1. Aims – clearly states the question to be answered by the research proposal.
2. Background and Significance – a delineation of the principal issues and significance with background from scientific literature.
3. Methods – details of the design and conduct of the study with brief description of sample size requirements and analytic strategies.
4. Human Subjects – describe your safeguards for doing research with human subjects.

There is a limit of 10 double-spaced pages. Please be clear and concise in your presentation.

Each section (i.e., AIMS, BACKGROUND & SIGNIFICANCE) must have a designated student who is responsible for the development of the session and its presentation.

DETAILED INSTRUCTIONS FOR EACH SECTION

1- For the Aims:
List the broad, long-term objectives and describe concisely and realistically what the specific research described in this proposal is intended to accomplish and any hypotheses to be tested. (This need not exceed 1 –2 paragraphs.)

2- For the Background and Significance:
Briefly sketch the background to the present proposal, critically evaluate existing knowledge, and specifically identify the gaps that the project is intended to fill. State concisely the importance of the research described in this proposal by relating the aims to the broad long-term objectives and to health relevance.

First Sentence

1. Arouse reader’s interest
2. Avoid truisms
3. Stress importance of the topic

1. Expand upon the first sentence
2. Describe the subject of focus

Review of the Literature

1. Review and critique what is known from prior studies
2. Draw generalizations from the literature
3. Provide a rationale for your study

1. Final paragraph re-states purpose of study

3- For the Methods
Describe the research design and the procedures to be used to accomplish the aims of the project.

1. Describe study design and explain how design relates to aims
2. Give a clear description of the groups you are going to study and how you will select the groups
3. Discuss who the results can be generalized to
4. Discuss response rates or loss to follow-up if relevant
5. Describe duration of study

Procedures and Measurements

1. Clearly state the specific exposure and outcome measures you will use and the reliability and validity of these measures
2. Describe your techniques for data collection and any potential problems
3. Describe the need for any pilot testing
4. Describe any new methodologies you are using and explain their advantage over previously used methodologies
5. Identify any potentially confounding variables and discuss how you will handle them in the design or the analyses of your study

1. Briefly discuss the determinants of the sample size needed in your study (actual power calculations are not necessary)
2. Describe how sample size affects duration of study
3. Discuss the magnitude of the difference you expect to find between groups with respect to your factor/disease of interest
4. Briefly consider alternative strategies for analyzing the data once it is collected

Strengths and Weaknesses of Proposed Study

Discuss the potential difficulties and limitations of the proposed procedures and alternative approaches to achieve the aims

• Indicate whether the material or data collected in your study will be obtained specifically for research purposes or whether use will be made of existing specimens, records, data.
• Describe plans for the recruitment of subjects and the consent procedures.
• Describe any potential risks (physical, psychological, social, legal) to study participants and ways for protecting against or minimizing risks.
• Discuss how to minimize risks confidentiality.
• Discuss why the risks to subjects are reasonable in relation to the anticipated benefit.