20140731 edanz beppu writing grants in english that have impact seminar

Jeffrey Robens, PhD Senior Research Consultant

Education Group Leader

Writing Grants in English That Have Impact

Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University

31 July 2014

Be an effective communicator

You need convince the funder that your study deserves to be funded

Consider a relevant problem

Logically organize your research plan

Effectively communicate your ideas

Before you begin

Section 1

Customer Service Before you begin Who is evaluating your grant?

Multidisciplinary

International

Different ages

Needs to be clear to those outside immediate field

Cultural considerations

Older: more conservative Younger: more flexible/liberal

Customer Service Before you begin What are they evaluating?

Three important aspects that will be evaluated:

1. Does this study need to be done?

2. Will the study be conducted well?

3. How will this study be useful?

Customer Service Before you begin Identify a problem

Thoroughly evaluate the literature • Primary and secondary

Identify knowledge gaps • Should be focused (one sentence rule) • Not yet addressed • Already addressed, but not successfully

Customer Service Before you begin Specify objectives

1. Realistic solution to the problem

2. Cost effective

3. Competence: you have ability to complete project

Three key points for the funding agency:

Customer Service Before you begin Finding grants

Public Government agencies

Private Foundations, charities

Mitsubishi Foundation1

Konosuke Matsushita Memorial Foundation2

Search online and/or discuss with colleagues

Important! a

Find grants whose aims are similar in scope as your project

1. http://www.mitsubishi-zaidan.jp/en/ 2. http://matsushita-konosuke-zaidan.or.jp/en/works/research/promotion_research_01.html


https://www.jsps.go.jp/english/e-grants/grants05_2012.html

Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS)

FY2012


https://www.jsps.go.jp/english/e-kadai/index.html 1. http://www.mext.go.jp/component/b_menu/shingi/toushin/__icsFiles/afieldfile/2012/12/13/1325360_2_1.pdf

Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS)

Topic-Setting Program to Advance Cutting-Edge Humanities and Social Sciences Research

• Based on 2012 report to advance social sciences1

• Encourage collaborative research in three areas: 1. Interdisciplinary research with other sciences 2. Collaborations making societal contributions 3. International collaborations to advance social sciences

Customer Service Before you begin

Determine methodology

Table Organize your methodology

What will you need to do to reach your objectives?

Step What you need to do

Method used Time required

Who will do it

Required materials

1 Make questionnaire

Access archives 4 weeks Person X/Y Travel costs

2 Validate questionnaire

Test in sample population

8 weeks Person Y/Z Compensation

3 Enroll participants, demographics

Contact online, meet in person

4 weeks Person X/Z Travel costs

Customer Service Before you begin Statistical considerations

Participants Power calculation

for sample size

Data analysis Sample distribution,

endpoints, group number

Consult with a statistician!

Shows you have thoroughly thought about the results you will receive and how to analyze them

Logically organizing your research plan

Section 2

Research plan Essential information

Proposal summary

Background

Purpose

Plan

Results/implications

Budget/timeline

Dissemination

Credentials

Reference letters

Research plan Additional info

Research plan Well-defined research question

Break general question into 3–4 more concise questions

1. How are local government policies developed? 2. How are local government policies implemented? 3. How is efficacy of these policies monitored? 4. How are these policies updated?

“How do local government policies affect birth rates in rural Japan?”

Establishes focus

Research plan

• Review background

• State problem and objectives

• Describe methodology

• Expected results

• Significance and implications

1-page summary Usually 2–4 paragraphs

Proposal summary

Research plan Proposal summary

JSPS Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research Summary

Purpose and Background

Why this study needs to be done

Research methods How you will perform the study

Expected results and significance

Key outcomes and implications

Additional information: relevant publications, study duration, requested budget, contact information

Research plan

Important to remember!

Often only section read by grant committee before sending for review

Answer three key questions:

1. What will be learned? 2. Why is this worth knowing? 3. How will conclusions be validated?

Proposal summary

Research plan Background

General introduction

Aims

Current state of the field

Problem in the field

Research plan Background – General introduction

Introduce broadly to set context

• Establish interest in the topic

• Why is this topic important/relevant?

• Why is this topic worth funding?

Topic: Why birth rates in rural Japan are declining

Importance: Affects domestic food production

Research plan Background – Current state of the field

Thorough literature review

• What has been done previously?

• What are the current solutions?

• What are the problems/limitations of these solutions?

• What are the active debates?

Tip! Review variety of databases: Dissertation Abstracts

International, Periodical Index, Social Science Citation Index, Annual Reviews, Modern Language Association International Index

Research plan Background – Problem in the field

Important, but solvable, problem

Problem should be focused

Bad: “Why are birth rates declining in rural areas in Japan?”

Good: “How do local government policies affect the birth rates in rural Japan?”

One-sentence rule: You should be able to describe your research problem in one sentence

Research plan Study purpose

Concrete goals

• Not ‘fishing expedition’ • Goals used to evaluate progress • Not preconceived

Bad examples

• “Determine why birthrates in rural Japan are declining.”

• “Will show that poor implementation of local government policies is responsible for the declining birthrates in rural Japan.”


Discuss the 3–4 broken down questions

“In this study, we have four objectives:

1. Evaluate how local government policies are developed

2. Investigate how local government policies are implemented

3. Determine how the efficacy of these policies is monitored

4. Assess how these policies are updated”

Make it clear how you will solve the problem


Important points to remember

Emphasize who are the beneficiaries, and how will they be affected?

• Beneficiaries are Japanese residents in rural areas.

• Your study may help increase birthrates and revitalize their community/economy.



If novel solution, need to emphasize why this has not been done before:

Turning points or breakthroughs allowing you to now address this problem?

“Recently, government records in many rural areas in Japan have become digitized, allowing for a large scale comparative analysis.”



How will this study help to advance the field?

• Will it help answer a current debate?

• Will it help establish a new idea or an alternative viewpoint on an existing idea?

“This study will help resolve the current issue of whether government policies are directly influencing birth rates in rural Japanese areas.”

Research plan Proposed plan

Methodology

Before writing this section:

• Make a flowchart to show how study conducted

• Make a table showing who will do what, time allocation, and deliverables

Important points: Sample selection and size

Inclusion and exclusion criteria Statistical tests

Research plan Proposed plan – Flowchart

1 2 3 4 : Objective

1

2

3

4

5

6

Tim

e (m

o)


Logically describe methodology: Same order as objectives

Who/what used

Be specific: e.g., which towns/records Justification: e.g., publically available

How it will be done

Describe techniques New techniques: why & validation

Data analysis

Quantification methods Statistical tests: significance and power

Research plan Proposed plan – Timetable

Year 1

Activity Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4

Sample selection

Collect data from local governments

Collect data from local hospitals

Data refinement

Statistical analysis of data

Preparation and submission of paper


Important points!

Innovation May be other similar studies

• How is yours different/innovative? • Demonstrate yours is most effective

Competency Demonstrate expertise in proposed

techniques (e.g., previously published)

Appendices Do not put lengthy technical details in

your main text—difficult to read!

Research plan Expected results

Expectation based on logic/previous publication

“Because the inefficient implementation of government policies has been shown to influence literacy rates in rural communities in Spain13, we expect this may also be a factor affecting birth rates in rural Japan.”

Implications and future directions

“The results obtained from this proposed study will help local governments more effectively implement new policies to increase birth rates in rural areas. It will also be interesting to determine if other…”

Research plan Budget

Salaries Operating costs Travel

Equipment Information systems Consumables

• Review guidelines to determine what is covered • Show costs in a table

Consider all costs associated with this study

Research plan Example budget

http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/ grant-proposals-or-give-me-the-money/

Justify all costs

Research plan Dissemination

What are your deliverables? (Optional)

Publication type

Book or journal articles? Expected journals

Readership Who is your target audience?

Timeline Will each objective be separate paper?

When and how long to write?

Research plan Credentials

Establish trust and confidence

Updated CV: • Publications • Honors/awards • Previously received grants

(especially if from same funder)

Related previous publications

Technical competency

Applicable collaborations

Research plan Reference letters

Who to ask • Young researchers: former advisors • Advanced researchers: collaborators,

journal editors, society members

When to ask

• Early, before you finish writing • Prepare one-page summary:

Summarize background/problem Present objectives/research plan Describe significance

Discuss • Discuss your research plan • Encourage questions/suggestions

Effective writing

Effective writing Improving readability

Use short sentences Limit your sentences to 15–20 words

One idea per sentence

Use active voice Simpler, more direct, and easier to read

ACS Style Guide: “Use the active voice when it is less wordy and more direct than the passive”. (3rd ed., pg. 42)

Effective writing Paragraph structure – assert and justify

Topic sentence Introduce what the paragraph is about

Justify Support your claim with evidence

Despite steadily rising enrollment rates in U.S. postsecondary institutions, high dropout rates and weak academic performance remain persistent problems among undergraduates.

For academic institutions, high attrition rates complicate enrollment planning and place added burdens on efforts to recruit new students. For students, dropping out before earning a terminal degree represents untapped human potential and a low return on their investment in college. Poor academic performance is often indicative of difficulties in adjusting to college and makes dropping out more likely.

Zajacova et al. Res Higher Ed. 2005; 46: 677–706.

Effective writing Additional tips to improve readability

Repetition • Identify key phrases in grant aims • Repeat throughout your grant proposal

Parallel structure

• Research problem and objectives • Within your paragraphs (assert and justify) • Summary and main text

Consistency • Use the same terminology throughout • Especially with multiple authors

Effective writing Additional tips to make an impact

Start your grant proposal with a thought-provoking statement

Questions “Are local government bureaucrats affecting

the birth rates in rural Japan?”

Conflicts “New local Japanese government policies were expected to increase birth rates in rural communities–yet these rates continue to fall.”

Bold claim “The rapid decline of rural birth rates in Japan is caused by the inefficient implementation of local government policies.”

Effective writing Additional tips to make an impact

Start your grant proposal with a thought-provoking statement

“Does culture, defined as the shared knowledge guiding social interaction and other behaviors within a social group, influence individual psychobioloigcal adaptation? Can the links between culture, individual behavior, and individual psychobiological adaptation be traced? This continues to be a fundamental question facing anthropology.”

Good example

http://www.as.ua.edu/ant/Faculty/dressler/Dressler%20Brazil%20NSF.pdf

Be an effective communicator

You need to convince the grant agency that your study deserves to be funded

Consider a relevant problem

Logically organize your research plan

Effectively communicate your ideas

Thank you!

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Jeffrey Robens: [email protected]