Start broad, then narrow!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
An abstract is a summary of your project that concisely explains the aims, outcomes, and implications of your research. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
As the brief guide below indicates, there is a general pattern that is often very effective for communicating why your research matters. First, you establish what the conventional wisdom is about your subject\u2014what \u201cthey\u201d say\u2014and then you contrast it with what \u201cyou\u201d say that moves the field forward. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
A research proposal should answer the following questions: What is the research question? How does this project fit into the scholarly conversation? What do you plan to accomplish? How do you plan to approach this research?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The standard format for an URSCA research proposal is as follows. Proposals should be 4-6 pages, double-spaced. Any figures included in your proposal should be within the 6-page limit and may be embedded within the text or appended to the end and labeled accordingly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Should be concise and specific, and should relate to your research question.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
Provide an introduction to your topic. Think of this like the introduction you would write for a research paper. Remember to consider your audience: reviewers are not experts in your field, so make your summary of the topic accessible. What do we need to know about your topic so that we can understand your specific project?<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
What issue(s) will your research address? This is the place to state your research question.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
Give a brief overview of trends in the scholarly conversation. You will need to explore secondary research on your topic in order to write this section. Very briefly summarize the work of a few key scholars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Identify the gaps in the research. What hasn’t been studied yet? What do we not yet know? What needs more analysis? What frameworks\/methodologies have not yet been applied to this topic? What connections have not yet been made?<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
Describe the anticipated outcomes of your project. Are you developing a novel medical device? Writing an original screenplay that will be performed at Hopkins? Producing an analysis of a literary work? <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Describe your project’s future value. What are you contributing to the field? How will your work impact our understanding of or approach to your topic? What future research might come out of your project?<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
What materials, approaches, and frameworks will you use to conduct your research? Are you running experiments in the lab? Analyzing data? Applying a feminist framework to a literary analysis? <\/p>\n\n\n\n
How are you engaging with current scholarship? Are you replicating an existing experiment? Are you building on another scholar’s ideas? Are you offering an alternative perspective on a dominant interpretation? <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
Cite sources you mention in your lit review or elsewhere in your proposal. You should have no more than five works cited in your proposal.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
Use the URSCA budget template<\/a> to itemize your expected expenditures for living expenses, travel costs, research materials, etc.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n Several of our grants may be used to support students’ participation in summer internship experiences. For these grants (the Kelly-Clyne Summer Internship Grant for Film & Television<\/a>, the Phares Family Grant for International Engagement<\/a>, and the Bander Family Fund Award<\/a>), you may submit an internship proposal rather than a research proposal. Please see the guidelines below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n List the name of the internship position and the institution\/organization hosting the internship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Example: American Painting & Sculpture Intern, Baltimore Museum of Art<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n Provide an overview of the internship experience that you are seeking. Tell us about the institution\/organization hosting the internship, the department\/office you’ll be working in, the role you’ll be playing, etc.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n Describe the anticipated outcomes of your internship experience. What do you hope to do, create, contribute to, achieve?<\/p>\n\n\n\n How does this internship experience align with your broader goals and ambitions (for graduate school, career, etc.)? <\/p>\n\n\n\n The goals section of your proposal should be at least one page long.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\nWriting an internship proposal<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Title<\/h2>
Background<\/h2>
Goals<\/h2>
Funding Sources<\/h2>