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how-to-write-and-present-a-research-proposal_29march.zp88720
how-to-write-and-present-a-research-proposal_29march.zp88720
Proposal
1
What is a research Proposal
• A Comprehensive plan of research work.
2
What is a research proposal?
• Statement of intent
3
What is a research proposal?
– Decisions about your study are based on the quality of
the proposal
• Approvals to proceed by the Institutional Review
Board
It’s a detailed plan- before you get in the car describing research
area you’re working
What you know, Where you want to go and how are you going to get
there.
How do you show that you are academically prepared?
PLAN-
You understand your problem
Knowledge base
Technical skill
Infrastructure Support to pull this plan off
4
Plan has to get approved for you to get started
Importance of a research proposal?
5
What are the essential
ingredients?
The Issue
What problem does
your research
address?
Research
Benefit
Design What will the
How will the research research contribute?
achieve its objective?
6
Research proposals make you:
OUTLINE steps in your proposed research
JUSTIFY your
research Be CREATIVE
Anticipate Anticipate a
potential realistic
PROBLEMS TIMETABLE 7
Getting started
• Title • Title
• Outline • Background
• Literature Review • Problem statement
• Methodology • Aim and objectives
• Methods of data • Rationale and context
collection and analysis
• Methodology
• Ethical Issues
• Plan of work
• Timeline
• Resources / Support
• Resources
• Outcomes
• Outcomes
• Reference list
• Reference list
GPS address
–Mini-abstract
–Clear
–Concise
–Subject 1st
9
Problem statement
• Short SO WHAT statement
• Purpose
– outline for your literature review
– Focus your committee at the
beginning
– Keep them on track throughout
your proposal
10
Problem statement
•E.g.
Malaria remains the most devastating
infectious disease, particularly in Africa. One
reason is that the parasite causing the
disease is resistant to all clinically useful
antimalarial drugs. We therefore have to
devise alternative strategies to target the
parasite.
11
Literature review
This is NOT just a summary of literature
Show how your project:
̶̶ Literature SUPPORTS your hypothesis
̶̶ EXTENDS previous work
̶̶ AVOIDS previous mistakes
̶̶ IS UNIQUE to previously followed paths
Opinionated document convincing your committee that you know your field,
interpret and synthesize your own thoughts
Make your own figures
12
The narrative of a good literature
review
The introduction should
lead the reader step by Reader
step, sentence by knows
sentence, through a
chain of connected
sentences that leads to
the most important
sentence in the entire
thing: the thesis. This
should be at the end. If
the thesis is not at the Reader
end, then you're not
writing a funnel-shaped doesn't
introduction know 13
The narrative of a good literature review
Introduce the
Malaria Epidemiology field:
broad focus
14
The narrative of a good literature review
Focus on certain
Life cycle
Current control aspects in field of
interest
15
The narrative of a good literature review
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Support the hypothesis
Malaria Epidemiology
Life cycle
Current control
Resistance
Hypothesis
Make a list of references
Malaria Epidemiology
Life cycle
Current control
Resistance
19
Internet/Referencing
• Narrow down your search terms
• Peer-reviewed articles
• Current literature
• Review vs primary literature
20
Endnote
21
22
Plagiarism
• Reference immediately after mentioning
– Not end of paragraph
23
Purpose
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Aims and Objectives
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Methodology
• Section used to JUDGE the validity of results and
conclusions
26
Experimental design
In vitro cultivation:
Plasmodium falciparum3D7, W2
Full IC50
50
determination Induction:
on asexual parasites gametocytogenesis
Assessment C and
In vitro assessment of N metabolism
inhibition of viability of
gametocytes
Phenotype
Identify lead microarrays
analogues
Cytotoxicity
determination
Timeline
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Budget
• Give you an appreciation of research costs
• Prevents you from overspending!
• Provide specific explanations for:
– Need for specific technologies
– Need for other financial requests (e.g. conference,
instrumentation, staff, etc).
– Do you really need this kit?
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Outcomes
• What do you expect the results to be?
• Measurable
– E.g. you will get a degree
– New patent / paper
• Qualitative
– Contribute understanding to subject / new
technology / application
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Revise and Edit
• Back-up proposal everyday!
• Always print on paper and edit
• Use standard font
• Number your pages
• Read out loud
31
Common drawbacks to avoid
literature review
•Not enough detail about methods
generalizations
•Relying solely on your supervisor
32
Improving Your Chances
• Know what the evaluation criteria will be and
CHECK that you meet these
• Start with an outline
• Read approved proposals
• Once “finished” ask others to proofread
• Use diagrams to illustrate models
• Make sure your mentor approves it before you
submit
33
Evaluation of proposals
– The aims/objectives are likely to be
achievable in the given time period
– The justification for the proposed study is
reasonable
– The scientific design is described and
adequately justified
34
Presenting your proposal
Purpose of a proposal
presentation?
• Persuading evaluators to support your
research project
• Make your proposal fascinating
- Convince audience that project is worth
doing
- Convince audience that you are capable of
carrying it out
36
Preparing for the research
presentation
• Structuring your story
– Summarise the content
• Preparing and giving the presentation
• Concluding your presentation
• Questions and answers
37
Structure
• Basic rule
– Say what you are going to say
• 1-3 main points in the introduction
– Say it
• Give the talk
– Then say what you said
• Summarise main points in the conclusion
– Don’t try to build suspense and then unveil a
surprise ending
38
Stick to the Script
• Prepare your material so that it tells a story logically
– Introduction/overview
– Research question
– Aim and objectives
– Method/approach
– Expected outcomes/summary
39
Know your Audience
41
Questions to ask yourselves
about slide design
• Have I chosen clear, specific titles that
express the main point of each slide?
42
What Size Font to Use
Type size should be 30 points or larger:
18 point
20 point
24 point
28 point
36 point
AVOID USING ALL CAPITAL LETTERS
BECAUSE IT’S MUCH HARDER TO READ
* References can be in 12-14 point font
43
What font to use
Use a Sans Serif vs Serif font:
Sans Serif
Serif font
44
What font to use
Use a Sans Serif font:
This font is Arial. This font is Comic Sans.
This font is Calibri. This font is Papyrus.
Lucida console
45
PowerPoint basics: Color
46
Powerpoint basics: Color
47
Avoid red-green combinations 8-10% of the
human population is red-green colorblind.
48
Powerpoint basics: Color
49
Powerpoint basics: Color
50
Layout
•Use 3-4 bullets per page
- Key words
51
Layout
•Try your best to include a simple image on
every slide.
52
Layout
If you try to cram too much
into a slide, and place
things too close to the
sides, they can get cut off if
you’re using a poor
projector. In any case, the
slide looks all cluttered and
junky. 53
Animations
• Useful tools if you want to guide your audience
through multiple points / facts
• Introducing lists
with each fact
requiring an explanation
that you will provide orally
54
MDCK cells form a lumen
following a change in extracellular [Ca++ ]
MDCK cells
MDCK cells
58
1900
GMEP
1955-1969
59
1900 1945
60
1900 1945 1970
GMEP
1955-1969
61
1900 1945 1970 1990
GMEP Malaria
1955-1969 Forum
2007
62
1900 1945 1970 1990 2011
GMEP Malaria
1955-1969 Forum
2007
63
Preparing Your Data
• Figures
– ‘1 figure 1000 words’
– Figures should be readable, understandable, neat
– Keep figures simple, use color logically for clarification
– Explain axes and variables
– Include reference on figure
64
Figures...
65
Preparing
Yourself...
• Practice makes…..
67
Preparing Yourself...
68
Preparing Yourself...
• Make sure you are familiar with the projection
equipment, slide changer and Powerpoint
69
What to Wear …
70
Number one rule
71
Giving the Presentation
• Don’t apologize or make comments about
yourself
– “I hope you’re not bored”
– “I was working on this ‘til 3 am”
72
Giving the
Presentation
• Don’t rush
– Figure out which slide is your half-way mark and use that to
check your time
73
Giving a good talk
74
Running Out of
Time
• Avoid this –if it happens …
– Do not skip all of your slides looking for the right
one to put on next
75
Concluding Your
Content
• Announce the ending so that people are prepared
76
Finishing Your Presentation
• End strong
– Say “Thank You” … pause for applause … then
– Say: “Any questions?”
– Don’t forget acknowledgements, always give proper
credit
77
Minor Interruptions
During Your Presentation
79
Questions and Answers
http://www.erp.wisc.edu/profdev/Talkhandout05.doc
http://www.cartoonstock.com/newscartoons/cartoonists/ato/lowres/aton893l.jpg 81
Difficult Questions, continued
• If you really don't know the answer
– Say "Interesting, I will look into that" or “That’s a good point, let’s
discuss it afterwards”
• If the questioner disagrees with you and it looks like
there will be an argument then defuse the situation
– "We clearly don't agree on this point, let's go on to other questions
and you and I can talk about this later"
82
Resources
• http://www.cgd.ucar.edu/cms/agu/
scientific_talk.html
• Micheal Alley:
– Craft of scientific presentations
83
Any Questions?
84