For this project, you will be writing a preliminary research proposal.
Your proposal must be for a study that would examine the impact of a public health or medical intervention, such as exploring the question “Is ____ {intervention/exposure} an effective method for preventing/treating ____ {outcome/disease} in ____ {population}?” The project must be for primary research (either an observational or an experimental study design). You must explain your goals, the significance of the proposed project, and the methods you would use to collect your data.
You must carefully follow the formatting rules on the next page. The proposal will require a project summary, a background, a statement of the study’s objectives, a methods section (which should discuss recruiting, data collection, and data analysis), a researcher CV, and a proposed budget and timeline.
A cover page that includes only (1) a project title, (2) the name of the principal investigator (P.I.), and (3) a one-paragraph summary of the proposed research project.
□ A background (1 page) that includes:
□ an opening statement about the main study question, including a very brief
description of the proposed study population (including its location),
intervention, and disease that will be evaluated
□ a short literature review (approximately five pages with in-text citations to at least 8-10 references) that
explains how the proposed project is related to previous studies and what will
make it new and important
□ a list of at least 8-10 references cited, which should be listed at the bottom of
the page in size 12 font using APA format
□ Research project’s statement objectives: one main statement of purpose plus three to four specific aims. The list can be in bullet-point format and can be phrased in the form of the questions that will be answered or as “to” statements (such as “The specific aims are to identify / to compare / to evaluate _____.”).
□ A description of the methods (3 pages) that provides details about the proposed source population, sampling strategy, and recruiting strategy; ethical considerations (such as informed consent, benefits, and risk mitigation); data collection methods such as the use of a questionnaire, interviews, biological specimen collection, observation, and other techniques); and proposed data analysis methods.
□ A detailed and realistic timeline for completing the work should cover the entire scope of the plan from the preparation stages through the publication and presentation of results.
□ A budget should itemize all expenses expected for the project (such as travel expenses, equipment, salaries for support staff, etc.). For this project, the requested budget should not exceed $10,000.
□ A short (1 page) c.v. (curriculum vita) Alternatively, a resume for the primary researcher lists relevant information about education, work and research experiences, and skills.
