Plant Root Recognition and Evolution

Below are the guidelines for your research proposal (30 POINTS TOTAL). Also, refer to your in-class notes for further information. A sample proposal has also been posted here Download here. You can follow the same structure of this sample in writing your own proposals. The guidelines are also written with the sample in mind.
Specifically, your proposal should include:
A cover letter to the agency that solicits proposals
A Project Cover Sheet. Your proposal should have the following sections after the Project Cover Sheet:
Project Budget
Budget Justification
Project Description
Broader Impact
References
Other Support
Protection of Subjects
The explanations for specific items are as follows:
Cover letter should include the agency name and contact info. You can make up a name, or use XXX instead of a particular name. However, you need to address to an agency, which would likely fund your proposal. If you have difficulty in figuring out appropriate organization, just ask.
In addition to the contact information, your cover letter should include, the amount you are requesting, your name and a brief title and explanation of your project. You should also mention the enclosures in this cover letter (i.e., your project components. See the sample letter). Maximum 1 page.
Project Cover Sheet: Maximum 1 page.
This is your abstract. Since you have no findings, you are introducing your topic, summarizing your research, and stating your major hypothesis/research question here. You should also mention your methods very briefly. And, you should also make a statement about the broader impact of your proposal in a separate paragraph (e.g., implications of your predicted results and how target and other populations will benefit from this research etc. See section IV below for details). So, give it the attention and content it deserves.
Project cover sheet (summary/abstract) is the most difficult part to write. You may want to wait until you complete your proposal to finish this section. I went over on how to write an abstract. Use class notes and details I covered. Sample abstracts are also on Carmen under Research Desogn and Methods>Grant Proposal Deadlines.
Project Budget: simply cut and paste your budget assignment here. Make sure you address my comments on your completed assignment (if there are any). Failure to incorporate my comments into your full proposal will cause loss of points. You should omit the summary of your project in your budget since it will be now in the cover sheet. Simply delete that portion when you cut and paste it onto your grant proposal.
Budget Justification (same as above)
3. Project Description: This section should state your research problem. It will put your research question in a theoretical context by citing earlier work (at least 10 references). You should clearly state your hypothesis/predictions. You will also include materials and methods here, including the experimental procedures. Another person should be able to replicate your study by looking at your methods. You will also describe participants, species list, characteristics, sample size etc. Equipment, computer programs, procedures, and experimental apparatus, should also be in this section. Basically, you are writing a Materials and Methods section of a scientific research article in future tense. Include a timeline for your project components, a start and an end date with a breakdown of your project activities.
4. Broader Impact: Unlike a research paper, a proposal has no results section for obvious reasons (although you can write about expected results in summary and introductory sections). You also do not write a separate discussion section, this portion is replaced by broader impact. In here, you will be talking about implications for further research and applications of expected findings when appropriate. This is the selling point of your proposal. If you cannot convince the granting agency of the broader impact, you will be in trouble. You should also be telling the agency about a plan to sustain the project. You can do it by including a line on expected products. You will notice the project cover sheet will have a paragraph on broader impact as well. Yes, you will be repetitive. The reviewers will first look at your project summary and budget and then make an initial decision whether it is worth further consideration among other proposals. That is why you will need to repeat the broader impact in item # 2 above. No need to rephrase your cover sheet section, just cut and paste it here.
I have allocated a significant portion of class time to this component. Use class notes, discussion points, feedback from your peers, and handouts to help you write this section. I have to remind you that National Science Foundation has at one point reviewed only 176 research-grant applications, out of more than 30,000, because summary sections did not discuss broader impacts.
5. References: Follow the guidelines on citing research papers which I have given in class (also look at the sample). You should include at least 10 external references. Avoid using internet sources. You should predominantly cite peer-reviewed journal articles. Most of the references go to the Intro/Background section. You have no min/max page requirements for this proposal, but you have min reference requirements. I will deduct points if I don't see sufficient citations from peer-reviewed studies (10 minimum) in your proposal.
6. Other support: Optional (if you request any). This will be in-kind support that will not be covered by the project. It includes space, staff time, products and equipment already paid by other sources that your project will use.
7. Protection of Subjects: if you have any human and nonhuman animal subjects, you need to include information about IRB approval (for human subjects) and IACUC approval for nun-human animals. You should also make a point on research ethics training with human or non-human subjects. That is, you will complete the necessary training before the project starts. You should also state that no research will be conducted without prior approval by IRB or IACUC. See the sample proposal, Protection of Subjects. This is a standard line and unlike anything else, you can use it verbatim in your own proposal.
I also have my Budget Proposal Ready and I have a sample for this paper you can refer to. Please Tell me when I can send you the documents as it's vital for the success of the paper. Please let me know if you have any questions.