GUIDELINES FOR PHD RESEARCH PROPOSAL
(adapted from NIH)
School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems
Research Plan
Organize items a – d below to answer the following questions: (1) What do you intend to do? (2) Why is the work important? (3) What has already been done? (4) How are you going to do the work? Do not exceed 25 pages for items a – d. All tables, graphs, figures, diagrams, and charts must be included within the 25-page limit. Full-sized glossy photographs of material such as electron micrographs or gels may be included in the Appendix; however, a photocopy of each must also be included within the page limitations of the Research Plan. The 25-page limit will be strictly enforced. Applications that exceed this limit or do not conform to the type size limitations will be returned without review.
- Specific Aims. List the broad, long-term objectives and what the specific research proposed in this application is intended to accomplish. State the hypotheses to be tested. If the project is design oriented, state the criteria that will be used to evaluate the success of the design. One page is recommended.
- Background and Significance. Briefly sketch the background leading to the present application, critically evaluate existing knowledge, and specifically identify the gaps which the project is intended to fill. State concisely the importance and health relevance of the research described in this application by relating the specific aims to the broad, long-term objectives. Two to three pages are recommended.
- Preliminary Studies / Progress Report. Use this section to provide an account of the student's preliminary studies pertinent to the application information that will help to establish the experience and competence of the student to pursue the proposed project. The complete references to appropriate publications and manuscripts submitted or accepted for publication may be listed, and are not part of the page limitations. Six to eight pages are recommended for the narrative portion of the Preliminary Studies.
- Research Design and Methods. Describe the research design and the procedures to be used to accomplish the specific aims of the project. Include how the data will be collected, analyzed, and interpreted. Describe any new methodology and its advantage over existing methodologies. Discuss the potential difficulties and limitations of the proposed procedures and alternative approaches to achieve the aims. As part of this section, provide a tentative sequence or timetable for the project. Point out any procedures, situations, or materials that may be hazardous to personnel and the precautions to be exercised.
- Human Subjects. If the proposed research involves human subjects, you must provide the following information. Although no specific page limitation applies to this section of the application, be succinct. (1) Provide a detailed description of the proposed involvement of human subjects in the work previously outlined in the Research Design and Methods section. Describe the characteristics of the subject population, including their anticipated number, age range, and health status. Identify the criteria for inclusion or exclusion of any sub-population. Explain the rationale for the involvement of special classes of subjects, such as fetuses, pregnant women, children, prisoners, institutionalized individuals, or others who are likely to be vulnerable. (2) Identify the sources of research material obtained from individually identifiable living human subjects in the form of specimens, records, or data. Indicate whether the material or data will be obtained specifically for research purposes or whether use will be made of existing specimens, records, or data. (3) Describe plans for the recruitment of subjects and the consent procedures to be followed. Include the circum-stances under which consent will be sought and obtained, who will seek it, the nature of the information to be provided to prospective subjects, and the method of documenting consent. State if the Institutional Review Board (IRB) has authorized a modification or waiver of the elements of consent or the requirement for documentation of consent. (4) Describe potential risks (physical, psychological, social, legal, or other) and assess their likelihood and seriousness. Where appropriate, describe alternative treatments and procedures that might be advantageous to the subjects. (5) Describe the procedures for protecting against or minimizing potential risks, including risks to confidentiality, and assess their likely effectiveness. Where appropriate, discuss provisions for ensuring necessary medical or professional intervention in the event of adverse effects to the subjects. Also, where appropriate, describe the provisions for monitoring the data collected to ensure the safety of subjects. (6) Discuss why the risks to subjects are reasonable in relation to the anticipated benefits to subjects and in relation to the importance of the knowledge that may reasonably be expected to result. If a test article (investigational new drug, device, or biologic) is involved, name the test article and state whether the 30-day interval between submission of applicant certification to the Food and Drug Administration and its response has elapsed or has been waived and / or whether use of the test article has been withheld or restricted by the Food and Drug Administration.
- Vertebrate Animals. If the proposed research involves vertebrate animals, you must provide the following information. Although no specific page limitation applies to this section of the application, be succinct. (1) Provide a detailed description of the proposed use of the animals in the work outlined in the Research Design and Methods section. Identify the species, strains, ages, sex, and numbers of animals to be used in the proposed work. (2) Justify the use of animals, the choice of species, and the numbers to be used. If animals are in short supply, costly, or to be used in large numbers, provide an additional rationale for their selection and numbers. (3) Provide information on the veterinary care of the animals involved. (4) Describe the procedures for ensuring that discomfort, distress, pain, and injury will be limited to that which is unavoidable in the conduct of scientifically sound research. Describe the use of analgesic, anesthetic, and tranquilizing drugs and / or comfortable restraining devices, where appropriate, to minimize discomfort, distress, pain, and injury. (5) Describe any method of euthanasia to be used and the reasons for its selection. State whether this method is consistent with the recommendations of the Panel on Euthanasia of the American Veterinary Medical Association. If not, present a justification for not following the recommendations.
- Literature Cited. List all references. Each reference must include the title, names of all authors, book or journal, volume number, page numbers, and year of publication. The reference should be limited to relevant and current literature. While there is no a page limitation, it is important to be concise and to select only those literature references pertinent to the proposed research.
The application must be clear, readily legible, and conform to the following three requirements: 1) The height of the letters must not be smaller than 12 point; 2) Type density must be no more than 15 characters per inch (cpi). For proportional spacing, the average for any representative section of text must not exceed 15 cpi; 3) No more than 6 lines of type must be within a vertical inch. Type requirements should be checked using a standard device for measuring type size, rather than relying on the font selected for a particular word processing/ printer combination. Figures, charts, tables, figure legends, and footnotes may be smaller size but must be readily legible. The type size used throughout the application must conform to all three requirements.
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