Writing Dissertation Proposals in the
Natural and Biomedical Sciences
November 1, 2007
Libby O’Hare
eohare@ucla.edu
Ph.D. Candidate, Neuroscience
UCLA GWC Writing Consultant
Outline
1.) Discussion of the Components of Proposals:
-NRSA grant format
-exercise with a funded NRSA grant
2.) Developing a Writing Practice:
-time management
-project management
-general and specific writing strategies
3.) Writing the Background & Significance Section:
-tips and strategies for literature reviews
Part 1: NRSA Grant Proposals
Have specific and standard format:
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
Specific Aims and Hypotheses
Background and Significance
Methods and Experimental Design
Conclusions and Interpretations
We will add components to this format slightly to make your
proposal even more compelling and hopefully more successful
(1) Broad Summary Statement of
Project
•
1-2 paragraphs
•
Place the overall research question in perspective
•
Attention grabbing
•
Use lay language and avoid references when possible
(2) Specific Aims and Hypotheses
•
Usually 2-5 specific aims are listed
•
Identify the project goals and main hypotheses to be
tested
•
Should list aims using numbers and simple, specific
sentences
•
Helpful to use different formatting tools (boldface,
italics) to identify specific aims and hypotheses
(3) Background and Significance
•
Review of the current literature relevant to the proposed project
•
Putting the research question into perspective
•
Explicit explanation of the potential scientific impact of the project
•
How does your research question address a hole in the literature
(how is your question novel)?
•
What progression of experiments that led to your project?
•
Clear and well organized--use subheadings where possible
(4) Preliminary Data
•
If applicable and available
•
If included, should be brief
•
Use images, graphs, tables
•
Main goal is to demonstrate that you can perform the
technique/analysis/procedure you are proposing
•
Secondary goal is to indicate that your initial data is
coming out as expected
(5) Methods and Experimental Design
•
Description of research design
•
Include information on:
-Materials
-Subjects
-Instruments
-data collection procedures
-data analysis methods
•
How will you address possible experimental confounds in your design?
•
Look at previous grant proposals from your lab to get a sense of the
scope and details needed
(6) Expected Results and Possible
Caveats
•
What are your expected results?
•
Given these results, what is your interpretation?
How does this interpretation fit with the concepts you have
developed in the background and significance section?
•
•
What are potential confounds or caveats in your experimental
design?
•
Discuss alternative approaches that may be used to address this
confounds and caveats
•
If included, this section should set your application apart from
others
(7) Broad Conclusions and Implications
•
1-2 paragraphs
•
Place the overall research question in perspective
(yes, again!)
•
Spell out exactly how the proposed research will
advance the field
•
Use lay language and avoid references when possible
(8) Timeline or Work Plan
•
Chart format is helpful
•
Include information on the duration of experiments,
activities that will be conducted
•
Optional for NRSA grants, but extremely helpful to
have for yourself
Exercise 1
•
Identify the components we just discussed in
previously successful NRSA grant (handout)
•
Was anything missing?
•
What sections could have been expanded upon?
•
What sections could have been reduced or cut?
Part 2: Developing a Writing
Practice
•
Organization is the key to productive writing
•
Time and project management, motivational strategies
•
Questionnaire exercise
Exercise 2
•
Creating your own Structure” questionnaire
(handout)
Organization: Project Management
•
Organizing information and materials (references, other
grants, conference abstracts, raw data figures)
•
Make use of file systems
•
Create a method for tracking your writing: at the end of
each writing session, make notes on what you have
accomplished and where you will start tomorrow
•
Balancing research and writing
•
Setting deadlines (external accountability)
Organization: Time Management
•
Balancing research and writing
•
Setting deadlines (external accountability)
•
Create a method for tracking your writing: at the end of
each writing session, make notes on what you have
accomplished and where you will start tomorrow
•
Construct a dedicated writing time and space
•
Devise a writing schedule you can follow
Staying Organized with Strategies
General Writing Strategies
•
Find and review examples of prior proposals in your lab/department
•
Make communication with your advisor a high priority
•
Make use of peers and other faculty mentors for discussion/editing
•
Make use of GWC writing consultants
•
WORKING OUTLINE: critical to organization
Staying Organized with Strategies
Writing Strategies: Psychology of the Writing Practice
•
Think and write in subheadings/sections, not chapters (break into
manageable pieces)
•
Revise in the same way (fight the urge to “edit at the sentence level”)
•
Devise a writing schedule and stick to it--include means for external
accountability
Part 3: Writing the Background and
Significance Section
•
•
•
•
•
Definitions
Function
Types and Styles
Tips and Strategies
Level of Detail Issues
(3) Background and Significance
•
Review of the current literature relevant to the proposed project
•
Putting the research question into perspective
•
Explicit explanation of the potential scientific impact of the project
•
How does your research question address a hole in the literature
(how is your question novel)?
•
What progression of experiments that led to your project?
•
Clear and well organized--use subheadings where possible
What is a Literature Review?
•
“a critical look at the existing research that is significant
to the proposed studies”
•
“an account of what has been published on a topic by
previous researchers”
•
“presents the justification for your proposed
studies/experiments”
Functions of Literature Reviews
•
Placing the current study within the wider disciplinary conversation
•
Illustrates the novelty and importance of the project
•
Explains how your research questions and/or research approach is
different from those previously published
•
Justifies your methodology
•
Demonstrates your familiarity with the topic and your ability to study
it successfully
Types of Literature Reviews
•
Exhaustive history: chronological review of previous studies that lead
to the current project
•
Replication: description of current state of knowledge, or
methodology; also argues for additional verification or possible
variation (i.e. different sample population)
•
Missing pieces: description of current state of knowledge with
identification of gaps in the field; argues how current research will
address these gaps
•
Positional: identification of various arguments, trends, and debates in
field; situates the proposed research within that context and then
stakes out the study’s position
**some lit reviews include aspects of all of these**
Tips and Strategies
•
Categorize your sources into topic clusters
•
Look for trends and themes and synthesize related
information:
• Develop the positions that are relevant for your project
• Build on conclusions that have led to your project
• Identify holes due to flawed assumptions or improper
methods
•
Include a certain amount of simple reporting of previous
results, but remember
• You are writing discursive prose
• Your primary goal is to critique
Tips and Strategies (Cont.)
•
You can’t include every single study that has ever been
published on your topic!
•
Avoid polemics, praise, and blame
• Focus on justifying your research questions and
methodology
Level of Detail Issues
Rudestam’s “Long Shots and Close-Ups”
The long-shot:
• Background material and contextual development
• Needs to be acknowledged, but not treated in extensive detail
The medium-shot:
• Requires short descriptions
• Typically covers sources that address the relationship of 2 variables
or topics
The close-up:
• Detailed analysis of those studies with direct relevance for the
proposed research
• Critically examined to illustrate what is already know about a
topic/variable, and how the proposed research will deal with
previous limitations and move the field in new directions
Exercise 3
•
Working with content exercise, literature review
(handout)
-classifying your bibliography
•
Critical analysis checklist for reading papers
(handout)
-things to think about when reading
articles and references
Exercise 4
Getting Ready to Write: Critical Questions
1.) Why does the proposed research need to be conducted?
2.) How is it different from other studies?
3.) Where does the proposed research fit within the current
knowledge?
4.) What will the proposed research contribute to the field?
Session 1 Summary
1.) Components of NRSA grant proposals as a proxy for a
dissertation prospectus
2.) Devising ways to
-develop a writing practice
-getting and staying organized
-general writing strategies
3.) Literature Reviews and the Background & Significance Section
-principles
-formats
-writing strategies
-level of detail concerns
UCLA Grant Writing Resources
Graduate Writing Center (GWC)
Individual Writing Consultation Appointments
http://gsa.asucla.ucla.edu/gsrc/gwc/index.htm
Grad Division’s Extramural Fellowship Proposal Consultants
Dr. Chuck Olmstead (physical and life sciences)
310-835-5094
brainone@ucla.edu
Future Grant Writing Workshops
Fall Quarter, 2007
Writing Dissertation Proposals in the Natural and
Biomedical Sciences
Thursday, November 1, 2007, 4-5:30pm
Tuesday, November 13, 2007, 4-5:30pm
Acknowledgements
UCLA Graduate Writing Center
Marilyn Gray
Christine Wilson
UCLA Academic Technology Services
Christine Wells