Proposals that work : a guide for planning dissertations and grant proposals

Previous editions of this book have helped well over 100,000 students and professionals write effective proposals for dissertations and grants. Covering all aspects of the proposal process, from the most basic questions about form and style to the task of seeking funding, Locke/Spirduso/Silverman's Proposals That Work offers clear advice backed up with excellent examples. In the fifth edition, the authors have included a discussion of the effects of new technologies and the Internet on the proposal process, with URLs listed where appropriate. In addition, there are new sections covering alternative forms of proposals and dissertations and the role of academic rigor in research. As always, the authors have included a number of specimen proposals, two that are completely new to this edition, to help shed light on the important issues surrounding the writing of proposals. Clear, straightforward, and reader friendly, Proposals That Work is a must own for anyone considering writing a proposal for a thesis, a dissertation, or a grant.

• Preface p. xiii
• About the Nature of This Book p. xiii
• About the Changes in This New Edition p. xiv
• Suggestions for Using the Book p. xv
• Acknowledgments p. xvii
• About the Authors p. xix
• Part I Writing the Proposal p. 1
• 1 The Function of the Proposal p. 3
• Function p. 3
• Communication p. 3
• Plan p. 4
• Contract p. 4
• Regulations Governing Proposals p. 5
• General Considerations p. 6
• General Format p. 7
• Specific Tasks p. 7
• Introducing the Study p. 8
• Stating the Purpose p. 9
• Providing a Rationale p. 10
• Formulating Questions or Hypotheses p. 10
• Identifying Delimitations and Limitations p. 16
• Providing Definitions p. 17
• Discussing the Background of the Problem p. 17
• Explaining Procedures p. 19
• Providing Supplementary Material p. 21
• Completing the Tasks: The Proposal and the Report p. 22
• 2 Doing the Right Thing: "The Habit of Truth" p. 25
• Ethics and the Research Process p. 27
• The Protection of Human Subjects p. 28
• An Ethical Benchmark p. 29
• The Self-interest of Respect p. 30
• The Danger of Seeming Innocent p. 30
• A Protocol for Informed Consent p. 31
• The Reactive Effects of Honesty p. 32
• Omission of Information p. 32
• Cooperation by Coercion p. 33
• Reciprocity p. 33
• The Ethics of Writing p. 34
• Plagiarism p. 34
• Providing All the Facts p. 34
• Manufacturing the Facts p. 35
• Ethics in Publication p. 36
• Personal and Professional Relationships p. 37
• Relationships With Faculty Mentors p. 38
• Discovery and Obligation p. 39
• 3 Developing the Thesis or Dissertation Proposal: Some Common Problems p. 41
• Before the Proposal: First Things First p. 42
• Making Your Decision: Do You Really Want to Do It? p. 42
• Choosing Your Turf: Advisors and Areas p. 44
• Finding Your Question: What Don't We Know That Matters? p. 44
• The Sequence of Proposing: From Selecting a Topic to Forming a Committee p. 50
• A Plan of Action: What Follows What? p. 50
• Originality and Replication: What Is a Contribution to Knowledge? p. 58
• Getting Started: Producing the First Draft p. 59
• Selecting Your Thesis or Dissertation Committee p. 60
• 4 Content of the Proposal: Important Considerations p. 63
• Reviewing the Literature: Finding It First p. 63
• Reviewing the Literature: Writing the Right Stuff p. 68
• Spadework The Proper Use of Pilot Studies p. 76
• Murphy's Law: Anticipating the Unexpected p. 79
• Anticipating the Analysis: Do It Now p. 80
• The Statistical Well: Drinking the Greatest Draught p. 83
• On Finding a Friendly Computer p. 83
• The Care and Nurture of Consultants p. 85
• The Scientific State of Mind: Proof, Truth, and Rationalized Choices p. 88
• 5 Preparation of Proposals for Qualitative Research: Different Assumptions p. 91
• The Only Constant Is Change p. 91
• Disagreements and Diversity p. 93
• A Brief Description of Qualitative Research p. 96
• Preparing a Proposal for Qualitative Research p. 102
• Proposals for Focus Group Research p. 107
• Resources for Qualitative Research p. 108
• The Decision to Go Qualitative p. 117
• 6 Proposals for Mixed Method Research p. 121
• Resources for Mixed Methods Research p. 122
• Considerations for Proposing Mixed Methods Research p. 124
• 7 Style and Form in Writing the Proposal p. 127
• Praising, Exhorting, and Polemicizing: Don't p. 127
• Quotations: How to Pick Fruit From the Knowledge Tree p. 128
• Clarity and Precision: Speaking in System Language p. 129
• Editing: The Care and Nurture of a Document p. 132
• In Search of a Title: First Impressions and the Route to Retrieval p. 133
• Components Appropriate for Inclusion in the Title p. 134
• Components Inappropriate for Inclusion in the Title p. 135
• Mechanics of Titling p. 136
• 8 The Oral Presentation p. 137
• Preparing Content p. 140
• Preparing Materials p. 142
• A Special Note About the Use of PowerPoint p. 146
• Construction p. 147
• Proper Use p. 147
• The General Rules p. 148
• Practice and Revision p. 148
• Preparing the Environment p. 150
• Oral Presentation p. 151
• Managing Interaction p. 152
• The Aftermath p. 153
• Part II Money For Research p. 155
• 9 Money for Research: How to Ask for Help p. 157
• Money Is Available to Support Research p. 159
• Locating the Money Tree p. 161
• General Strategies p. 161
• Using Institutional Retrieval Systems p. 165
• Finding Federal and State Dollars p. 166
• Tapping Into Nongovernmental Sources p. 167
• Considering Commercial Search Services p. 168
• The Bottom Line p. 169
• Business Possibilities p. 169
• Resources Earmarked for Student Research p. 170
• Working With the Money Source p. 174
• Home Institutional Resources p. 174
• Federal and State Agencies: Progressing Through the Maze p. 175
• Foundations p. 177
• Partnerships With Business p. 180
• Business and Corporate Foundations p. 181
• The Grant Application-The Big Picture p. 181
• The Application and the Proposal p. 182
• The Cornerstone: The Research Question p. 184
• Quality: The Proposed Research and the Research Proposal p. 184
• The Investigator and the Environment 185
• Dealing With Rejection p. 187
• Planning and Preparation: Taking the Long view p. 190
• Special Tips (and Encouragement) for Students p. 191
• Why You Should Seek Funding p. 192
• 10 Preparation of the Grant Proposal p. 197
• Using Planning Models and Flowcharts p. 197
• The Application p. 200
• The Budget p. 201
• Staff and Consultant Needs p. 202
• Supplies and Equipment p. 203
• Travel Costs p. 204
• Indirect Costs p. 205
• Research Support p. 205
• Biographical Sketch: Presenting Yourself p. 207
• Letters of Endorsement and Confirmation p. 209
• The Research Plan p. 210
• Abstracts p. 210
• Specific Aims and Hypotheses p. 214
• Background p. 215
• Significance of the Proposed Research p. 215
• Procedures and Methods p. 216
• Research Design p. 216
• Participants p. 217
• Tests and Measurements p. 217
• Procedures p. 217
• Analyses p. 219
• The Time Frame p. 221
• Dissemination of Results p. 223
• Appendices p. 224
• Summary p. 224
• Part III Specimen Proposals p. 227
• Proposal 1 Experimental Study-The Effects of Primate Vocalizations, Backward Speech, and Filtered Speech on Object Categorization During the First Year p. 229
• Proposal 2 Qualitative Study-An Advisory Team for Social Justice Education: Teachers' and the Principal's Perceptions on Four Key Dimensions of the Ninth Grade Advisory Program p. 263
• Proposal 3 Online Electronic Survey Study-The Nutrition Care Process of Front-Line Pediatric HW Providers p. 305
• Proposal 4 Funded Grant-How Higher Education in Prison Affects Student-Inmates' Social Capital and Conceptions of Self p. 335
• Appendix: Annotated Bibliography of Supplementary References p. 349
• References p. 365
• Index p. 373