- How many aims or research questions do you have? (The correct answer is 3). For each aim or question:-
- State the aim or question
- Describe how the research will answer this question or meet this aim.
- Say what makes it important to answer this question or meet this aim in the context of your project.1. State the overall aim of your project in terms intelligible to someone outside your research field.
- Name the funder and research scheme you are targeting.
- What makes the research aim important for the target funding scheme.
- Describe the overall research methods.
Impact
- Who will benefit most from this research?
- How will they benefit?
- What will you do to ensure that they benefit?
If you start writing a grant application without answering these questions, you might never finish.
IS THE PROJECT IMPORTANT (to Them)?
- Direct Outcomes (discoveries)
- Indirect Outcomes (training, career development, mobility...)
WILL THE PROJECT BE SUCCESSFUL?
- Will it produce the direct outcomes?
- Will it produce the indirect outcomes?
ARE THE APPLICANTS COMPETENT?
- Can they do the research?
- Can their institution support it?
WOULD A GRANT BE VALUE for MONEY?
- Are the resources requested Necessary, Sufficient, and Proportionate
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If the description of the research is less than 50% of the case for support it is probably a 'zombie'.
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- Introduction
- Tell them the Outcome & how important it is.
- Tell them everything that is to come
- Background/Literature review
- Explains how 3 research outcomes are really important.
- Description of Project/Methods/Research Plan
- Describes the research activities in each of 3 sub-projects and makes it clear that they will produce the 3 important outcomes.
- Form-Only funders (NIHR)
- Case for support consists of answers to questions.
- Make sure Background/Motivation answer maps onto Research Plan answer.
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10 statements define a case for support
- KS1 States the overall aim, the specific approach & an example of success with that approach
- KS2 Says what makes the overall aim important
- KS3,4&5 Say that we need the sub-project outcomes (AIMS) & why.
- KS6 Introduces the project
- KS7,8&9 Summarise the research activities in the sub-projects (OBJECTIVES) and their outcomes.
- KS10 Says what will happen when research is done (Impact?)
- Use the key statements as the summary.
- Re-use the key statements to introduce the case for support
- Use a key statement to begin each subsection
- Then follow it with the detail
- that convinces the referee
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- Message on first line of paragraph (ASSERT then JUSTIFY)
- First sentence of para ASSERTS (topic sentence)
- Remainder of para JUSTIFIES
- This is where you cite literature
- This is how you avoid citing too much literature.
- White space above each paragraph
- Readers’ eye movements land on blank lines.
- Speed-readers will read first line of every paragraph.
- Browsers will only read first lines.
- Detail readers will know what to expect in each para
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KeySentences 3,4 & 5
’We need to know’ + tag phrase because....
We need to know the relationship between the performance of single neurons and the performance of the whole visual system in order to establish the likely contribution of single neurons to perception. . . .
KeySentences 7,8 & 9
’We will do this sub-project in order to discover’ + tag phrase
We will record single neurons during perceptual tasks and calculate sensitivity functions for neural responses and for task performance in order to characterise the relationship between the performance of single neurons and the performance of the whole visual system.
- Tag phrases provide meaning - link between aims and objectives
- Use them in headings (make them short enough)
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- Repeat key sentences and tag phrases
- to provide common structure, and
- to link
- Maintain structure and order
- Outcome
- Institution’s Strengths
- Fellow’s Strengths
- Importance of Project
- 3 Research Aims and why we need them 'We need to know"
- Project summary
- 3 Research Objectives to deliver Aims "This will tell us"
- Dissemination / Impact
- Developmental Programme (How many parts?)
- Developmental value of Project
- Start every section with a key statement that summarises it
- They introduce the detail
- that convinces the referee /detail reader
- Re-use them in the summary
What's been funded?
Advice on writing:- www.parkerderrington.com/blog
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The Sales pitch:- We need to know” & “This will tell us”
- Sentences 7, 8 & 9: "This will tell us" (One per Subproject)
- Summarise the research activities and state the outcome of a sub-project.
- "We will do X and this will tell us Y"
- Structures the Research Plan/Methodology. Introduces a subsection.
- States an OBJECTIVE (and the aim it will deliver).
- Sentences 3, 4 & 5: ’We need to know’ (One per subproject)
- Say why we need the outcome of the sub-project.
- "We need to know Y because Z"
- Structures the Background: Introduces a subsection
- States an AIM
- Can be paraphrased as a Research Question
- Rookie mistakes
- Failing to mention research activities in 7, 8 & 9
- Describing the research activities instead of outcomes in 3, 4 & 5
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Sentence 6 (Project Intro)
Sentence 10 (Project Outtro)
The Elevator Pitch
Sentence 1 should have 3 parts:-
- What the project will achieve, in terms meaningful to the whole committee.
- The general research approach, to suggest you will be successful.
- An example of your achievements using that approach, to show you are competent.
Sentence 2 says what it is that makes the outcome important. For example....
- Quantify the real-world problem it will help to solve.
- Say what it will allow us to do that we can't do now.
- Prepare to say which named priorities of your funder it contributes to, and how?
Introduction - Key Sentences 1-10
Background - 5 subsections - sells the project outcomes.
KS1 State the overall outcome (GENERAL AIM). Then add the detail
KS2 Say what makes the outcome important. Then justify in detail.
KS3,4,5 Say why we need each research outcome (AIMS) & add detail after each
Methods. Describes the Project
KS6 Summarise the project. Then add detail.
KS7,8,9 Summarise each sub-project (OBJECTIVE) & the AIM it achieves. Add detail after each.
KS10 Say what happens after the project (impact?). Then add detail.
Aim and Objectives introduce the Programme (BBSRC)
Introduction to Background - Key Sentences 1-5
Background - 5 subsections - sells the project outcomes.
KS1 State the overall outcome (GENERAL AIM). Then add the detail
KS2 Say what makes the outcome important. Then justify in detail.
KS3,4,5 Say why we need each research outcome (AIMS) & add detail after each
Programme and Methodology Describes the Project.
BBSRC requires AIM & OBJECTIVES. Use KS1 & 6-10; then introduce project.
KS7,8,9 Summarise each sub-project (OBJECTIVE) & the AIM it achieves. Add detail after each.
KS10 Say what happens after the project (impact?). Then add detail.
What is a sub-project?
- You break your project into components (subprojects) to make it easier to explain.
- The sub-projects can be sequential
- Or parallel
- Or even different analyses of the same data
- The only requirement is they produce different, important outcomes.
- Each sub-project should produce an important outcome
- That way the explainer will give a sales pitch.
- If they know what makes the outcome important.
- The perfect number of sub-projects is 3, but 4 is OK.
- Nobody is sure what Aims & Objectives mean, so you can hijack them to reiterate the sales pitch.
Your strategy must accommodate the likelihood of rejection
- Most well-written grant applications get rejected.
- Rejection can be a devastating experience
- If you need a grant, you should plan to write 5 or 6 based on the same set of ideas
- Never get down to your last rejection.
- If you get 6 rejections, it's time to develop a new set of ideas.
- You need to be able to multiplex grant applications
- Different Outcomes?
- Different Datasets?
- Different Objectives, Same Aims?
- You need to be able to write well and quickly.
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Should I use a successful application as an example to copy?
- Can you find single-sentence answers to the following questions in 10 minutes:-
- What is the overall aim of the project?
- What makes the aim important?
- What are the overall research methods?
- For each aim or research question (there should be 3 or 4):-
- What is the aim or question?
- How will the research will answer this question or meet this aim.
- What makes it important to answer this question or meet this aim in the context of your project.
- If you can't, it's a bad example to follow.
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- Should repetitions use the same words or different words?
- Punchline at top of para (~6 paras per page)
- Avoid value claims (state evidence instead)
- Bullet lists good, lists in sentences bad.
- No initialisations
- unless the expansion is in the same paragraph
- or no expansion is needed
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- A nominalisation is a noun phrase constructed from a verb,
- which can be used with a general purpose verb to create a flabby, pompous, long-winded way of saying something simple.
- We will investigate X
- We will carry out an investigation into X
- We will analyse
- We will undertake an analysis of