All proposals submitted to the Undergraduate Research Initiative 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. The effectiveness of your proposal will depend on your ability to explain the nature, context and scope of the project.
Researchers typically write the abstract after they have finished writing the rest of the proposal.
In thinking about the significance, try to take the position of an average newspaper reader. Budgets Please also consider your budget carefully. Include a listing of all the items you propose to purchase and your best estimate of the cost of each item. All expense items should be explained either in the body of your proposal or in a budget narrative included in your budget. The selection committee reserves the right to dis-allow certain line items and frequently approves partial budgets.