Nineteen Tips for Successful Proposal Writing

Also read What Does a UROP Proposal Look Like? and Why Proposals Fail !

This document can be downloaded as a pdf .

The list of hints below were formulated by the sponsored programs office at the University of Oklahoma . All tried and true advice! They have been modified specifically for the IUPUI Undergraduate Research Program.

1. Know the priorities of your funding source. Your funding source is the IUPUI UROP or, if you are a School of Science major, the School of Science UROP . The priorities of UROP are to encourage you to engage in independent research with a faculty mentor. The point of doing undergraduate research is to deepen your knowledge in your discipline, to develop your critical thinking skills and writing skills and, by giving you a taste of research, to encourage you to go on to graduate or professional school. The program looks for projects that seek to answer a particular, well-defined question and for projects that seek to solve a problem, yet unsolved. The programs demands you have a working relationship with an IUPUI faculty member who will guide your grant writing and your research. Unless your proposed project addresses those priorities, your chance of funding is slim.
2. Know who will be reviewing your proposal . UROP reviewers are faculty members who know your discipline well or who at least know your broad area of inquiry. Thus, you may use the terminology of your discipline. At the same time, since proposals are often reviewed by faculty not thoroughly immersed in your subject, use clear definitions and include a discussion of your objectives in more general terms.
3. Knowledge of your funding source will help you set the tone for the proposal narrative. Emotional pleas usually do not work well with faculty and are best saved for judicious use in traditional fund raising activities. Instead, clearly document the problem, illustrating your understanding through use of literature citations and needs assessments.
4. Always follow the funding source's instructions for proposal format and submission. If the suggested proposal outline is optional, use it anyway. Reviewers will appreciate knowing where to find important pieces of information during the review. Also, do not exceed the maximum number of pages specified ( three for UROP proposals). Most granting agencies will not review proposals which do not meet page and other requirements. UROP will delay your review until your proposal is complete.
5. Always present measurable outcome objectives for projects that will deal with people. (For example, "95% of students will become proficient in the use of SPSS-X to analyze laboratory data by the end of the semester, as evidenced by a score of 95% or better on the final laboratory exercise."). You may then add process objectives or specific activities to be undertaken to help explain how you will carry out your project. For example, "Twenty students from Laboratory Section 1 will be instructed during the Fall Semester in the use of SPSS-X to complete Analysis of Variance [ANOVA] on the levels of blood pesticides measured in research subjects." Exceptions include planning proposals, where the outcome is expected to be a document, and basic research (i.e., hypothesis testing).
6. The "trust me" approach is rarely successful, particularly with a funding source who does not know you. Clearly spell out how you will accomplish your objectives, who will be responsible for each major activity, and when each activity will be undertaken and completed. A detailed evaluation plan is also a must. Generally, it is insufficient to say only that the evaluation plan will be developed and implemented during the project period.
7. Remember that most funding sources want to support projects that will make a major contribution to a discipline or to human welfare. They are looking for new approaches to problems, particularly those that can have a broad significant impact. So don't forget to discuss the significance of your project idea. UROP is not looking for a major contribution from students who will spend a limited time on campus, but you must explain how your work fits into a larger project that would make a major contribution.
8. At all costs, avoid using the word "unique," as very few things are truly one-of-a-kind in today's world. "Innovative" and "novel" are frequently used in place of "unique." However, if you use these adjectives to describe your project or approach, clearly explain how your idea is different and back up your explanation with facts from the literature.
9. Prepare a project budget that is clear and easy to read. Unless the proposed sponsor specifies otherwise (which UROP does not), use additional pages to fully explain each proposed expenditure. Remember to include any cash matching dollars or in-kind support from your department or mentor or other cooperating party.
10. Use carefully selected letters of support. Avoid overkill. Also, be sure that each letter gives an accurate reflection of the proposed project. If other parties are collaborating, letters of commitment which detail the working relationship between the entities are a must. Do not use "To Whom It May Concern" general support letters. UROP looks for a letter to insure you are a competent student, willing and able to carry on the work. Use faculty members who know you from classes or with whom you have worked for or with in the past. You may include any information, perhaps relegating it to an appendix, to support your statements of need for the proposed project. Use general letters of endorsement that do not address your ability to carry out your project extremely judiciously.
11. The quality of your writing matters. A UROP proposal should be prepare under the supervision of a faculty mentor. The mentor must review and help you edit your proposal. Since you UROP proposal will be carefully reviewed, ask a colleague or faculty member other than your mentor to review your final draft to be sure you have presented your ideas logically and cogently. Because the proposal will be reviewed by faculty members who may not know your discipline will, ask a friend outside your discipline to provide input. Have someone who is good with grammar and spelling do a final review and edit.
12. Prepare the proposal neatly, with style, and professionally . Print your proposal on either a letter-quality dot matrix or a laser jet printer. Do not use a 9-pin dot matrix printer. Its type does not copy well and is extremely difficult to read. Also, do not use type smaller than 12 characters per inch in your proposal narrative in an attempt to fit more words within a page limit. Instead, edit your work carefully and remove superfluous words. If possible, leave some "white" spaces between sections and/or paragraphs to give the reader's eyes a break. Spend a little extra time using font size, bolding, underlining, and indentation to set apart major and minor sections of the narrative.
13. Make neat copies of your proposal. If you are required to submit copies, be sure the photocopier is doing a good job. Light or smudgy copies make your entire submission appear sloppy. You have spent too much time preparing your proposal to present a poor first impression with a shoddy copy job.
14. Do not spend a lot of money on fancy report covers or multi-color presentations. Expensive production jobs rarely impress funding agencies and faculty are looking for a good proposal, not a splashy presentation.
15. It is professional to include a cover letter which very briefly (one sentence) summarizes your request, its amount, its duration and which indicates with whom you will work. This is not required by UROP but a cover letter gives a good impression to the reviewers.
16. Be sure you have taken care of all university research regulations before you submit your proposal. Students and their faculty mentors that use human subjects, animals, radioactive or other hazardous materials, or recombinant DNA are required to demonstrate they are qualified to carry on projects with such requirements. The UROP guidelines will help you identify what you must do and what paperwork you must process for such projects. Do the paperwork yourself, even though the faculty mentor must sign off, because you will learn a great deal about research regulations.
17. When your UROP project is completed prepare a concise report of your results and say thank you. Do not include a thank you or other extraneous niceties in your report. Stick to your project activities and results. However, also send a sincere letter of thanks to the program and outline the benefits you gained from your research experience. The university provides the funding for your project and it requires UROP to demonstrate its effectiveness. An effective UROP will increase student learning and persistence to graduation, enhance the undergraduate experience overall, and inspire students to make challenging career choices. You can provide the best information to UROP about the benefits of the program you experience personally.
18. If your project is not funded consider the feedback you receive carefully. Request additional feedback if necessary. Such information will help you improve your proposal for resubmission. UROP will provide reviewer comments when they notify you of the results of your application. If comments are missing, request them from the program. Review these comments carefully and use them to strengthen your proposal for resubmission to the same or a different funding source.
19. DO NOT GIVE UP! Refine your idea and polish your proposal and resubmit it. UROP rarely turns down proposals. Instead the program will work with you and your mentor to revise your proposal until it is acceptable.