1. The Whys/Whats/Hows of Proposal Writing
Cindy Norris
CS 5100

2. Why write a proposal? One’s research is only as good as one’s proposal
Well-written proposal serves to define the work to be done and prepare the researcher to do the work

3. Types of Proposals
Grant proposal – National Science Foundation (NSF) is a typical source of funding for CS research
Business proposal – also contains complex legal forms
PhD thesis proposal (mine was about 30 pages in length)‏
MS thesis proposal (here we call it a prospectus)‏

4. CS Dept: Project Track versus Thesis Track
We can write a proposal for either one of these, but the “flavor” is somewhat difference
Note that the project track eliminates the thesis altogether, but a proposal is still useful!

5. Project Track 36 hours total Project proposal
3 hours for a project (implementation)‏
Goal isn’t to answer questions, but instead to provide a useful tool (that may be used by someone else to answer questions)‏
Project proposal
Background: related projects
Narrative: implementation details, clearly defined project
“Problem”: why is this a worthy project?

6. Thesis track 30 hours total – Thesis Proposal
Typically, but not necessarily, involves an implementation
Research answers questions that advance our understanding in some way
Thesis Proposal
Background – information need to understand problem; related work
Narrative – clearly define the problems, what the work is expected to accomplish, the approach

7. Goal of the proposal All types of proposals have the same basic goal:
Persuade the reader that you have a
worthy project and the ability and the
plan to get it completed.

8. What items should the proposal address?
The problem
Proposal should describe in clear terms the problem, the impact of the problem and the causes of the problem
Your hypotheses
If the project is being designed to answer some set of questions, what are those questions and what do you expect the answers to be?

9. What items should the proposal address?
Worthiness of the project
How will the project contribute to the field under study?
Will the body of CS knowledge be impacted?
Will the project contribute to other fields?
How will the contribution be measured?
How will the project positively impact your community?
Will the software developed be widely used?
How will the impact be measured?

10. What items should the proposal address?
Research methods
How will you measure the contribution/success of your project?
What data will you be using?
How large is your data set?
What type of analysis will you perform?

11. General Tips Begin early – today! Answer (pre-empt) all questions
Be explicit and specific. In other words, no hand-waving.
Be realistic. (Can you really find a cure for cancer?)‏
Make explicit connections between the problem and your objectives, and your objectives and your methods.

12. Elements of the Proposal
Title Page
Abstract (Project Summary)‏
Introduction
Literature Review
Project Narrative
Personnel
Budget
References

13. Title Page Brief/explicit title of the project
Name(s) of the investigator(s)‏
Institutional affiliation of the investigator(s)‏
(Funding Agency)‏
(Dates of the project – start/end)‏
(Budget)‏

14. Abstract/Project Summary
First (and maybe last!) impression of the proposal
Should contain the key elements of the proposal in future tense
Goals (What do you hope to achieve?)‏
Research methods (How are you going to get there?)‏
Significance! (Why is this important?)‏
Be explicit

15. Introduction Describe the problem What are the principle goals?
Background and rationale for the project
Need and significance
How is project different from related projects
What are the principle goals?
Save the subgoals for the project narrative
What are the anticipated outcomes?
The anticipated outcomes should match up with the goals

16. Literature Review (Background)‏
Should indicate you’ve done the necessary preliminary research
Should include an evaluation of the pertinent works (where did these fall short?)
Works should be summarized and categorized – describe closely related works in the same section
Literature review could be simply a review of similar software projects

17. Project Narrative
Detailed statement of problem and significance of the project
Detailed description of the goals and subgoals of the research
Plan of attack
How is research to be performed?
What software/hardware is to be used?
What evaluation methods are to be used?
How will you measure the contribution of the work?
What is the project timeline? (You can assume work will start next spring or summer.)‏

18. Personnel
List the people that will be working on the project and describe their credentials
The reader should be able to see that the credentials of the personnel are suitable for the proposed work

19. Budget Typically includes
Hardware expenses
Software expenses
Travel expenses
Personnel expenses
Indirect costs
Justification for items on the budget
For our purposes, only include software/hardware expenses (if any)‏

20. References Cite all ideas, data, material that are not your own
Everything in the list of references must be cited somewhere in the rest of the proposal (and vice-versa)‏

21. Final Hints Don’t forget the HOOK A picture is worth a thousand words
Poor grammar and spelling distract from the content
Read it yourself multiple times – aloud
Get your CS friends to read it

22. Resources
How to Write a Thesis Proposal how_to_thesis_proposal.html
Preparing a Grant Proposal
Grant Proposals _proposals.html
Grant Proposal Writing Tips