THE QUESTIONS. For real. I mean it.

10. PROOFREAD. Better yet, ask someone else to read over it before you submit it.