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Guidelines
for a Successful Summer Research Fellowship Proposal
Writing a research proposal will help you clarify your project and
will give you valuable experience for any proposal writing you may
do beyond Carnegie Mellon. All proposals submitted to the Undergraduate
Research Office (URO) are read and scored by a selection committee made
up of faculty from each of the colleges on campus. Your proposal
will be read by someone in your college, but it will also be read
by faculty members who are not familiar with your discipline. For
this reason, a successful proposal will be written in such a way
that an intelligent reader who is not familiar with your field can
still understand the research question you are proposing and the
significance of this research in a larger context.
Proposal Contents
Please follow the headings that are laid out on our website for SURG - proposal I and II: www.cmu.edu/uro/applying.htm
The effectiveness of your proposal will depend on your ability to
explain the nature, context and scope of the project. The selection
committee will also be looking for an indication that your project
will be more than just a learning experience—what does it
contribute to your field that we do not already know?
Proposal Format
Your proposal may be up to three pages in length. At the top of the first page put your project
title. The
next item should be your abstract. Print single sided sheets only
(double sided copies will not duplicate and the committee will not receive your full proposal). We recommend at
least a 12 point, serifed font (such as Times or Palatino), justified
left (right ragged). Illustrations may be used in the body of the
proposal but should duplicate well on a copier. If you are using
color graphs or illustrations, please submit five complete copies
of your proposal for the selection committee. Do not include a cover
sheet, title page, resumes, or any other attachments: they will
be discarded. Instead, include any relevant information in the body
of your proposal. Remember to spell check! You are asking for money
and your proposal should be a reflection of your commitment to the
project.
Supporting Materials
All Type I Arts and Humanities proposals must contain supporting materials to clarify the proposal. These include prior art or creative work, links to CD/DVD documentation, music compositions, sketches of proposed work, preliminary research, archive information, etc.
For Type II proposals, illustrations may be used in the body of the proposal but should duplicate well on a copier. If you are using color graphs or illustrations, please submit five complete copies of your proposal for the selection committee.
Review a Draft
You are strongly encouraged to work with your faculty advisor on your
proposal and to meet with the Undergraduate Research Office Director
at least once prior to submitting a Summer Research Fellowship
proposal to review a draft. To schedule an appointment, call x8-5702, or email Stephanie Wallach at sw4s@andrew.cmu.edu.
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