WRITING THE RESEARCH REPORT AND THE POLITICS OF SOCIAL RESEARCHappropriateness of the method for studying the
problem. Second, you describe a qualitative pilot
study. This demonstrates motivation, familiarity
with research techniques, and ability to complete a
report about unstructured research.
Proposals to Fund Research.A research grant
provides the resources required to complete a wor-
thy project. Researchers whose primary goal is to
use funding for personal benefit or prestige, to es-
cape from other activities, or to build an “empire”
are less successful. The strategies of proposal
writing and getting grants has become an industry
called grantsmanship.
There are many sources of funding for research
proposals. Colleges, private foundations, and gov-
ernment agencies have programs to award grants to
researchers. Researchers use the funds to purchase
equipment, to pay a salary or hire assistants, for
research supplies, for travel to collect data, or for
help with the publication of results. The degree of
competition for a grant varies a great deal, depend-
ing on the source. Some sources fund more than
three out of four proposals they receive, but others
fund fewer than one in twenty.
Although many sources of funding for social
research exist, there might be no source willing to
fund a specific project. You need to investigate fund-
ing sources and ask questions: What types of
projects do they fund: applied versus basic research,
specific topics, or specific research techniques?
What are the deadlines? What type of proposal (e.g.,
length, degree of detail) is necessary? How large are
most grants? What aspects (e.g., equipment, per-
sonnel, travel) of a project are or are not funded?
There are many sources of information on funding
sources. Librarians or officials responsible for re-
search grants at a college are good resources. For
example, private foundations are listed in the annual
publication The Foundation Directory. The Guide
to Federal Funding for Social Scientistslists sources
in the U.S. government. In the United States, sub-
scribers can search for funding sources in numer-
ous newsletters on funding sources and national
computerized databases. Some agencies periodi-
cally issue requests for proposals (RFPs)that ask
for proposals to conduct research on a specific issue.
Researchers need to learn about funding sources be-
cause it is essential to send the proposal to an ap-
propriate source in order to be successful.^17
You need to show a track record of past success
in the proposal, especially if you are going to be in
charge of the project. The person in charge of a re-
search project is the principal investigator (PI),
sometimes called the project director.Proposals
usually include the PI’s curriculum vitae or aca-
demic résumé, letters of support from other re-
searchers, and a record of past research. Reviewers
feel safer investing funds in a project headed by
someone with substantial research experience rather
than an inexperienced novice. You can build a track
record with small research projects and by assisting
an experienced researcher before you seek funding
as a PI.
The reviewers who evaluate a proposal judge
whether a proposal project is appropriate for the
funding source’s goals. Most sources have guide-
lines that state the types of projects they will fund.
For example, programs that fund basic research
have the advancement of knowledge as a goal. Pro-
grams to fund applied research often have im-
provements in the delivery of services as a goal.
Instructions for submission specify page length,
number of copies, deadlines, and the like. Follow
all instructions exactly. Why would reviewers give
thousands of dollars to a researcher to carry out a
complicated research project if he or she cannot
even follow instructions on the page length of a
proposal?
Proposals should be neat and professional
looking. The instructions usually ask for a detailed
plan for the use of time, services, and personnel.
These should be clearly stated and realistic for theGrantsmanship The use of strategies and skills in lo-
cating appropriate funding sources and preparing qual-
ity proposals to fund research.
Request for proposals (RFP) An announcement by
a funding organization that it is soliciting written plans
of research projects to fund.
Principal investigator (PI) The person who is pri-
marily in charge of research on a project that is spon-
sored or funded by an organization.