No space between paragraphs (see Line and Paragraph Spacing in Word)
In order to save space, you do not need to put your name or title on the proposal document, as that information will appear on the application form.
Proposals are required to have the following subheadings: Introduction, Background/Lit Review, Methodology, and Qualifications. Your research question/hypothesis should be in bold.
Proposals that do not meet these formatting expectations may not be considered by the review committee.
PROPOSAL TOPICS
You have introduced your project (not just the topic!) in the first paragraph.
Your background and literature review covers what is known about your research topic, and you argue for what your project will contribute to the topic. It ends with your explicitly stated research question or research hypothesis.
Your methodology describes how you are getting information or data.
Your methodology describes how you will USE the information or data you gather to answer your question.
You have a paragraph describing how you have (or will learn) the skills needed for your project. You end this paragraph explaining how your research will help you with your academic or career goals.
We strongly recommend that you use the proposal writing guide created by the faculty review committee; it outlines exactly what they want to see in a proposal.
POST-PROPOSAL ATTACHMENTS AND APPENDICES
All applications require a Works Cited list. The review committee requires that you name on your Works Cited list what citation style you are using.
All applications require an itemized list of expenses (budget), which must be uploaded to your application. For further guidelines including a budget template, be sure to review our Creating a Budget resource.
All applications require a Gantt Chart. It is a stylized bar graph that illustrates a project schedule using a vertical axis for tasks and a horizontal axis for time allocation. The faculty review committee will use this tool to help evaluate the feasibility and scope of your independent research project. If your research project asks funds for a brief research intensive – for instance taking a trip to an archive or doing fieldwork to collect data – then you must submit an itinerary alongside your Gantt Chart. We strongly prefer you export your Gantt chart as a PDF before you upload it to SOAP, as it makes the chart visible as the faculty review committee scrolls through your application. If it is not particularly conducive to fit your Gantt chart into a single landscape page, you can alternatively upload your Gantt chart as a spreadsheet (.xls or .xlsx). For further guidelines including templates and examples, be sure to review our Creating a Gantt Chart resource page.
If you will interact with human subjects or data from human subjects, you have included the submission number for your separate IRB application (see Northwestern IRB). You do not need to have your final IRB approval at this time, but you need to have submitted that application prior to your URG.
If you reference a figure in your proposal, it should be included in an appendix (DO NOT use figures to explain your concepts completely).
If you are conducting interviews or surveys, you provide all of the questions you will ask in an appendix.
If you are going to interview specific people or travel to a specific place to find them, you provide proof that you have contacted those people (and that they have agreed to collaborate with you) in an appendix.
If your project involves international travel (but not to your home country), you include the cost of the round trip airfare in an appendix in order to be considered for supplemental funding
Post-proposal appendices do not count towards the proposal’s two page limit.
FACULTY ENDORSEMENT
You have informed your faculty endorser that you are applying for a URG.
You have informed them that they must submit their endorsement within 24 hours of the deadline.
You have obtained their email address or netID, which you will need to enter when submitting your proposal online.
FINAL NOTES
The deadline is 11:59 PM CST. Due to the volume of applications, no extensions can be offered.
When you submit your application, you will need to complete a survey, or your proposal will not go through to the system.
Within 15 minutes of completing your survey, you will receive a confirmation email that your application has been submitted. You will also be copied on the email to your faculty sponsor requesting their endorsement, and you will receive a copy of the email confirming their endorsement after they have submitted it.
If you need help, you can schedule an appointmentwith an OUR advisor. Slots fill quickly, especially close to the deadline, so plan accordingly.
