Guidelines for research proposal
What’s the goal?
To develop a proposal for research that will be interesting to a broad audience, ideally including both microbial and macrobial ecologists and evolutionary biologists. We especially encourage proposals that attempt to link theory with experimentation, that span different levels of ecological organization or evolutionary dynamics, and/or that apply population biology to applied problems.
There are many ways this goal might be achieved, including (but not limited to) the following: Develop a research plan in which:
- microorganisms will be used to test some hypothesis that has previously been applied primarily to plants or animals, or one that is impractical for plants or animals.
- the dynamics of an ecological or evolutionary interaction involving a microbe will be related to an appropriate model (mathematical, heuristic, or based on current data)
- various methodological approaches will be compared for the ability to shed light on an important issue
- the relationships between molecular processes and population dynamics/structure, or between population dynamics and ecosystem processes, will be examined mechanistically.
How do I choose a topic?
The proposal should address a topic in keeping with the content and perspective of this course (even if the chosen topic is not covered in class). Ask me if you are unsure about whether your topic is suitable.
The proposal may be related to your actual research. However, in that case, you must clearly indicate this to me, and the proposal must also clearly relate to the goals of this assignment and course.
How long, what format, etc?
The text (excluding abstract, references, and figures) of each proposal should be eight to ten (8-10) double-spaced pages in length. The proposal should include:
- a cover page, with the project title, your name, and an abstract of <150 words summarizing the proposal.
- An introduction, clearly stating the central issues and hypotheses (often called Specific Aims or Objectives)
- A succinct review of the issues in light of the relevant primary literature (Background)
- A description of your study system and the methods you propose to address the central hypotheses (Methods)
- A discussion presenting the various, qualitative distinct, possible results of your study, and how each of these outcomes would be interpreted with respect to the hypotheses (Expected Outcomes)
- References (not less than 10, not more than 25) in ASM format. ASM instructions to authors, which include a style guide for references, can be found at: http://jb.asm.org/cgi/content/full/188/1/1 or on Blackboard.
How will my grade be determined?
The issues I will consider in evaluating your proposal include:
- the inherent interest and importance of the central issues and hypotheses that you propose to investigate (Topic and Hypotheses, 10 pts)
- the depth of your summary of the background literature, which should demonstrate that you have made a reasonable effort to identify relevant sources. (Background, 10 pts)
- how well your proposed research design will address these hypotheses (Design, 15 pts)
- the logical structure, consistency, and completeness of the various outcomes and interpretations (Outcomes, 15 pts)
- the quality of your presentation, including both writing and organization (Writing, 10 pts)
- The total value of these categories is 60 points, which will be scaled to the 30% contribution to your overall class grade.
I will place somewhat less emphasis on the feasibility and the detailed description of the proposed methods, provided that the general research plan is clearly presented and the proposed work is plausible. That is, the relevant methods must exist and the experiments could be carried out within a reasonable time frame without exorbitant costs.
Feel free to be adventurous in your choice of topic. I will be more lenient on certain evaluation criteria if your choice is highly imaginative in addressing the goals stated above.
Due date
The proposal is due on Thursday, May 6th in class.
**Please, take advantage of my offer to review a draft proposal. Drafts will be accepted up until Thursday, April 29th but not afterwards.**