WRITING A CONCEPT PAPER
Sometimes called a prospectus, preliminary proposal or pre
proposal and a useful tool for several purposes.
A summary of what the project is all about, the reasons of
conducting the project and how it will be carried out.
It also provides an overview of the project, helps funding agencies
eliminate proposals that are likely to be disapproved
Helps us to save time and effort for both the proponents and
companies/agencies.
SEVERAL USES OF A CONCEPT PAPER
Serves as the foundation of the full proposal
It helps determine whether a certain project is feasible or not.
It is used to pique the interest of the potential funding agencies.
It is used to obtain informal feedback on the ideas prior to
preparing the full proposal.
3 WAYS IN EXPLAINING A CONCEPT
Definition
Explication
Clarification
1.DEFINITION
• It
is the method of identifying a given term and making its
meaning clearer.
Can be presented in 3 ways: informal; formal or extended
Informal- parenthetical or brief explanation.
Formal- explains a term by incorporating the term to
be
defined (species), the general category of the term (genus),
and the quality that makes the term different from other terms
in the same category (differentia)
Extended definition- detailed way of defining a term and is usually composed of
at least 1 paragraph. It incorporates various patterns of development (e.g.
formal, informal, comparison and contrast, narration, description, analogy,
classification, functional analysis & cause and effect) to explain a given concept.
Use of signal words (as defined, for example, such as, to define, to illustrate etc.)
2. EXPLICATION-
method of explanation in which sentences , verses ,
quotes or passages are taken away from a literary or academic work and then
interpreted and explained in a detailed way.
3. CLARIFICATION-
points are organized from a general abstract idea
to specific and concrete examples/ entails analysis of the concept by looking at the
examples.
SIGNAL WORDS FOR CLARIFICATION
After all
That is
Put another way
In particular
Stated differently
To illustrate
For instance
As an example
To be specific
Specifically
For example
Namely
In other words
Consider the following
To clarify
In short
PARTS OF A CONCEPT PAPER (FOR A PROJECT)
1. Cover Page – details of the proponents
2. Introduction- mission/vision/ reasons why
funding agency should
support the project
3. Rationale or background- problems and significance
4. Project Description- goals and objectives
of
the
projects/methodology/action plan
5. Project
Needs and Cost-outline of the main budget/ justify how
budget will be used
CONCEPT PAPER (FOR ACADEMIC RESEARCH)
1. Title Page- title of the research , name of school, date of submission
etc.
2. Background
of the study- current state of the field you are
researching on.
• Problems/statistics/previous studies to prove your claim.
• Reasons why you want to investigate on the chosen topic
• Theoretical and practical implications of your proposed research
3. Preliminary
literature
Literature
Review-theoretical
framework/related
4. Statement of the Problem/Objectives- Problem in one
sentence/ specific research questions or objectives.
5. Abridged Methodology- participants of the study/ instruments
to be used/ data collection procedure/ data analysis scheme to
be used.
6. Timeline- use of Gantt chart
7. References- list of all books, references, and other resources
cited in your paper.
GUIDELINES IN WRITING A CONCEPT PAPER
1. Cost and methodology should be reasonable.
2. Budget, methodology and timeline should be clearly aligned.
3. Use statistics and figures when discussing the rationale of the project.
4. Use no more than 5 pages (single spaced) excluding the cover page.
5. Never request funding for planning the proposal.
6. Adjust your language to intended readers.
7. Include overview of budget if it is required. You may simply include type of support
needed. (eg. Personnel, travel, communication and equipment)
8. Incorporate basic format details and cite your references.