Editing and Polishing Guide
for Research Proposal Introduction
The first thing to remember is that there is no single format for research proposals. This is
because every research project is different. Different disciplines, grant organizations and
academic institutions all have different formats and requirements. There are, however, several
key components which must be included in every research proposal.
Editing Tips and Look-For’s
General
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Have any templates, forms, or style guides been used to produce a professional-looking
proposal?
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Is the proposal written in way that it easily read?
 References cited using an acceptable format
 Headings and subheadings uniformly label sections and are consistently
formatted
 Typography and layout choices are appropriate
Language
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Precise and clear
Generalities grounded
Needless complexity avoided
Ambiguity avoided
Strikes a scholarly tone
Concrete nouns used
Active verbs relied on
Being concise and fluid
Transition words used
Sentences varied
Needless words cut
Choppy paragraphs avoided
Numerals use
The unclear “this” or “they”
Illustrations
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Illustrations introduced with text
Illustrations discussed in text
Illustrations placed properly
Key images shown
Level of detail appropriate
Captions specific
Mechanics/Format
Major Errors
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Run-Ons
Fragments
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SV disagreement
Incorrect Usage
Vague Pronoun references
Faulty parallelism
Missing or undesired commas
Colon errors
Possessives
Verb tense
Misplaced modifiers
Quotation marks
Errors
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