Research Project Annotated Outline

Evaluating an Early Draft of a Research Proposal

Review your proposal—or have a friend or colleague in your discipline check it—to be sure that your proposal exhibits none of the following characteristics

FOR ANY RESEARCH PROPOSAL

· The statement of the main problem (or question) is vague, or it is so obscured by discussions of other topics that it is impossible to find-

· The methodology is incompletely described; an explanation of exactly the research will be conducted is not specifically delineated.

· The proposed treatment of each subproblem is general and cursory; it does not convey clearly how the data will be used and interpreted to address the subproblem or the overall research problem.

· The proposal lacks sharpness. It is not logically organized. Without clear sections delineate the various aspects of the research project, it rambles. Readers have trouble isolating the discussion of the main research problem or question, the subproblems, the related literature, the methodology, the interpretation of the data, and other important parts of the proposal.

· The proposal uses words and phrases that are too general, ambiguous, or imprecise to be useful for evaluation. Without more clarification, such phrases as "tests will be given" and "statistical procedures will be conducted" are largely meaningless.

· The format of the proposal deviates from the guidelines set forth by the approval group or funding agency.

· Some cited sources do not appear in the reference list; alternatively, they are incompletely or incorrectly cited.

FOR A PROPOSAL TO A FUNDING AGENCY

· The problem does not address the research area outlined by the funding agency.

· The section of the proposal explaining the study's importance is not specific enough for the funding agency to see the study's relationship to the purpose for which a grant is requested.

· A clear and explicit budget statement outlining program expenditures is lacking, or the summary of estimated costs is ambiguous and indefinite.

· Items included in the budget are disallowed by the terms of the grant-

· The proposal is too ambitious for the grant money available.