WRITING THE RESEARCH REPORT AND THE POLITICS OF SOCIAL RESEARCHCHART 1 Factors Associated with a Successful
Research Proposal
- It addresses an important research question. It
builds on prior knowledge and represents a
substantial advance of knowledge for basic
research. It documents a major social problem and
holds promise for solutions for applied research. - It follows all instructions, is well written, and is easy
to follow with clearly stated objectives. - It completely describes research procedures that
include high standards of research methodology,
and it applies research techniques that are
appropriate to the research question. - It includes specific plans for disseminating the
results and evaluating whether the project has met
its objectives. - It indicates that the project is well designed and
shows serious planning. It has realistic budgets and
schedules. - It notes that the researcher has the necessary
experience or background to complete the project
successfully.
project. Excessively high or low estimates, unnec-
essary add-ons, or omitted essentials will lower re-
viewers’ evaluation of a proposal. Creating a budget
for a proposed project is complicated and usually
requires technical assistance. For example, pay
rates, fringe benefit rates, and so on may not be easy
to obtain. It is best to consult a grants officer at a
college or an experienced proposal writer. In addi-
tion, endorsements or clearances of regulations are
often necessary (e.g., IRB approval). Proposals
should also include specific plans for disseminat-
ing results (e.g., publications, presentations before
professional groups) and a plan for evaluating
whether the project met its objectives (see Chart 1).
The proposal is a type of contract between a re-
searcher and the funding source. Funding agencies
require a final report that must include details on
what the funds were spent for, study findings, and
an evaluation of whether the project met its objec-
tives. Failure to spend funds properly, to complete
the project described in the proposal, or to file a final
report may result in serious consequences. The
researcher may be banned from receiving future
funding or face legal action. A serious misuse of
funds may result in the entire institution (e.g., uni-
versity, business, hosptial) fined and banned from
receiving future funding.
The process of reviewing proposals after they
are submitted to a funding source takes anywhere
from a few weeks to almost a year, depending on
the funding source. In most cases, reviewers rank a
large group of proposals and fund only highly
ranked proposals. A proposal often undergoes a peer
review in which the reviewers know the proposer
from the vitae in the proposal, but the proposer does
not know the reviewers. Sometimes nonspecialists
or nonresearchers review the proposals. Instructions
on preparing a proposal indicate whether to write
for specialists in a field or for an educated general
audience, or both. In general, proposals that ask for
large amounts of money receive closer review.
If your proposal is funded, celebrate, but only
for a short time. If it is rejected, which is more likely,
do not despair. Most proposals are rejected the first
or second time they are submitted. Many funding
sources provide written reviewer evaluations of the
proposal. Always request them if they are provided.
Sometimes a courteous talk on the telephone with
a person at the funding source will reveal the rea-
sons for rejection. Strengthen and resubmit a pro-
posal based on reviewer comments. Most funding
sources accept resubmissions of revised proposals.
Reviewed proposals are often stronger in subse-
quent competitions.THE POLITICS OF
SOCIAL RESEARCH
A naïve, innocent view of social research suggests
that conducting and writing about research is a pure
process that operates in a sociopolitical vacuum, to-
tally insulated from the pressures or concerns of the
larger society. A more realistic view is that we face
an array of ethical and political concerns when
doing social research. Ethical researchers protect
research participants, conduct research honestly in
accordance with codes of ethics, avoid interference