The project proposal should have three major components:
- Introduction
- Literature Review
- Experimental Design
The Introduction serves as an introduction to your entire project.
It
states your hypothesis, the purpose, and the goals of your experiment. Be
sure to address the following questions;
- What is the subject of your project?
- What are the goals of your project?
- How will you carry out these goals?
- How will the results be used?
- Why is this research worth doing?
The Literature Review tells your reader about the state of the art
of your topic. It should give the historical background of you topic.
You
need to demonstrate that you know the background and context of your
topic. Read and take notes on as much as possible about your topic. You
should become the expert! The following questions should help you
- What research has been done before? (Be sure to include MQP's and
IQP's)
- What research is currently being done?
- What relevant studies or techniques do you need to master in order to
complete your project?
- How have others solved the problems you have posed, and how will your
approach be different?
Your Literature Review should be analytical as well as informative.
Be sure to compare and contrast the research you do as well as assessing
its relevance to your project. A well-written review will provide the
reader with a sense of the critical issues which form the background for
your original work. Make sure your literature review reads like an
essay; it should contain its own introduction, body, and conclusion.
Everything in your literature review should be mentioned in your
bibliography. Your bibliography may obviously contain more sources than
cited as your literature review only comments upon the most valuable
material you have identified.
Be sure to provide your bibliography.
Please note the experimental design portion of your proposal
is due later
than the first two portions of your proposal, it is however technically
part of any proposal. It is hoped that this information now will help you
more effectively complete the proposal process. It is assumed that your
continual reading and preliminary experimentation will shape this design
phase of your work.
The Experimental Procedure states the steps required to complete
your project. This is to be written in outline form. Be sure to answer
the following questions are answered;
- What are the tasks to be done?
- What materials are needed?
- What are the variables identified?
- What data has to be collected?
- How will you analyze the data?
- What is the time frame?
Last modified: June 2001
