5 Features of a Successful Research Proposal

As a researcher, you often face the challenge of securing funding to support your work. While this funding can come from different sources, the process of applying for it involves the same daunting task: writing a proposal.

Many researchers haven’t been formally trained to write a proposal. They learn as they go, mimicking grants they have read, attending writing seminars, and hoping that their great ideas will help their proposal stand out from the rest.

But that isn’t enough. Your proposal must be carefully planned and complete. It must be relevant and significant. It must be beneficial and effective.  

To accomplish those tasks, carefully and concisely answer the following questions in your proposal. Then complement that content with clear, effective writing to win over your reviewers. 

Cover the Basics

These questions address the fundamental parts of your proposal. While they might seem minor, they contribute to some of the common reasons why proposals get rejected.

Did you follow the guidelines exactly?

Some researchers think they can trick reviewers by using a smaller font or narrower margins to gain a little more writing space. Instead, they are tricking themselves into thinking this tactic will work. Reviewers read many grants at one time, and they will notice if your font or margins are different from other applications.

Stick to the guidelines. Exactly. Use the margins, spacing, and fonts that the funder requires. Provide all of the supporting information that they request. And follow the submission instructions, even if it means you have to schlep your grant down to the post office (yes, that still happens).

Is your budget within the resources offered by the funder?

You’d be surprised how many researchers think that if they present a really great idea, then the funder might give them more money than advertised. While this can happen, it’s rare.

Make sure that your budget fits within the funder’s resources. You may need to narrow the focus of your project for this opportunity, but you can apply for additional funding to build on the project in the future.

Is your proposal well-organized and easy to follow?

Remember that the number one principle in writing is to make your reader’s job easy. Present your ideas in a logical way. Lead your reviewer through the text with headings and subheadings. And keep plenty of white space to give your reviewer pauses and breaks while they read.

Is your writing free of jargon and unnecessary acronyms?

Jargon and unnecessary acronyms can be useful if you know that your reader is familiar with them. Otherwise, these terms can be confusing. If you must use technical terms, remember to introduce and define them when they might be unfamiliar to your reader.

Is your writing free of spelling and grammar mistakes?

While a few typos are almost inevitable, too many mistakes will chip away at your credibility and raise doubt in your reviewer.

Check your writing for spelling and grammar mistakes. Have your colleagues, peers, or a professional editor review your proposal. Your writing can always benefit from another pair of eyes.

Is the information presented in the proposal factually correct?

Reviewers are often experts in your field. They know the facts, or at least where to find them.

Be sure that the information in your proposal is accurate. If you need to speculate or estimate, use language that clearly makes that distinction, and provide data or logic as support. 

Describe the Relevance

A funder wants to know how your project aligns with their mission and vision. They want to feel confident that your project will help them and the cause they support.

To win over the funder, you want to clearly explain how your project matches their needs, outcomes, and financial backing.

How does your project goal align with the funder’s goal?

Your goals must match the funder’s goals. Your project must aim to fulfill the need or solve the problem that the funder wants to address. In your proposal, clearly explain how your goals align to accomplish the same vision.

How does your project fit within the scope of the funder’s call?

Similar to the goals, you want your objectives to match the funder’s objectives. If you find that your objectives are slightly different, you might be able to pivot the direction of your project. And if your project is a larger undertaking than the funder will support, you could consider reducing its scope.

Why you are requesting funds?

The funder will want to know why you need funding. Do you need to buy equipment or reagents? Do you need to hire staff or secure more lab space? Be clear about how you will spend the award.

When creating your budget, be clear about how you will spend the award. And make sure that the funder supports how you plan to use the award. Some awards only cover things like purchasing equipment. Others won’t support salaries or overhead costs.

Emphasize the Significance

You know that your work is important. But a reviewer many not understand the value of your project unless you explain it.

Teach your reviewer why your project is important. And reiterate its value throughout your proposal.

What is the problem or need you want to address?

Early in your proposal, explain the problem or need you want to address and why it needs to be solved. While the reviewer may already know these details, your explanation is an opportunity to showcase your expertise and insight into an important topic.

What is the value gained by solving that problem or need?

Similarly, the reviewer will likely know the value of solving the problem or need. But by explaining it in your own words, you can show your reviewer that you understand the benefits of addressing that problem or need.

How will your project help to solve that problem or need?

In your proposal, you want to clearly state how your project will contribute to solving the need you are tackling. Keep in mind that your project doesn’t have to completely solve the problem. But it must contribute to solving it. In this case, you still want to explain the full scope of your vision, which will show the reviewer that you are serious, organized, and likely to succeed.

How will your project contribute to your field?

Your project should contribute to your field. Will you create new technology that other researchers can use? Will you change a standard of care for patients? Will you develop a program that exposes students to careers in science and medicine?

Explain these details to the reviewer. Share how your work could contribute to a larger purpose. 

Explain the Approach

These questions will influence the meat of your proposal. In the first set of questions, you explain why your project is important. Here, you dive into how you will complete that project.

What is your approach to addressing the problem or need?

A key part of your proposal is explaining how you will tackle the objectives of your project. What methods will you use? When will you use them? Who will use them? Where will they be used?

Be specific. Provide more details than you think you need. If your proposal becomes too long, you can delete unnecessary information in later drafts. 

How do all of the key elements of your approach work?

By explaining how your methods work, you can accomplish two important tasks. First, if the reviewer is not familiar with the methods you will use, you can teach them how they work. Second, you can show your reviewer that you have thought about your methods carefully. In this way, you will highlight your knowledge and skills, making your reviewer feel more confident that your project will be successful.

What do you need to carry out your approach?

Along with explaining why you need funding, you also want to describe what you need to complete your project. Will you need to develop a new cell line? Will you need to create a survey? Will you need to work with a certain patient population?

Outline these needs and describe how you will attain them. Get letters of support from collaborators or organizations who will help you fulfill those needs. These details will show your reviewer that your project is well planned and more likely to succeed.

What is the quality of your approach?

The reviewer will want to know that your approach involves quality methods. Will you use the latest technology? Has the method been used in other successful projects?

Explain the rationale for why you chose your approach. Support your rationale with evidence (e.g., literature, logic, letters of support) that shows your approach will be effective.

What is the feasibility of carrying out your approach?

Do you have the right equipment? Do you have enough staff? The funder wants to know that you have the resources to complete your project, or that their funding will help you get those resources.

Funders can get some of this information through ancillary documents in your application. But you can also supplement your proposal with letters of support from anyone who might help with your project, such as a collaborator or core facility.

How will you measure outcomes and success?

The outcomes of your project must be measurable. You need a tangible way to show that your project is successful.

In your proposal, outline exactly what you will measure. Be specific and explain how those measurements will help you achieve your objectives and goals.

Highlight the Expertise 

While this is the last category, it is an important one. These topics should permeate your proposal, reiterating that your project—and you—will be successful.

How are you qualified to complete the project?

Your reviewer must feel confident that you are capable of completing this project. Do you have the proper training? Do you have the necessary experience? Have you successfully completed projects of a similar scope?

If you are a well-established researcher, funders can often find this information in your CV. However, if you are new to your field, you may need to boost your qualifications with some added support. Complete trainings in approaches you will use in your project. Hire staff that are experts in the techniques you will use. Find collaborators who have a successful track record. These things will help your reviewer see that you are serious and dedicated.

Who will contribute to your project?

The funder will want to know everyone who will be involved in your project, what they will do, and how they are qualified to do it.

Describe all staff and collaborators that will work on the project. Include letters of support and CVs for key personnel. If you will need to hire staff, draft descriptions of what they will do and what qualifications they will need.

What literature or preliminary work supports your project?

Be sure that you are well versed in the literature related to your project. Include research that supports all aspects of your project: the background, the significance, your rationale, your approach.

Do your research. Avoid saying things like, “To our knowledge, no one has done this before.” This language suggests that you may not be up to date or fully knowledgeable in your field, which instills doubt in your reviewer’s mind. You want your reviewer to feel confident that you are an expert in your field.