How to write successful proposal By: Dr Faisal Al-Allaf

Dr. Faisal Al-Allaf
Dean, Deanship of Scientific Research
Head, Science and Technology Unit
fallaf@uqu.edu.sa
Tel/Fax: 5271622 or 5270000 Ext: 4197/4198
How to Write Successful
Research Proposal

29/06/1436 Dr. Faisal Al-Allaf, fallaf@uqu.edu.sa 2
Dealing with writing blocks
 No time
 Personal problems or illness
 Brain is recharging, idea are percolating
 You do not know what to do
 You do not know where to begin

Getting Ready to Write
 Pre-write
 Write inside out
 Follow the guidelines of the funding agencies
 Establish a timetable and meet periodically
 Find a model proposal
 Work from an outline
 Review, pretest, and revise repeatedly

Elements of a Proposal
 Title
 Abstract or summary
 Introduction
 Problem or needs statement
 Project goals and objectives
 Literature review
 Project method or design
 Project evaluation
 Project management
 Organizational capabilities
 Project budget
 Resumes of Applicants

Title of the study
 Use a reflective & informative title
 Example: The national screening program
for genetic mutations causing haemophilia
among Saudi population and the
development of PCR/HRM molecular
diagnostic test

Abstract or Summary
 Must not exceed one page in length (max. 500 words)
 It should provide a coherent, clear and concise description of the
research activity
 It should describe the objectives and methods to be adopted
 Describe the expected broader impacts on development and society
 It should be informative to other persons working in the same or
related fields
 Understandable to scientifically/technically literate lay readers
 It should not contain any confidential information
 Write the abstract last
 No references required
 Do NOT use abbreviations

INTRODUCTION
 This section should explain the significance of the research issues
involved.
 Approximately 2-3 pages
 It should provide a brief background to the research proposal
 Explaining the importance of the research being proposed
 Scope of work and conditions
 A description of expected results
 May or may not include references

How to outline your introduction
Tips for Writing the Introduction
 Be concise, specific and compelling
 Build creditability for your organization
 Establish a context for your problem statement
 Describe the project components – who, what,
where, when, why, and how much

Tips for the Problem Statement
 Use statistics to support existence of your problem or
issue
 Make a connection between the issue and your
organization
 Make a case for your project locally and nationally
 Demonstrate your knowledge of the issue or problem
 Set up the delivery of your goals and objectives

OBJECTIVES
 The objectives should be precisely and clearly defined what is
the question that this proposal addresses
 The significance of expected results
 It should be coherent, well planned and linked to tangible and
measurable deliverables
(Specific, Measurable, Action oriented, Realistic, Time oriented)
 Goals are general and offer the evaluator an understanding of the
intent of your program
 Objectives are specific, measurable outcomes. They should be
realistic, attainable and help solving the problem or address the
issue

Why do a Literature Review?
 The purpose of a literature review is to help you
 To define and limit the problem
 To place the study in a historical perspective
 To explain how the question to be investigated fits into the
larger picture
 To asks why to approached the topic this way
 To allows the readers to be brought up to date regarding the
state of research in the field and familiarizes them to any
contrasting perspectives and viewpoints on the topic.

Literature Review: Background and
Significance
 Literature review is a section which sets the proposed study in
context and gives its rationale
 It is a classification and evaluation of what accredited scholars and
researchers have written on a topic, organized chronologically or
according to the research objectives
 This section cites previous research that is relevant and indicates
the problems with prior research and what uncertainties remain
 It specifies how the findings of the proposed study will help resolve
these uncertainties and lead to new scientific knowledge and
influence practice guidelines or public health policy.

What is a Literature Review?
 Literature review is a critical reading (searching), analyses
(assessing) and summarizing (integrating) of peer reviewed articles
about a specific topic to determine the following:
 What is known about the topic?
 How it is correlated with the research question?
 What kind of answers will the study provide?
 It is not a list of all the books and papers that you have read.
 You must not simply dedicate a paragraph or page to each article in
turn, just reporting on their content.
 Avoid unnecessary duplication

Components of Literature
Review
 Literature search (searching): Find materials relevant to the
subject and avoid irrelevant references
 Your favorite search engine may not find most of the relevant
literature!
 Place the study in a historical perspective and avoid
unnecessary duplication
 Data evaluation (assessing): Determine which literature makes a
significant contribution to the understanding of the topic.
 Determine if the findings and conclusions should be relied upon
and are not misleading (Evaluate research methods).

Components of Literature
Review
 Data interpretation (integrating): Discuss the findings and
conclusions of relevant literature
 Determine the advantages and disadvantages of previously used
methodologies
 To improve conceptual frameworks for research
 Identify promising future research
 The studies may exhibit apparent contradictions.
 Findings should be related to previous knowledge and therefore,
further research can be suggested

Effective Literature Review
 Compare and contrast different researchers' views on an issue
 Group research that draw similar conclusions
 Criticize aspects of methodology
 Note areas in which authors are in disagreement
 Highlight perfect studies
 Highlight gaps in research
 Show how your study relates to previous studies
 Show how your study relates to the literature in general
 Conclude by summarizing what the literature says
Caulley, 1992

Some Questions Think About
to Develop Literature Review
 What is known about the subject?
 Are there any gaps in the knowledge of the subject?
 Have areas of further study been identified by other researchers that you
may want to consider?
 Is there consensus about the topic?
 What aspects have generated significant debate on the topic?
 What methods or problems were identified by others studying in the field
and how might they impact your research?
 What is the most productive methodology for your research based on the
literature you have reviewed?
 What is the current status of research in this area?
 What sources of information or data were identified that might be useful
to you?

Remember
 Not all relevant materials are published - you may need
to seek interviews with individual authors and ask for
access to unpublished documents.
 Not all appropriate sources of information will be relevant
all of the time.

Plagiarism
 The deliberate or reckless representation/Publication of
another author's language, thoughts, ideas, or expressions,
and the representation of them as one's own original work
 To avoid plagiarism, you must give credit whenever you
use another person’s
 idea, opinion, or theory
 any facts, statistics, graphs, drawings
 any pieces of information—that are not common knowledge;
 quotations of another person’s actual spoken or written words
 paraphrase of another person’s spoken or written words.
 How to paraphrase & avoid plagiarism?
http://www.indiana.edu/~wts/pamphlets/plagiarism.shtml
http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/plagiarism.html

REFERENCES
 References should be cited in the standard style used in
scientific/technical publications
 Links to online versions may be provided together with
dates on which the material was accessed
 Use endnotes or reference manager software

Characteristics of a Good
Literature Review
 Clarity of the presentation
 Clear outline
 Meaningful subheadings
 Point by point summaries
 Concise tables
 Simple diagram
 Potential flaws

DESCRIPTION OF THE
PROPOSED WORK
 Describe in details how the research questions raised by this
proposal will be tackled
 It should outline the general plan of work, including the broad
design, methodology and expected outcomes
 The content of this section should be structured under the following
headings:
 Approach, tasks and phases
 Research methodology
 Management plan
 Project execution

Approach, tasks and phases
 Details of the approach utilized to achieve each objective
of the project should be clarified and illustrated.
 Research tasks and activities should be divided into
groups of assignments, listed in logical sequence and
linked with the project objectives to be achieved.

Research methodology
 Procedures and techniques with explanation why
considered the most suitable to the research in question
 Detailed description of the experiments and
measurements
 Methods to be used in data collection, analysis, and
interpretation
 Limitations, potential pitfalls, constraints and
alternative plans that may be adopted in tracking such
challenges

Management Plan
 Indicating how each member of the team would be
involved (with durations) in executing specific tasks
relating to the project.
 Identify and outline the role of collaborators or
consultations (if any).
 Indicate various elements of the intended work plan; with
phases, related tasks and outcomes, assignments,
responsibilities, and dates of submission of progress
and final technical reports.

PROJECT EXECUTION
Current Resources:
 Provide information on current or pending funding of the proposed
project
 Equipments and instruments already available at the executing
institution should be briefly described
Requested Resources:
 Details of all requested human resources, equipments, materials
and consumables
 Details of transportation facilities and travel arrangements that may
be needed in the execution of field work
 special training required
 Applicants must give details of all relevant costs

Values
 The relevance to the industrial base
 A description of potential positive impacts on the economy and
society at large as well as likely negative outcomes if any should be
as clearly elucidated as possible
 Benefits for education and training of students and youth
 The career development of researchers; etc. may also be outlined
here
 It is worth mentioning in this section the targeted end users
 The suitable mechanisms for utilization and implementation of the
project deliverables

Tips for the Budget
 Budget expenditures should correlate to objectives and methods
 Timelines are often found at the budget section
 Justify requests for salary
 Should you plan to hire someone with the funding, include a position
description
 A match shows commitment on your part
Budget Justification:
 A detailed justification of the funding requested in each budget
 Specify if the equipment and infrastructure to be purchased using
requested funds would be used in other research projects

RESUMES
 Limited to few pages
 The CV should include information regarding
professional preparation, appointments, publications,
synergistic activities and collaborators and other
affiliations.
 Tips:
 Shows qualifications
 List other grants you have managed
 Shows work ethic and commitment

Tips for Appendices
 Letters of Support or Commitment. Commitment implies partners
that will share responsibilities. Letters should be sent to you, the
applicant and CoI included in the proposal package. They should
not be sent separately to the funder.
 Other attachments: Do not include unless they are requested

Tips for Final Checks
 Read the proposal out loud
 Go through your checklist
 Triple check your attachments
 Check your math, again

29/06/1436 Dr. Faisal Al-Allaf, fallaf@uqu.edu.sa 3229/06/1436 32
THANK YOU

How to write successful proposal By: Dr Faisal Al-Allaf

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