UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH PROJECT PROPOSAL GUIDELINES
Important note about writing a proposal: Proposals are informative and persuasive writing
because they attempt to educate the reader and to convince that reader to do something (give
you money). The goal of the writer is not only to persuade the reader to do what is being
requested, but also to make the reader believe that the solution is practical and appropriate. In
persuasive proposal writing, the case is built by the demonstration of logic and reason in the
approach taken in the solution. The effectiveness of your proposal will depend on your ability to
explain the nature, context and scope of your project.
Most proposals will have all of the following sections; although, a rare few may lack section 2. It
is recommended but not required that you follow the listed order, however a few proposals flow
better with sections in a different order – this is fine, just be sure that there is a logical flow to
your writing. It is also recommended that all proposals use headers for each section.
Your proposal should consist of the following:
1. Clear statement of research question – Very clearly state what you will be studying. Be
sure that this is understandable to someone who doesn’t know much about your field of
study. If needed, define terms. To test your explanation – give this to a friend not in your
major. If he/she doesn’t understand, try again!
2. Project Goal and Objectives - Goals and Objectives are often confused with each other.
They both describe things that a person may want to achieve or attain but in relative terms
may mean different things. Both are desired outcomes of work done by a person but what
sets them apart is the time frame, attributes they're set for and the effect they inflict. Both
the terms imply the target that one's efforts is desired to accomplish. (See page 4)
Example:
• Goal: Our after-school program will help children read better.
• Objective: Our after-school remedial education program will assist 50 children in
improving their reading scores by one grade level as demonstrated on
standardized reading tests administered after participating in the program for six
months.
NOTE: #1 and 2 are very important, actually the most important part of your proposal. The rest
of your proposal supports these statements. They don’t need to be long – one short paragraph
should be enough – but it is the most critical. The rest of your proposal will explain why you
want to explore this question, how you will do it, and what it means to you.
3. Background/Statement of the Problem/Significance of the Project - Be succinct. Clearly
support your statement with documentation and references, and include a review of the
literature that supports the need for your research or creative endeavor. A discussion of
present understanding and/or state of knowledge concerning the question/problem or a
discussion of the context of the scholarly or creative work. This section presents and
summarizes the problem you intend to solve and your solution to that problem. What is
the question that you want to explore in your research and why is this an interesting and
important question? In thinking about the significance, try to take the position of an
educated newspaper reader. If she or he were to see an article about your research in
the paper, how would you explain the importance of your project? **For most proposals,
this section will have references – please see #8 below.