Final proposal reviews (25 points)
Overview
Reviewing proposals is
one of the key responsibilities of a scientist. It is an important part of
your service to the profession, and will help you become a better scientist.
When you perform this important task, it is important that you are fair,
open-minded, constructive, thorough, rigorous, and ethical (e.g., maintain
confidentiality). In this class, you will rely on the critiquing web
page and The Research
Proposal to guide your proposal reviews. The questions you should
consider when you review your proposals are listed below (see Procedure).
In addition, you should read the linked documents which give an overview
of the proposal review guidelines for two of the major national competitive grants
programs.
Extracts from: Guidelines for reviewing FY 2007 National Research Initiative (NRI) applications.
Procedure
You will critique the final proposal prepared by two of your classmates. Your critiques will be submitted on the assigned due date, and then shared with the students you critiqued. Your critique should consider all of the questions listed below, and list or discuss the proposal's strengths and weaknesses.General
- Is the writing clear, concise, and unambiguous?
- Does the writing use proper grammar, syntax, and a style that is consistent and appropriate?
- Is the writing understandable to the non-specialist and does it avoid unnecessary jargon?
- Is the assignment complete (i.e., does it contain all of the required elements)?
- How can improvements be made?
I. Title Page — Did the title page have the the (1) proposal title, (2) names and addresses of investigators, (3) organization to which the proposal is being submitted, and (4) date of submission?
II. Abstract — Was the abstract a self contained, concise description of the proposed research, including the (1) rationale and significance of the research; (2) goals, supporting objectives, and hypotheses to be tested; (3) methods used to meet the objectives; and (4) expected results. Was the abstract 500 words or less?
III. Table of Contents — Was the table of contents adequate?
IV. Project Description — A. Introduction:
Did the background section adequately describe the:
- Conceptual and theoretical basis of the research?
- Status of research in the field?
- Preliminary results if available?
- Remaining information gaps, including those that the proposed research will address?
- Key assumptions?
- Methods that make the research possible if they are not widely known or well understood?
Were the hypotheses clear and testable?
Did the goals and objectives section include:
- Goals that provide a clear understanding of the long-term ends toward which the research is directed?
- Objectives that are outcome-based?
- Objectives that are clearly related to the hypotheses?
- Objectives that are achievable (i.e., reasonable in scope for the type of degree being sought)?
Did the rationale and significance section adequately describe:
- The reasons for focusing on the stated goals, objectives, and hypotheses?
- The reasons for choosing the proposed materials and methods?
- Why the research is important?
- Any novel ideas or contributions that the proposed project offers?
IV. Project Description — B. Experimental Plan:
Did the proposal adequately describe the methods and materials, including the:
- Proposed experiments or investigations?
- Materials and techniques that you will use, including their feasibility?
- Statistical techniques and other methods used to analyze the data?
Did the proposal adequately describe the expected results and interpretations, including the:
- Results that will lead you to conclude that the hypotheses are proved or disproved?
- Scope of inference (i.e., to what extent are the results applicable to other locations, times, or situations?)?
- Pitfalls that may be encountered?
- Limitations to the proposed methods?
Did the proposal have a realistic timeline?
V. References — Were the references complete (including titles and co-authors), and did they conform to an acceptable journal format?
If you do not complete the assignment by the due date, a late penalty will be assigned using the penalties listed in the late assignment policy.