Essay Instructions: English 3310 The Proposal
The proposal or grant is a persuasive document with the purpose of convincing readers to purchase your services or to fund some worth while project.
You are writing a proposal that outlines a significant study that you tend to do for a client that will help you intend to do for a client that will help him/her with some problem that he/she is experiencing at the moment. It is best to either cast yourself in the role of a consultant or as a student competing for a cash grant your department is offering to students who propose worthwhile research projects. This study leads to a final report of 10-12 pages of text which includes illustrations. The budget describes what you will charge for conducting this study.
The proposal should include the following information
Letter of Transmittal
This document is placed on a page by itself. Use modified block format. In the first paragraph refer to the enclosed proposal by title and to the fictional situation that you are responding to. For those of you who intend to take everything literally don?t use the words ?fictional situation? in the paragraph. As Tom Sawyer would say just ?let on? that is all indeed the case. In paragraph two make reference to the selection that represents your capture strategy. For instance, if you feel your readers will be particularly impressed by your proposed procedure then refer to it and very subtly point put what you think is impressive. In paragraph three close with goodwill words that look forward to a positive response from your readers. Include an enclosure notation and be sure to sign the letter.
Request for Proposal
This document is placed on a page by itself. In this section imagine that you are the client with the problem. You need a consultant to help you solve it. Write an advertisement or flyer that requests interested consultants to submit proposals outlining a research study that will provide the necessary answer. Provide them with a mailing address so they will know where to send the proposal. This address will serve as the inside address in your letter of transmittal. Also provide them with a due date. A sample for a proposal might consist of the following:
The Department of Biology is providing funds to undergraduate student interested in completing a research study. Student interested should submit a proposal that describes their research topic, discuss why this topic is significant, outline the objective of the research, presents a well thought out plan for exploring the topic, describes the proposer?s credentials and itemizes the cost involved. We expect the selection process to be very competitive, so do your best. Send proposals by October 1, 2001 to
Dr. John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt
024 Do-Whacka-Do Hall
Scholars University
Research City, TX 76543
Summary
Place this item on a page by itself . Center the title at the top of the page; triple space and center your name below the title; double space and center the word ?Summary? below your name; double space and begin the summary at the left hand margin. The summary should be around a 100 words long. It should be single spaced and should include the following information:
Subject of the proposal
Significance of your subject
Methods, briefly stated
Your most important qualification/s, briefly stated
Your total cost of the study and the completion date
A sample summary for my proposal on Horace Bixby would consist of the following:
This proposal outlines a plan for researching the life of Horace Bixby a frontier riverboat pilot. Bixby was a friend of an American author Mark Twain and is an important character in Twain?s nonfiction work Life on the Mississippi. I pan to explore historical records in research facilities in St. Louis and Washington DC to obtain information for my study. I have a Ph. D. in English, regularly teach classes that include Mark Twain?s works, and have successfully completed other research studies in the past. My request is for $5,000.00. The study will be completed by August 31, 1998.
Begin the actual text of the proposal on a new page.
Title of Proposal
(Give the proposal a good descriptive title that accurately identifies its content follow this tile with a colon and the words A Proposal)
Introduction
In this section
Refer to the fictional situation that you are responding to
State the purpose of the proposal
Forecast the proposal?s organization
Problem
In this section
Provide the necessary background
Explain why the topic is significant and worthy of attention
Objectives
If the project is a feasibility study that examines several alternatives and makes a
recommendation, then this section should consist of a beginning list of criteria
you will use in comparing the various alternatives.
If the project is an empirical research study that examines a particular subject so as
to learn more about it, then this section should consist of a list of questions that
you want your study to hopefully answer.
Proposed Procedure
This section of your proposal is the longest and has the most influence on your
Grade. Here you want to tell readers how you will gather and analyze your data.
All research you propose will have to actually be carried out.
Break up your discussion into various sections based on the different types of
Research you will conduct. For example, you might engage in
Library research (collecting books and articles that will provide the necessary
Background reading)
Field research (a visit to an actual site to observe conditions)
Laboratory research (examine a number of slides, conduct lab test on
Specimen)
Interviewing people who have information or opinions that may be helpful
In your study
Circulating a questionnaire to obtain information about the attitudes and
Opinions from a fairly group (in most situations you will need at least
100 responses)
Searching the Internet ( this might consist of obtaining information from
Reputable websites i.e. the Centers for Disease Control)
Examining primary information (this might consist of looking at a
Business?s records, or obtaining statistical information from local, state, and
Federal agencies i.e. Jefferson County Health Department
In developing this section your emphasis must be upon the how. For example, in
describing library research, mention specific electronic indexes you will use to
gather a list of printed resources. State why you are engaged in this type of
research and what types of information you hope to gain from it. When circulating
a questionnaire, always state who you intend to circulate the questionnaire to, how
you intend to do it, and how many total responses you plan to get. Also be sure to convey to your readers what types of information you hope to gain from this
questionnaire. A good idea is to prepare a first draft of the questionnaire you hope
to use and include it in an appendix.
You will want to engage in at least three types of research, more if I deem it is
necessary. Library research is required for all proposals.
Apply the type of guidance suggested here with reference to library research and to
circulating a resume as you describe the other types of research you intend to
conduct. In planning your research consider your objectives. Make sure you are
gathering information from type of process that will relate to each objective.
Be sure to make your task schedule and working bibliography in
this section.
Qualifications
In this section you want to convince your readers that you are qualified to
complete this research. You can do this in the following ways:
refer to your major and academic standing
refer to specific courses you have taken that provide you with the
necessary academic background
refer to any specific skills you have that will aid you in successfully
completing this project
refer to work experience if appropriate
refer to any specific appreciation, understanding, or perspective you can
bring to this project which the average person could not
refer to any other projects like this you have successfully completed
refer to the fact that you are accustom to working with deadlines
Be sure to mention your resume in this section
Budget
This sections does not have a great impact on the grade of the proposal, but you
need to show good foresight in arriving at a general figure. For example, estimate
the number of hours you will spend collecting and analyzing information, and in
writing the report. Figure an hourly rate equal to 75 percent of what a consultant
with a bachelor?s degree would charge (Consult with a professor in your major to
obtain this information). Also consider such expenses as
making copies
traveling with reference to field research (charge 27 cents a mile)
long distance telephone or postal expenses
laboratory supplies consumed
rental for specialized equipment you must use
internet access
Appendix Items
Appendix items will be listed in the same order that you mention them within
the body of your proposal. The first appendix is referred to as Appendix A the
second as Appendix B and so on. Begin each new appendix item on a separate
page. Three appendix items are required although you, depending upon the nature
of your research, may want to include additional items. The three required
appendix items are
task schedule (this must take the form of a Gant chart. A simple Gant
chart can be constructed by selecting a 2X2 table from the toolbar of
Microsoft Word)
Working bibliography (this is an initial list of a least seven sources. Your
final report will, of course, have a more extensive bibliography. Be sure to
use the APA format in creating your citations)
resume (since you will actually write a resume at a later date, place the
following information on a page by itself)
Appendix C: Resume Your Name
Further Advice
Always provide an introduction to a list.
Single space your paragraphs; double space between them.
Use 10-12 point serif type for text, 12-14 point sans serif type for title and
headings
Begin numbering your pages with the summary. Number pages consecutively
through the last appendix item.
Use the sample proposals only to get ideas of what other students have done.
Remember this six page assignment description provides the final requirements for
preparing your ten page proposal. The authors of the samples did not have such an
exhaustive assignment description. Consequently, your papers will be graded
much more rigorously.
additional info to be used, my name is Lance Fontenot
address is 9780 Landis Dr. Beaumont, TX 77707
my resume is already done for apendix c