Project
Arjun_Sadaria
Researchproposalguidelines.pdf
3/16/2020
1
Dr. E(Sarah) Du Associate Professor Department of Ocean & Mechanical Engineering Florida Atlantic University
Final Group Project, Spring 2020
Group/Tasks
Group 5-6 students, randomly selected
share a same score, extra credits will be provided to individuals with significant contribution
Requirement 1. Select one topic from the provided list
2. Perform a literature search
3. Develop a research idea, agreed by all team members
Deliverables 1. A written research proposal
2. Presentation of your proposal as a team
1
2
3/16/2020
2
Groups
Total 9 groups Randomly formed by Canvas
5-6 members, including at least 1 graduate student Led by a graduate student in the group
Team communication Canvas
Videoconferences: WebEx, Zoom, Skype
Proposal format
Requirements Single column, single line spacing
Times New Roman or Arial, 11 pt Up to 3 figures
~6 pages exclusive references
Useful tool Organization of references and citations, EndNote Web for
organizing references (FAU library)
Plagiarism check Turnitin originality report, no greater than 15%
3
4
3/16/2020
3
Groups 1 – 3
5
Groups 4 - 6
6
5
6
3/16/2020
4
Groups 7-9
7
Proposal components*
8
1. Research description
2. Team organization
3. Timeline/plan of Work
4. Budget and justification
*https://www.fau.edu/ouri/undergraduate_grants.php
7
8
3/16/2020
5
Research description (3 – 4 pages)
9
1. Background and significance
2. Hypothesis: specify your main hypothesis
3. Detailed research plan a) Aims: 1 to 3 aims b) Methodology c) Anticipated results d) Potential pitfalls and alternative methods
4. Intellectual merit and broader impacts
Good research description
10
o Proposals must be clear, concise, and understandable for reviewers from varying disciplines (broad backgrounds).
o Strong proposals should also meet the following criteria:
o Clear focus on research question or scholarly problem addressed in this study: The grant explicitly states what the project will accomplish. There is a clear central idea, hypothesis, objective/purpose.
o Background theory: provides an evaluation of previous work conducted in the area related to the question or the problem
o Sound methodology: Methodology clearly conveys the steps that will achieve the purpose of this project and how data/information will be obtained.
o Contribution to the field or discussion of potential impact: There is an explanation of the importance of the proposed project, “in the big scheme of things” the value of the project’ impact. State innovative parts of your proposed work.
9
10
3/16/2020
6
Team organization/preparedness ( 0.5 - 1 page)
11
1. Previous experience Your background, course work and research experience that
have prepared you to successfully implement the proposed work
2. Team organization Each group member must have a clear role/task supporting
the overall research question(s)
Timeline/Plan of Work (0.5 page)
12
Outlines the time necessary to complete the majority of the project successfully, usually during 1 to 2 years.
It is justified that the project can be reasonably completed in that time, and that the team will present at an FAU Undergraduate/Graduate Research Symposium.
11
12
3/16/2020
7
Budget (0.5 – 1 page)
13
The budget provides detail associated with what will be purchased (item and quantity) and an explanation of the needs evidenced by the methodology section, as well as detail on where and how the funds will be spent.
The requested budget is justified and necessary for the completion of the project.
Before you start: search and Re-search the literature
14
You may have some idea in mind to work on but before finalizing your research topic, checking the literature and downloading relevant papers
The chances are high that someone have published certain work
What we can do
discussing with your team about the approaches, limitations, and conclusions of publications
trying to find a new angle/method that has not been explored and can improve the performance or bring new capability
13
14
3/16/2020
8
Define the topic
15
The topic of your proposed research should at least address interesting to you (ideally, you should have come across a
series of recent papers related to your line of work that call for a critical summary)
an important aspect of the field (so that the potential funding agency will be interested in your proposal and provide you fund)
a well-defined problem (otherwise you could potentially include random effort leading to nowhere)
References/Examples
16
How to write proposals https://www.fau.edu/ouri/undergraduate_grants.php
6 examples of undergraduate research projects; please be noted that my expectations would be higher as you are working as a team with 5-6 members, including at least one graduate student who may already have prior experience in writing proposals
3 NSF-style proposals posted on Canvas
Searching publications Scopus, Web of Science, Google scholar, library subscriptions etc.
Some general resources/vendors https://www.fishersci.com/us/en/home.html
https://www.thermofisher.com/us/en/home.html
https://bioscience.lonza.com/lonza_bs/US/en/
https://www.mcmaster.com/
https://www.digikey.com/
https://www.amazon.com/
15
16
