Original Research Plan – Biological
Doctoral students in the Division must complete an original research proposal (ORP) in the fourth year of graduate study. The ORP is developed in two phases, consisting of a one-page pre-proposal followed by the full proposal. The scope of the proposal must be clearly outside of the current plan of the Ph.D. dissertation.
The one-page pre-proposal outlining the aim of the proposed research must be submitted to the division graduate studies representative by May 1 of the student’s third year. The student is encouraged to discuss the project informally with their advisor to confirm general project appropriateness. The pre-proposal should introduce the topic, identify the knowledge gap or intellectual motivation, and provide a brief outline for the research proposal. The pre-proposal will be evaluated by the student’s Ph.D. advisor for topic choice and outline. If a resubmission is required, it is due on or before June 1.
The full proposal must be submitted to the division graduate studies representative on or before September 30 of the student’s fourth year. Proposals will be reviewed by a faculty panel, and an evaluation will be provided within two months of the submission deadline. A proposal deemed inadequate will be returned for revision. Revised full proposals must be returned within two months of receiving the decision that revision is required.
The full proposal should be five single-spaced pages (excluding references, but including figures; 11 point Arial font, 1″ margins). The format of the full proposal is:
- Specific Aims (~1/2 page)
- Describe the knowledge gap or intellectual motivation for the project.
- Summarize the aims and clarify how they address the stated scientific questions/hypotheses.
- Describe the potential long-term impact of the proposed research.
- Significance (~1 page)
- Discuss the current state of the scientific understanding for the proposed problem.
- Provide a terse but deep and specific survey of the field, >20 references.
- Discuss the most distinctive conceptual advance(s) or innovation of the project.
- Explain the potential of the project to have a broad, sustained impact on the field.
- Research Plan (3.5 pages)
- Describe the overall strategy, methodology, and analyses to be used to evaluate the specific outcomes of the project.
- Describe any novel theoretical and/or experimental approaches or methodologies, instrumentation or interventions to be developed or used, and their advantage over existing methodologies.
- Outline potential limitations, alternative strategies, and management of risk.
BIOLOGICAL DIVISION RUBRIC
Each proposal is reviewed by two faculty members who are not the student’s advisor. Anonymized feedback is returned to students within two months of submission. Proposals are graded Pass or Fail. A failed proposal may be revised and resubmitted up to two months after student notification.
Student name:
Proposal title:
Overall Impact
Reviewers will provide an overall impact score to reflect their assessment of the likelihood for the project to exert a sustained, powerful influence on the research field(s) involved, in consideration of the following three scored review criteria.
Overall Impact |
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Scored Review Criteria
Reviewers will consider each of the three review criteria below in the determination of scientific and technical merit and give a separate score for each. Please note that this is scored using the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Scoring Table for Research Grant Applications.
1. Significance/Innovation (Was the knowledge gap and intellectual motivation clearly described? Were the scientific questions/hypotheses clearly stated? Was it innovative? Were the long-term impacts clearly stated?) |
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2. Approach (How clear was the approach? Did the approach address the questions/hypothesis? Was this the correct approach? Was this feasible? What pitfalls and alternatives were considered? How interconnected were the aims?) |
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3. Readability (Clear figures, appropriate background and references, correct grammar) |
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Final Ranking
_____ Pass
_____ Fail
Additional comments: