1、Writing Research Proposal徐明達(dá)What are your objectivesWhy is your study importantHow are you going to do itKey Points of Your ProposalPreliminary ResultsQuestionsHypothesisGoal & AimsExperimental DesignExpected ResultsSignificanceLiterature Search準(zhǔn)備期計畫撰寫Competent, novel, relevantSpecific, focus, signi

2、ficantImportance, exp. basedLogicpredictionHow to start(1): Ideas firstProblems and Hypothesis: evidence-basedOverall Goal and Specific AimsRationale: why your proposal is important/interesting that deserves to be supported: Extensive literature search；Convince yourself the significance and contribu

3、tion of your proposal How to solve problems posed Make a computer file and enter thoughts come up through the preparation period; modify the thoughts How to start?How to start?How to start(2): how to get ideasGoal/Specific problemsHow to solve problemsPreliminary dataLiterature searchRationaleRation

4、aleHypothesisKeys to good proposal writingClarity, UnderstandableEvidence-basedConcisenessRelevancy; to the pointLogicKeys to writing a successful proposalInteresting and/or important problemClear Concept and Rationale; InnovationReasonable and achievable aimsEasy to understandAppropriate experiment

5、al designs with feasible and up-to-date techniquesInteresting preliminary/progress results and previous publications relevant to this proposalCompetence of PI and record of publicationHow to start writing proposal(1)Write Only Outline at the first draft; do not start by writing full proposalWrite Ab

6、stract at the endWrite Title of Proposal when the proposal is finishedIdeasTitle1Title 2Title nSubtitle 1Subtitle 2Subtitle nParagraphlogiclogicWriting technique: from ideas to paragraphs to sections to full proposalSectionsProposalWriting a Proposal(1)Title(8)Abstract(7)Background and Rationale(2)O

7、verall Goal and Specific Aims(1)Significance(3)Preliminary Results (relevant ones)(4)Experimental Design(5)Expected Results(6)Budget(9)Check list (for your own use)Writing a Proposal(2)Ideas, Ideas, Ideas! Write them done any time in a file or a small notebook!Based on facts ; no speculationsCheckin

8、g in literatures for similar ideas (usually in Introduction and Discussions) done in other systems-Key wordsEvolution of ideas HypothesisObtain preliminary results to support your hypothesisInitial Planning: start early!Introduction: Background and RationaleImportant and interesting problems still o

9、utstandingYour contribution (published, preliminary data); Novel and interesting findingsHypothesis and approaches to solve the problemsSignificance of your studyHypothesisHypothesis should be based on experimental data; Hypothesis non fingo!Use relevant literatures and preliminary data to help buil

10、d the case to support the hypothesis-no reinventing the wheelSeeing is believing: Use schematic figures or diagrams to help reviewers understand your thinkingState your hypothesis clearly in the abstract and specific aims; alternative hypothesis in case-Preliminary Results/ Progress ReportShow only

11、the relevant experiments supporting your hypothesisThe results should not be ambiguousFigure and table legends should be clearly written; figure numbers should correspond to the text; be sure to label the figuresDo not show published results in this sectionGeneral Goal and Specific AimsBegin with a

12、statement of long term overall goal: overview, significance, central hypothesisList the specific aims one by one conciselyNot too many aims; 2-4 bestBe specific, no general and ambiguous statementsBe realistic, no unachievable aims; best if supported by preliminary resultsAims should be logically li

13、nked and arranged accordingly; testing your hypothesisLink to experiments in Experimental DesignSpecific AimsSpecific Aim #1. Identification of downstream genes involved in -. This purpose of this aim will test the hypothesis that- Specifically,- Yeast two-hybrid technique will be used to - Deletion

14、 analysis will be used to - This study will be able to allow us to identify - TitleHypothesisApproachesImportancehighlightbriefSpecific Aim 1. To determine the role of nucleosomes in the regulation of Igk locus rearrangement. Our preliminary results showed that the V(D)J recombinase could not recogn

15、ize RSS targets if they were arranged into a nucleosome structure. We propose experiments to extend these observations by 1) determining what fraction of the Jk gene segments are in the nucleosomal structure in cells undergoing rearrangement as compared with non-lymphoid cells, 2) determining if nuc

16、leosomes are phased across the Jk locus, 3)determining whether nucleosome remodeling complex can alter the accessibility of the Jk cluster in native or reconstituted chromatin. This analysis will give us insight of the mechanism of Igk gene rearrangement. Rationale and hypothesisSignificanceApproach

17、esExperimental Design(1)Do not write as Materials and MethodsDesign the experiments to solve the problems posed in the specific aims in logical orderBe realistic, do not plan too many experiments or out of your expertise; manageable; focus! Be logical; step-by-step leading to your goalExperimental D

18、esign(2)Updated technologies; Do not re-invent the wheelCompetence in using techniques proposedEvaluate the design critically; alternative approaches, pros and consControl! Control! Control!A schematic diagram for the overall design will help the reviewers understandResults Evaluation and Expectatio

19、nState clearly why good results will be expected because of previous studies, your expertise, novel technology etcReasonable time table for achieving resultsAlternative Interpretations critically evaluatedHow the results will support your hypothesisPerspectivesSignificanceState concisely and clearly

20、 the importance of your study for the advance of the field or to the benefit of society etcList potential contributions in short sentences InnovationsAbstractFirst impression to the reviewersImportance and Rationale, Hypothesis, Aims, Approaches (brief), Innovation and Importance, Relevant Prelimina

21、ry Results to support the proposal, Expected Results, Significance-to the point!Write it last, following the logic of the proposalGive possible answers to the problems you want to studyDo not use this section to write long background or discussions. Early onset breast cancer has been the unique and

22、major health problem in Taiwan with annual increase-The etiology and mechanisms of breast cancer in young women is unknown. It has been suggested that carcinogenesis in utero may account for the early-onset of this cancer- In this proposal, we will examine the alteration of mammary gland differentia

23、tion pathway in the mammary tumors derived from the new born mice using microarray, SAGE (serial analysis of gene expression) as well real-time PCR techniques -This study of alterations in mammary gland differentiation in the mammary tumor of new born mice will allow us to identify the genetic and m

24、olecular mechanisms involved in the early-onset breast cancer. This information could be useful for diagnosis/treatment of early-onset breast cancer in Taiwan-ImportanceOutstanding problemsHypothesisExperimental approachesSummaryAnswersSignificanceTitleChoose title carefullymust reflect the central

25、theme: selling pointAttractive and easy to understandConcise and Informatiive: no non-informative words like “ A study of-”Avoid acronymsEnglish and Chinese titles should be consistentReferencesShould correspond to the textUpdated; dont miss the most relevant onesConsistent format; numbering will he

26、lp Title of article will help the reviewersBudgetBe reasonableState the rationale for unusually large request for fundState the justifications for purchasing the equipment neededToo many personnel to be hired is no goodProgram Project Focused on a common goal of all the sub-projectsCohesiveness amon

27、g the sub-projectsComplementary approachesSynchrony among the sub-projectsRationale and advantages for forming a research team for solving the particular scientific problem; significanceReasons Why Proposal is Rejected(1)Importance and rationale not clearly statedThe problem is outmoded or trivialNo

28、 specific aims! Aims too diffuse or generalSimilar experiments have already been doneNo evidence for competence to carry out the proposalNot realistic; overly ambitious planReasons Why Proposal is Rejected(2)No experimental design! Or no correlation with the specific aims; poor designToo many factor

29、s or variables that will not give unambiguous interpretationsNo hypothesis; fishing expedition; technique looking for problemNo ControlsProposed study will not give useful information or new contributionsProposal depends on a key experiment with uncertain outcomeWe will use CRTT technique to examine

30、 the effect of drugs on the gene expression of TOT cells by Microarray. Genes that respond most strongly to the treatment will be analyzed by real-time PCR. Acronyms, unclear meaningToo vagueLack hypothesis and fail to point out the importanceProblems with Writing(1)Too long sentences and paragraphs

31、Look out for long and dubious parenthesesNo logical connection among paragraphsExplain things clearly (reviewers probably are not in your field)Beware of acronyms and jargons Misspelling; check with Word programGrammar; check with Word programChaotic formatProblems with English (1)Inconsistency:The result of all the molecular events and regulatory proces