Proposal development

Proposal Development
GRC || RWJF
"[T]here is too little emphasis ... on what it means to do independent research."
-William Bowen and Neil Rudenstein
In Pursuit of the Ph.D. 1992


• Developing your thesis/dissertation proposal is
one of your most important moments in grad
school

• It also happens to be the least-institutionalized
part of grad school


• What you’ve done to get this far:
• Excel in academic programing
• Follow a course list provided to you
• Work though a program made for you


• Your Academic program has been like riding
on a plane. Difficult, but the path has been
prepared.


• From now on, you must
• Develop your own research paradigm
• Set your own path & schedule
• Determine your own criteria for success


• Your proposed research is like skydiving - you
are in control, and your path is (mostly) your
decision


• And as everyone knows, the hardest part about
skydiving is jumping off a moving plane


• Two important things to always consider on
every paragraph in the proposal:

• Are you staying focused on your research
question?

• Do you have the concerns of your
committee in mind?


• Make sure you keep your committee
informed of every decision you make
regarding the proposal - and make sure
you clear both the big picture and details
of your proposal before you put pen to
paper


• A good proposal has only one criteria for
success - passing muster by the members
of your committee

Outline

• Sketch out an outline of your proposal:
• Include page length estimates, content,
even citations

• A detailed outline can form a useful
roadmap

Mechanics
• What’s in a proposal?
• Introduction
• Problem Statement
• Conceptual/Theoretical Framework
• Data Collection & Analytical Methods
• Significance
• Timeline

Mechanics

• Introduction
• The easiest part - a simple statement of
the field, the problem, and a hint at your
research.

Problem Statement

• What is the outstanding issue in your field that
you seek to address?

• What is missing from the status quo?

Problem Statement

• In other words, you need to pass the “so what?”
test - how do you capture your audience’s
interest?

Conceptual/Theoretical
Framework

• What literature is relevant to the problem?
• Have a good mix of old and new articles
• Any gaps that you see in important papers?
• The most important part of this section is your
analysis

Framework

• This section does two things.
• First, it establishes the context of your
work

• Second, it demonstrates how much you
are invested in it.

Framework

• Make a space for your work in your field.
• Put elegance over expanse - keep the
discussion as succinct and focused as
possible.

Data Collection Methods

• Where are you getting data?
• From who?
• Do you have permission?
• IRB?

Data Collection Methods

• This section should clearly convey the raw
materials you will use in your work.

Analytical Methods

• Quantitative? Qualitative?
• How will you assess significance?

Analytical Methods

• Your methods should do two things:
• Reinforce your potential contributions to
the field

• Set expectations for what you can deliver

Significance

• What are the broader impacts of your
research?

• What changes?

Significance

• The significance section helps demonstrate
that you understand the broader impacts of
your work - a critical factor in any professional
researcher

Timeline

•“In preparing for battle, I have always found
that plans are useless but planning is
indispensable” - Dwight D. Eisenhower


• All of these concepts are fundamentally
different than anything college or primary
education has prepared you for


• How to get started?

• Take a moment to write down your ideal
graduation schedule. Important landmarks:

• Proposal Defense
• Completion of Data Collection
• Completion of Data Analysis
• Completion of Writing

“In preparing for battle, I have always found that plans are useless but
planning is indispensable” - Dwight D. Eisenhower


• Take a look at your schedule post-proposal -
this will form the baseline for your data
collection and analytical methods

• Can you accomplish your desired
methodological goals with the timeline
you have?


• Every literary agent and book publisher knows
that the author will always be late on turning in
a manuscript after a timeline is settled upon - it
is no different for Masters/Doctoral students


• Give your self more time than you think you’ll
need when negotiating a timeline - it is better
to overestimate and then overachieve than to
underestimate and underachieve in the eyes of
your committee

Research Design

• Your proposal is code for research design
• What are your hypotheses?
• Will the data you gather help evaluate
those hypotheses?

• Will the analytical methods you use help
assess the hypotheses?

Research Design

• Your proposal should serve as foreshadowing
of how you will write a grant proposal, or
oversee a larger project.


• Develop an Outline
• Develop a Timeline
• Keep a continuous dialog with your Committee

Proposal development

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