Be specific 

means that you must prepare yourself for in-depth

research about the issue you want to address. Avoid general
statements such as “this project will improve the employability of
young people”. Rather, write what the specific context of the project is.
For instance, be specific about what the unemployment rate among
young people in your community is. What are the causes? What
strategies have been already implemented? Evaluate what has been
already done successfully and draw on the results of previous
initiatives to engage with other actors and sources. Explain why other
initiatives failed and how your project will avoid replicating the same
mistakes. It is a good practice to list your objectives in bullet-points.

Your objectives must be measurable. Keep in mind that your donor

wants to know how the success of your project can be evaluated.
Therefore, your objectives must enable the donor to monitor the
progress of the project and assess the results. Following up the
previous example, state how many young people will be participating
in the project, how many will be trained, how many will be likely to find
a job within the end of the project, within 6 months, or within a year.
Refer to statistics and analyses of the local market to substantiate your
claims. As good practice, write that “at least” x number people will
participate, be trained, and become employed. In doing so, you will
provide a minimum benchmark against which your results will be
evaluated and will also give the idea that a larger number of individuals
will successfully take part in the project and benefit from the organized
activities.

Your objectives must be achievable and relevant. Research your

community and make sure you know whether your project is likely to
be welcomed or whether it is needed. Set achievable targets; do not
claim that a yearlong project will produce radical change. Rather, set
clear objectives that can be fulfilled. Remember that the success of the
project will also determine your chances of obtaining more funding.
Thus, see each project as a small contribution towards bigger ends.
Relevant means result oriented. Your project objective should be able
to answer the questions like “why should this project be done?” “what
impact will this project have?” Set objectives parallel to
your organization’s strategic plan and mission addressing the specific
needs of your target group.

Remember your objectives must be reached in a set time-frame. Draw

on the results of similar projects and observe what is happening in your
community in order to decide how long it will take to complete a task.
Consider all the steps you intent to make. From advertising the project,
gathering interested parties, negotiating your goals with those of your
target group and starting the activities. Take note of other events that
might become an obstacle for reaching your goals on time. If you work
with young unemployed people, consider whether they will be likely to
prefer an intensive training of four weeks or whether they will be more
likely to commit for a longer period of time.

Finally, remember that life is unpredictable. As such, it is important

that your objectives are flexible and negotiable. This does not mean
that they should be vague or general. They must be extremely precise
and detailed, but they must also convey the idea that, throughout the
development of the project, you will constantly engage with set
objectives to make necessary changes and ratification when
appropriate.

What is the IMRaD Format?

The IMRaD (often pronounced “im-rad”) format is a scientific writing structure that includes four or
five major sections: introduction (I); research methods (M); results (R); analysis (a); and discussion
(D). The IMRaD format is the most commonly used format in scientific article and journal writing
and is used widely across most scientific and research fields.
When Do I Use the IMRaD Format?
If you are writing a paper where you are conducting objective research in order answer a specific
question, the IMRaD format will most likely serve your purposes best. The IMRaD format is
especially useful if you are conducting primary research (such as experimentation, questionnaires,
focus groups, observations, interviews, and so forth), but it can be applied even if you only conduct
secondary research (which is research you gather from reading sources like books, magazines,
journal articles, and so forth.)

The goal of using the IMRaD format is to present facts objectively, demonstrating a genuine interest
and care in developing new understanding about a topic; when using this format, you don’t explicitly
state an argument or opinion, but rather, you rely on collected data and previously researched
information in order to make a claim.

While there are nuances and adjustments that would be made to the following document types, the
IMRaD format is the foundational structure many research-driven documents:

 Grants
 Proposals
 Recommendation reports
 Plans (such as an integrated marketing plan or project management plan)

How Does the IMRaD Format Work?

As mentioned above, the IMRaD format includes four or five major sections. The little “a” has had
multiple interpretations over the years; some would suggest it means nothing other than “and,” as in
“Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion,” but others have argued that the “a” should be
viewed as “Analysis” in papers where the “Results” section may not be immediately clear and a
section that analyzes the results is important for reader comprehension. Either way, the “a” often
remains in lower-case to indicate that, while it’s often important, it isn’t always necessary. Below,
we’ll review the five major sections, with “a” given equal weight to the other sections.
Note that these five sections should always go in the order listed below:
1. Introduction: The introduction states the research problem or the question(s) you intend to
address through research. Your introduction would typically include some variation of the
following:
1. Statement of the topic you are about to address
2. Current state of the field of understanding (often, we call this a literature review and
it may even merit having its own section)
3. Problem or gap in knowledge (what don’t we know yet or need to know? what does
the field still need to understand? what’s been left out of previous research? is this a
new issue that needs some direction?)
4. Forecast statement that explains, very briefly, what the rest of the paper will entail,
including a possible quick explanation of the type of research that needs to be
conducted
2. Methods: The research methods section can go any number of different directions,
depending on the type of research you conducted. Regardless of what you did for your
research, though, this section needs to be very clear, very specific, very detailed, and only
focused on research. Avoid explaining what the research means–this is for the next sections,
Analysis and Discussion.While the research section is often considered the most boring
 section for someone to read, it is also considered the most important section to build your
credibility. If your research methods are sound, your paper holds a lot more weight. A few
tips to make your methods section work well:
1. Separate each type of research you conducted (interviews, focus groups, experiments,
etc.) into sub-sections and only discuss one research method in each sub-section
(for clarity and organization, it’s important to not talk about multiple methods at
once)
2. Be very detailed about your process. If you interviewed people, for example, we need
to know how many people you interviewed, what you asked them, what you hoped
to learn by interviewing them, why chose to interview over other methods, why you
interviewed those people specifically (including providing they demographic
information if it’s relevant), and so forth. For other types of data collection, we need
to know what your methods were–how long you observed; how frequently you
tested; how you coded qualitative data; and so forth.
3. Don’t discuss what the research means. You’ll use the next two sections–Analysis
and Discussion–to talk about what the research means. To stay organized, simply
discuss your research methods. This is the single biggest mistake when writing
research papers, so don’t fall into that trap.
3. Results: The results section is critical for your audience to understand what the research
showed. Use this section to show tables, charts, graphs, quotes, etc. from your research. At
this point, you are building your reader towards drawn conclusions, but you are not yet
providing a full analysis. You’re simply showing what the data says. Follow the same order
as the Methods section–if you put interviews first, then focus groups second, do the same in
this section. Be sure, when you include graphics and images, that you label and title every
table or graphic (“Table 3: Interview Results“) and that you introduce them in the body of
your text (“As you can see in Figure 1, seventy-nine percent of respondents…”)
4. Analysis: The analysis section details what you and others may learn from the data. While
some researchers like to combine this section with the Discussion section, many writers and
researchers find it useful to analyze the data separately. In the analysis section, spend time
connecting the dots for the reader. What do the interviews say about the way employers think
about their employees? What do the observations say about how employees respond to
workplace criticism? Can any connections be made between the two research types? It’s
important in the Analysis section that you don’t draw conclusions that the research findings
don’t suggest. Always stick to what the research says.
5. Discussion: Finally, you conclude this paper by suggesting what new knowledge this
provides to the field. You’ll often want to note the limitations of your study and what further
research still needs to be done. If something alarming or important was discovered, this is
where you highlight that information. If you use the IMRaD format to write other types of
papers (like a recommendation report or a plan), this is where you put the recommendations
or the detailed plan

What is the Rogerian Method?

The Rogerian Method of Argumentation is a conflict-resolution technique that you can
use to build common ground while still stating your position. It’s a less aggressive form
of argumentation  than, say, the Toulmin method or 5-paragraph essay, where a claim is
made with little regard to the feelings of someone who opposes your view. With the
Rogerian Method, the goal is to build toward a common understanding, to open you
and the person you are speaking to towards new ideas, but not necessarily to change
their mind.
Even though the goal isn’t necessarily to change the person you are speaking to’s mind,
the Rogerian method is still considered a form of argumentation since you are
persuading your opponent to at least respect your point of view.

When Do I Use the Rogerian Method?

The Rogerian Method is especially effective when addressing highly controversial
issues where you or the person you are speaking to may have a tendency to be highly
emotional. In order to avoid slinging insults or false claims, the Rogerian method can
help to come to a common understanding or at least a mutual respect for each others’
opinions, even if the two of you will never fully agree with the other’s opinion.

How Does the Rogerian Method Work?

When writing in the Rogerian method, you need to be ultra-conscious of your
opponent’s view; the goal is to clearly state the source of conflict or opposing
ideologies, recognize the validity of your opponent’s view, and then position your
argument as equally valid. One way you might think about the order of your paper is
like this:

1. Introduction: Address the problem at hand, identifying what the source in conflict is and
why there are multiple ways of looking at the issue;
2. Opposing View: Identify the overarching view of your component. If your opponent’s view
is complex (this will be determined by the topic at hand), you may wish to just give a brief
synopsis at this point, then clarify later. If your opponent’s view is easily explained in two
ore three paragraphs, go ahead and describe it in it’s entirety.
3. Validation of Opponent’s View: As a way to show respect an understanding, point out why
your opponent’s view is logical. State the view as you understand it and how you recognize
why someone could feel or think the way they do.
4. Your Position: After clarifying that you understand their perspective, shift politely to
suggest what your view is on the matter. Again, if your view is complex, simply state the
overarching point in 1 – 3 paragraphs.
5. Validation of Your Position: Elaborate now on why your position also makes sense.
Provide convincing evidence and sound reasoning as to why your argument should also be
considered. While you may be trying to persuade your reader that your idea is better than
theirs, don’t explicitly state that or you’ll often lose the respect and mutual understanding
you’re working towards.
6. Argument Back-and-Forth: If the problem/issue at hand is sufficiently complex that it
would help your reader to follow the argumentation by taking the argument in broken-down
segments, move back and forth between their sub-arguments and your sub-arguments, always
validating their point of view while showing convincing evidence as to why your point of
view is also very strong.
 7. Benefits of Your Position: As you conclude, summarize your position, moving your reader
towards knowing why that position is beneficial in some way.
While you may or may not convince a person that you are right when arguing in the
Rogerian method, the goal is to at least show that you have compelling reasons why
someone should respect your opinion; but if you give enough convincing evidence, you
may just change their mind!

Rogerian theorist Douglas Brent has stated that it’s important to not be too prescriptive
when writing in the Rogerian method. There isn’t a precise step-by-step formula,
though it may help to look at the steps below to think about how you move from
problem to opposing position to your position to conclusion.
Example of the Rogerian Method
 

Imagine you are writing a paper about freedom of religion and you hold the view that
religion should be permitted to be openly practiced in public schools and government-
run organizations. You have opponents, however, that claim there should be a strict
separation of church and state and that, especially in schools, discussing or practicing
religions marginalizes groups and may make children and other groups susceptible to
being taught a belief structure in a place that should be religiously neutral.

In a case like this, your goal would be to recognize your opponent’s viewpoints, stating
an understanding of the issues they perceive with allowing religious perspectives to be
shared freely in schools. You would validate their opinion through anecdotes,
interviews, and other primary and secondary research. You would then position
yourself to state your opinion, giving evidence that may draw from similar types of
sources. While you are giving equal weight to each argument, you are making a
rhetorical move towards your opinion as you finish with your opinion and the ultimate
benefits of your position.

What Is the Indirect Method for Communicating Bad

News?
The Indirect Method is an organizational strategy that prepares readers for news or
information that they will likely be unhappy about. Following a simple, four-step
structure, you can rhetorically position bad news in such a way that, while your reader
will probably still not like the bad news you’re giving to them, they will be less likely to
be mad at you personally for the bad news.

The four steps of the Indirect Method include the following:

1. Buffer
2. Reasons
3. Bad News
4. Closing

When Do I Use the Indirect Method?

The Indirect Method is especially useful for writing messages in the following
circumstances:

 The bad news is likely to be personally upsetting (like in a layoff notice);

 The bad news will likely provoke a hostile reaction (like when someone is being told they
cannot participate in something they expected to);
 The bad news is based on a controversial decision;
 The bad news will seriously threaten a relationship; or
 The bad news is unexpected.
When communicating bad news that doesn’t fall under one of the five circumstances
above, consider using a more direct method. Circumstances where bad news should
not follow the Indirect Method include the following:

 The bad news is an emergency or the information is critically important (if people or
something else is in danger, get straight to the point);
 The bad news is expected (like when a person is being told they didn’t get a job for which
there was a great deal of competition);
 The situation is either very common or the seriousness of the situation is low (like when
cancelling a company picnic); or
 The recipient would prefer to just hear the bad news quickly (like when you are admitting to
them that you made a mistake).
See the graphic below for a comparison of when to use the direct method vs. the
indirect method:
How Does the InDirect Method Work?
Following the four basic steps listed above (and inserting a fifth, apology if necessary),
use these guidelines for writing each section, in the following order:

Use a buffer. Put any good news or, at least, the best news possible right up front. Send
a positive message, when possible, to start. Also, consider doing the following:
 give compliments when appropriate;
 show appreciation for the person or group of people;
 make statements that you think both you and they will agree upon;
 provide facts (which will make your news seem more reasonable);
 show understanding and empathy.
Apologize (if necessary). Apologize if a serious error has occurred, but only if the problem
is, truly, an error. Don’t apologize for things that are beyond the control of a single
person or department (like economic downturns or product failures). While apologies
for errors can significantly help repair a damaged relationship, apologies in advance of
bad news where no real blame is warranted can minimize the effectiveness of
introducing bad news—in fact, it can make the bad news seem worse.
Give reasons. People want to know why bad news happens. When there are budget cuts,
layoffs, product recalls, required overtime, etc., people want rational explanations as to
the reasoning behind it. Cite benefits first, if there are any, and then provide company
policies and new or developing laws. When giving reasons, use positive words, and be
sure to explain how you are being fair to all within the company or situation.
Cushion bad news. Position the bad news within paragraphs that are surrounded by
sentences with other positive comments or explanations. The goal isn’t to hide the
information, but to make it seem less of an emphasis. Consider using passive voice,
highlight the positive, imply refusals if possible, and suggest a compromise or
alternative solution for the person receiving the news.
Close pleasantly. Avoid leaving a bad news message on a sour note. Be polite, wish
people well, provide positive outlooks, and/or offer freebies or incentives when
possible.

What is the Proposal Method?

Proposals are written for a variety of reasons and they can follow a wide array of
formats. Ultimately, the goal of a proposal is to pitch an idea to person or organization
and to persuade them that your idea is worth pursuing. Depending on the complexity
and formality of your proposal’s scope, you may need more or less depth. All proposals
have a fairly simple, basic structure, though, that follows six generic parts:

1. Topic: State your topic and your purpose for writing the proposal.
2. Paradigm: Describe the current state or understanding as your audience knows it.
3. Gap: Identify the gap in knowledge of practice as the current paradigm sees it. Show what is
missing (this is essentially a problem statement).
4. Forecast:Forecast the organization of the proposal so that your reader knows exactly what to
expect. Then follow that order throughout the proposal.
5. Research: Provide detailed explanation of the research you will conduct to learn more about
the problem/gap and the solution.
6. Proposition: Propose something new, based on your research, that fills the gap or solves the
problem.
With those six basic components in mind, most proposals, especially ones that require
a great deal of formality, research, planning, and presentation, require much more
depth and the organizational structure can include up to 14 or more different
sections/components. If you’re looking for how to write a full, in-depth proposal,
include the following fourteen sections and follow the order provided below:
 1. Transmittal Letter
2. Cover/Title Page
3. Executive Summary
4. Table of Contents
5. List of Figures
6. Introduction
7. Project/Deliverable Description
8. Methodologies
9. Timeline
10. Budget
11. Cost/Benefit Analysis
12. Qualifications
13. Conclusion
14. References
15. Appendices

What Should I Know about Proposals?

Each of the above proposal sections are described below. But first, you should know a
few things about how to write a proposal:

Proposals are for Solving Problems

The most fundamental thing you need to know about how to write a proposal is that
you are proposing a solution to a problem. This means you should be aware of what
the problem is, how serious it is, whom it affects, how (if at all) the problem has been
addressed in the past, and how you expect to be able to solve it in a way that hasn’t
been done before.
Audience Matters
Despite what you may have been taught in your technical or business writing class,
there is no precise formula for writing a proposal. In the end, a real person is going to
read (or NOT read if you aren’t careful) your proposal and it is important that you cater
to their expectations. When you write a proposal for a grant, it is imperative that you
follow the guidelines given by the organization. If you don’t, yours will almost assuredly
be tossed. If you are writing a proposal for your company, look and see what proposals
have been written in the past. Follow what is expected.
Proposals are Persuasive Documents
Perhaps it seems obvious, but when you write a proposal, you are trying to persuade
people to let you move forward with your great idea. In order to get others on board,
you have to be impressively and unquestionably persuasive. So make sure you frame
each section of the proposal in such a way that your project sounds important,
worthwhile, valuable, clear, effective, safe, feasible, or anything else that might be
convincing to those reviewing it. Also, make sure you avoid statements that make you
sound unsure of yourself or too confident in yourself. It’s a fine line between sounding
incompetent (when you say phrases like “I think” or “I believe” or “I’m guessing that…”)
and sounding arrogant (when you say phrases like “I’m sure you’ll agree” or “I’m the
best option you’ve got).
Proposals Aren’t Usually Read by Just One Person
When you write a proposal, you should be aware that several people will often be
evaluating the feasibility of what you are proposing. And each person has a different
stake in its approval. An accountant may be in charge of reading your budget section,
but might not look at anything else. A reading committee may only look at the
executive summary for quick validation. Or a specialized group may only be interested
in your methodologies. It’s important that you recognize in advance who will likely care
about each part of the proposal the most.
Specifics Are Most Important
One of the greatest pitfalls in writing a proposal is not being specific enough. Don’t
confuse length of the proposal with specifics. Some very long proposals are, simply,
long-winded. Make sure that every detail you include makes the project your are
proposing more clear. If a detail isn’t valuable to the stakeholders, leave it out. And
avoid storytelling (or what is often referred to as “metadiscourse”) in your writing. In
other words, avoid interjecting yourself and your desires, thoughts, and processes for
choosing the project and deciding to write about it. Stick to why the project is
important and how you’re going to complete it.

Transmittal Letter
Transmittal letters are a courtesy and a formality. They are written in professional
business letter format and they are addressed to the person or review committee that you
are sending the proposal to. Your transmittal letter should include a brief introduction
that introduces yourself and the purpose for the proposal. The letter will usually
include a very brief (one or two paragraphs) description of the project you are
proposing. The transmittal letter should also include some kind of concluding
statement, usually providing you contact information and a statement about being able
to answer any further questions about the proposal or project.

Cover or Title Page

All professional proposals should include a cover page. These are more important than
just for decoration. Cover pages provide the title of the proposal, the author(s), the
date of submission, the person or committee being submitted to, and any other
relevant or requested information. If you are submitting to your company or to a grant
or funding organization, make sure that you follow their guidelines for what should be
included in the cover page. Most organizations have a preference for the cover since
they use a filing system to stay organized.
Executive Summary
Executive summaries usually immediately follow the cover page (before the table of
contents). These are summaries of the entire proposal. Executive summaries are often
forgotten about, but they do serve an important purpose. Remember that there are
usually a large number of stakeholders involved in reading proposals. Some people just
need a quick glance of the entire proposal but don’t have the time or interest in reading
the entire thing. Executive summaries provide a glimpse into the entire proposal. It is
important, though, that every section of the proposal is addressed in the summary.
Usually, executive summaries are 1 – 2 pages in length.

Table of Contents
Properly designed proposals included a table of contents. Even for simple projects,
proposals end up being a minimum of 15 – 20 pages. It is important that your proposal
is organized and that readers can quickly find the information they are looking for. If
the accountants only need to see the proposed budget, for example, they should be
able to quickly find the page it is on.

List of Figures (And List of Tables)

Most proposals, especially long ones, include figures and tables. If someone needs to
refer back to your proposal and they are only interested in your Gantt chart (which
outlines your timeline), they need to know where to locate the chart. Think of the list of
figures page as an extension of your table of contents that specifically locates visuals,
including images, charts, graphs, diagrams, and tables. Often, if you have several
figures and several tables, you’ll want a separate list of tables page from the list of
figures page.

Introduction
Introductions are best if they are kept short and to the point. If you need to introduce
yourself, you may, but make it brief. The primary purpose of the introduction, though,
is to state your project and its purpose. This is your first chance to really be persuasive,
so it is important that you really make it sound like the project you are proposing is
important. This means you need to
1) Introduce your topic
2) Provide a problem statement
3) Offer a quick solution to the problem

One of the greatest pitfalls in proposal writing is failing to clearly indicate that there is
an actual problem to begin with that is worth solving. Remember from above that
proposals are written to solve problems. So, for example, if you are a manager of a
branch of a nationwide company, and you want to propose to your superiors that you
need to relocate your store to another building, you’ll need to tell them 1) that you
propose the move the building, 2) that the building needs to be moved because its
location hinders growth (problem statement), and 3) that you have a location in mind
that will improve growth opportunities.

Regardless of what your proposal is about, however, you MUST have a problem
statement and solution in the introduction. If this isn’t clear and to the point, your
chances of someone reading the rest of the proposal become dim.

Project or Deliverable Description

This section can take many different names and it is often subdivided into many
smaller sections. But regardless of what you name this section and how you organize it,
know that your primary goal is to describe what the project is, in its entirety. You need
to explain everything that you will end up producing or doing. Everything. However,
avoid describing anything that explains how you will be doing it. That is for the next
section, methodologies. In the project description section, you might first think in terms
of a list. What is exactly everything you will be producing or helping to produce?
What, exactly,  will the project (or deliverables) look like when completed?
It is very important that you are clear, succinct, and organized in this section. If you
leave questions about what the end result will be, your reviewers are very likely to give
up and deny approval for the proposal.

Methodologies
After describing the details of your project, you now how the chance to write how  you
will be completing your project. Take your sections and descriptions from the
project/deliverables section and describe, in detail, how you will go about obtaining the
information, permissions, and other tools to complete the project. You may even need
to describe fundraising plans if more money is needed to complete the project.
One of the biggest pitfalls in the methods section is stating new components to your
project that were not described earlier, the project/deliverables description. Avoid
stating new information about the project here. Rather, focus entirely on how you will
research, plan, work through, and execute the project that was described earlier. If you
find yourself realizing that you didn’t explain something in the previous section of the
proposal, go back and include it there. Proposal reviewers hate nothing more than
getting new surprises along the way. If new pieces of the project keep popping up in
the proposal, they’ll start to wonder if you’ve thought this all the way through and if you
know how much is really entailed in the project.

With that in mind, it is important that you are very specific about your methods.
Describe, in detail, your research, if you will be interviewing people, who you will be
interviewing, how you will create or design something, who you will consult, and so
forth.

Timeline
The timeline, really, is an extension of your methods. But for clarity and organization’s
sake, the timeline usually gets a section of its own. Reviewers will need to know when
you will complete different benchmarks in the project and they will need to know if
you’ve planned ample time between segments. Mostly, they need something to follow
up with you on. A timeline is good for you, too, as it will help you keep on pace and
keep organized. Think creatively about how best to visually display your timeline. Is a
Gantt chart most appropriate? Or maybe a table? Or a linear timeline? Whatever you
choose, make sure that it is clear what will happen when and who will be involved at
various points.

Budget
To some extent, it is possible that some of your budget will show up in the methods
section, but only to the point where you describe how you will fundraise. In this section,
you need to outline every possible cost you can think of. You don’t need to
describe how you’ll get the money (usually the organizations you propose to offer the
money based on approval of the proposal and the budget proposed) unless your
proposal is, specifically, about raising money. But you need to be thoughtful of every
possible cost. Nothing is worse than getting a proposal approved then realizing that it
will cost you more than what you were approved to spend.
Cost/Benefit Analysis
Cost and benefit analyses aren’t a requirement for many proposals, particularly for
projects that don’t require a lot of money to complete. However, you may find yourself
proposing something that is controversial  or that otherwise costs a lot of money.
Besides stating a very persuasive problem statement in your introduction, you may
need to elaborate on why this particular project is worth the money being spend. In
order to be persuasive, focus on all stakeholders; point to how many people,
organizations, or other entities will benefit from this. If there are risks, state them, but
frame them in a way that suggests the cost will likely outweigh the risks. Remember
that proposals, more than most documents, are persuasive documents and it is
important that you frame everything in a way that makes your project sound very, very
important. But, of  course, don’t overdo it.

Qualifications
Many times you will be writing proposals to people you don’t know. But even if you do
know the person or persons in charge of reviewing your proposal, it is important that
you sound qualified. In the field of rhetoric, this is called ethos, which refers to your
credibility. Recognize that reviewers will be asking in their head as they read your
proposal, “but why this person? Are they capable?”
Provide as much information as you think is important to build your credibility. Avoid
anything that makes you sound less qualified. Some proposal reviewers will require
that you state your credentials, including college degrees, work experience, knowledge,
and even resumes and sample work. Make sure you know how much information
they’ll want and need.

Conclusion
Every document needs a beginning, a middle, and a conclusion. Unfortunately,
conclusions are often forgotten. In your conclusion, you need to restate the problem
statement, reminding the reviewers how important this project is. But you also will
need to provide a request for approval (so that it is clear you are hoping to obtain
such). Also, you’ll need need to let reviewers know how to contact you if they need
further information from you. Conclusions aren’t just busy work to polish off your
document; they are a courtesy, which makes your proposal more persuasive. Andy
they provide valuable information about getting a response and getting in contact with
you. Without a conclusion, you may leave some unwanted ambiguity in the proposals’
scope.

References
Be sure to cite all secondary research used for the development of your project and
proposal. While APA format is the most common citation format for proposals, you
may need to follow a different style depending on your organization, course
instructions, or other expectations. Regardless, it’s important that you cite sources
according to a recognized format and  that you ethically give credit to all ideas and
direct quotes used.

Appendices
While not all proposals will need appendices, it is possible that yours might. Consider
what information your reviewers may want that doesn’t readily fit into other sections of
your proposal. You may need to include balance sheets, for example, that would take
up too much space in the budget section. Or, you may need to include drawings that
don’t really fit naturally into the project/deliverables description. If you do choose to
include appendices, however, make sure that you mention them earlier in the proposal.
You might state in the budget section, for example, something like this: “For further
financial information, please refer to the balance sheets in Appendix A.”