1 University Grantscrafting Read the Guidelines Tips for SSHRC Masters Applications Dr. Rosemary E. Ommer University SSHRC Grantscrafter

2 Working with a Grantscrafter Not a guarantee that you will get the grant! Application will be in best possible shape Application material, ideas and discussion will remain confidential Positive criticism Technicalities not addressed

3 Technicalities Grant eligibility, deadlines, format, attachments Resources for you: Your Department Graduate Advisor SSHRC website: Faculty of Graduate Studies Scholarship Officers: Yvonne Rondeau Kathy McCarthy

4 Masters Applications

5 Application Process As a result of a Tri-Council Harmonization process, as of Fall 2013 there is now one application for all Masters applicants – SSHRC, NSERC & CIHR Students apply through an online application portal

6 Outline of proposed research Maximum of one page for proposed research Maximum of one page for citations Detailed description of project INCLUDING: literature (current knowledge of field) Objectives Hypothesis Theoretical approach Methods Significance to field(s) in social sciences/humanities

7 Selection Criteria Academic Excellence 50% *Academic Record (first class average) *Scholarship and awards held *Duration of previous studies *Type of program and courses pursued *Course load *Relative standing (if available)

8 Selection criteria (contd) Research Potential 30% * Quality and originality of contributions to research and development * Relevance of work experience and academic training to field of proposed research * Significance, feasibility and merit of proposed research * Judgment and ability to think critically * Ability to apply skills and knowledge * Initiative, autonomy and independence * Research experience and achievements relative to expectations of someone with the candidate’s academic experience

9 Selection Criteria (contd) Personal Characteristics and Interpersonal Skills 20% * Work experience * Leadership experience * Project management (including organizing conferences and meetings) * The ability or potential to communicate theoretical, technical and/or scientific concepts clearly and logically in written and oral formats * Involvement in academic life * Volunteerism/community outreach

10 writing tips

11 Target your audience—SSHRC adjudication committee Avoid passive voice, disciplinary jargon, complex obscure language, very long sentences, and sentences without main verbs Watch your pronouns and prepositions for clarity Avoid typos, incomplete information SSHRC committees are made up of hard-working people, who may grow tired and impatient with mistakes, editorializing, and obscure complex language, especially after reading many applications Writing your Program of Study

12 Provide the required information in a clear and concise manner Be honest about your experience, and learn to boast where appropriate... quietly and modestly! Write for an intelligent non-specialist audience Explain the point of the research, in what ways it is new and significant, how the questions are conceptualized and will be addressed Writing your Program of Study cont’d

13 Do not squeeze in too many words so as to make your proposal difficult to read Think about the creative use of headlines, en-dots, subsections, bold, underlines and italics – these help make a page look attractive, provide white space, and they point up the logical consistency of a proposal catch interest –sell your research – your title and context need to be punchy, no jargon, exciting Writing your Program of Study cont’d

14 Provide appropriate references – bibliographies are important, but you are space-limited – one page max so include key texts Make sure that the application states the central problem If critiquing existing models/approaches in the literature is necessary, it should be done lucidly and without partisanship and the reasons why the proposed approach is better should be demonstrated clearly and precisely Show familiarity with the debates in the literature Writing your Program of Study cont’d

15 Engage a non-expert: Ask a friend who is not overly-familiar with your research to take your grant proposal and read it some day/evening when he/she is tired and really would rather not do this...and see if it makes sense. Have your friend tell you which bits were confusing, or had to be re-read, that's all. Then sit down again and work on getting rid of the jargon, or the appallingly long sentence, or the floating subordinate clause that needs to be a new sentence, etc. Writing your Program of Study cont’d

16 Track record: Whether or not the applicant can be relied upon to deliver It's not a game of “who gets the highest publication score,” but who delivers well and on time so that scarce public funds are not dissipated Be clear about what you have done including: a report, a talk, and also about the “other scholarly production” category —videos, for example Quality counts more than quantity. Writing your Program of Study cont’d

17 Final Comments You should know exactly how you are going to approach your research have done all the preparatory reading know exactly where your research fits in, why it is an advancement of knowledge, and one that we need know what help you need, show that you have taken steps to get it, and have all the intellectual/institutional assistance you will require. use the following template as a guide (also available as PDF on FGS website – External Awards SSHRC CGSM

18 MA proposal template (2016) [singlespaced, no more than six lines per inch; Times New Roman (regular, minimum 12pt. or a comparable font); margins at a minimum of 1.87 cm (3/4 of an inch) all around; leftjustified, standard page layout; your name in the page header on every page; number the pages sequentially] Outline of Proposed Research The attachment consists of two separate sections: Outline of proposed research (maximum of one page); and Bibliography/citations (maximum of one page). 1. Context & Literature: Provide background information to position your proposed research within the context of the current knowledge in the field. Objectives and hypothesis/research question: Given the literature, state the objectives and hypothesis Theoretical approach: outline the theoretical approach to be taken (citing literature pertinent to the proposal), Methods: state the methods and procedures to be used, in order of doing. State the Significance: state the significance of the proposed research to a field or fields in the social sciences and/or humanities, as appropriate. For an artistic creation: If the output of your degree program is an artistic creation rather than a thesis, follow the above headings, indicating clearly the research component of your proposed work, the objectives of your research, the context, methodology, and contribution to the advancement of knowledge. If your degree program does not involve a thesis, a major research paper/essay, or a major research project, remember to outline clearly the research component of the degree. If you have not yet decided on a specific project, you must still provide a detailed description of a research project that interests you, using the above headings. You are not bound by this project. You may change your research direction or activities during the course of the award. Certain restrictions may apply. For any details: Refer to the Canada Graduate ScholarshipsMaster’s Award Holder’s Guide Remember that applicants are expected to write their outline of proposed research independently. Ideas and/or text belonging to others must be properly referenced. Include all relevant information in the outline. Do not refer reviewers to URLs or other publications for supplemental information. In the Outline of Proposed Research, provide the requested information according to the guidelines and format standards outlined in the Presentation Standards.

19 THANK YOU! Graduate Student Grants Facilitation