Connections Proposal Submission Checklist
Prior to submission, it is strongly recommended that you review your proposal to ensure it complies with the
guidelines, in the format specified. This checklist is not intended to be an all-inclusive repetition of the required
proposal contents and associated proposal preparation guidelines. It is, however, meant to highlight certain critical
items so they will not be overlooked when the proposal is prepared. If any part of your project involves human
subjects, vertebrate animals, or biohazards, see page 5 of the guidelines.
Proposal – general:
 At top center of first page of proposal: title of your project, your name and major, and your mentor’s name
and department (NO coversheet)
 Follow the font and margin requirements and two page limit (not including: references, budget, transcripts,
mentor collaboration form) NOTE for group projects: maximum is one extra page per student (2 students = 3
pages; 3 students = 4 pages)
Proposal – sections:
 Background/relationship to previous research/knowledge in the field
 Research question or statement
 Project goals and objectives
 Project impact or significance
 Methodology or project design
 Project timeline
 Anticipated results/Final Products and Dissemination (sharing results)
 References Cited: Not included in page limit
Supporting material:
 Itemized budget and justification (use Connections budget form on webpage)
Final proposal document:
 Compile proposal, budget, and transcripts into ONE Word or PDF file – do NOT scan
 Name file: “student Last name_First initial”; for group projects: “student 1 Last name_student 2 Last name”
 Electronic file given to mentor for submission to the Center of Research Excellence via email (cre@usca.edu)
 Remind mentor to provide a statement of support in the text of the submission email
 MENTOR submits proposal to Center for Research Excellence (cre@usca.edu)
USCA Center for Research Excellence
Revised: February 2014